Fable
Fables convey a moral principle through a story, which more often than not uses animals as its characters. Far and away, the most famous fables are by the writer Aesop, one of which is about an ant and a grasshopper:
One day an ant was working hard to drag some food back to its nest. It was hard work. A grasshopper nearby called out to him, "Why do you work so hard ant? Why not come and play?" To this, the ant replied, "I am saving up supplies so that we may survive the winter. The grasshopper thought this was foolishness and said, "But it is warm now and food is plentiful!" However, the ant was not convinced and continued its hard work, dragging the food back to the nest.
By the time winter came the ant and his companions had stored up enough food to last them through the hard months. However, the grasshopper had frittered away the summer months and stored no food. When at last the grasshopper begged the ant for some food, the ant replied, "You may dance in the winter to the tune that you sang all summer".
Many fables offer timeless advice - they are as valid today as they were when they were written. For instance, in analysing this fable, it is important to note not only the moral of the story, but also the fact that the ant did warn the grasshopper and its warning was ignored.
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