Literature: Non-African Tales - JSS3 English language Lesson Note

Literature

Non-African Tales

We have learnt in Books 1 and 2 that just as we have folk tales in Nigeria, we also have folk tales in Africa and we have folk tales in other parts of the world.

Let us look at a non-African tale.

A goat came and entered the cave. Then a sheep went in. Then a duck. After a while, the sick Lion came to the mouth of his cave.

He yawned. Finally he noticed Fox, who had been waiting outside. "Fox, smiled the Lion, in a welcoming kind of way. "Why have you not entered my cave to pay your respects to me?'

"Your Majesty,' said the fox. T noticed animals go into your cave, but none comes out.' The fox ran away.

What do you think the moral of this story might be?

1. Do not believe everything you hear.

2. Do not leap before you look.

3. Learn from the misfortunes of others.

From: The Fox and the Sick Lion written

by Lin Donn

Find out the meanings of the following and use each of them in a sentence of your own:

An idiom:

To dig one's grave.

A proverb:

A soft answer turns away wrath.

Aesop's Fables

One day, a lion announced he was sick. He let out a feeble roar that summoned all the animals to his deathbed to pay their last respects. Then he slowly turned and entered his cave.