The Ass and His Show from Aesop's Fables with podcast and vocabulary practice

The Ass and His Shadow English Fairy Tale with Vocabulary Practice

Updated: by

The Ass and His Shadow an English fairy tale from Aesop’s Fables with podcast and vocabulary practice in context to practice reading and listening comprehension and expand your vocabulary

Source of story: Gutenberg Project at www.gutenberg.org

Video of the Ass and His Shadow

The Ass and His Shadow

A traveler hired an ass to convey him to a distant place. The day being intensely hot, and the sun shining in its strength, the traveler stopped to rest, and sought shelter from the heat under the shadow of the ass.

The Donkey Dilemma by Molla Nasreddin with a video about Persian Literature

As this afforded only protection for one, and as the traveler and the owner of the ass both claimed it, a violent dispute arose between them as to which of them had the right to the shadow.

حکایت خر برفت و خر برفت از مثنوی معنوی مولانا برای آموزش زبان فارسی به غیر فارسی زبانان

The owner maintained that he had let the ass only, and not his shadow. The traveler asserted that he had, with the hire of the ass, hired his shadow also.

داستان الاغ و سگ خانگی برای آموزش زبان فارسی به کودکان و نوجوانان خارج از کشور

The quarrel proceeded from words to blows, and while the men fought, the ass galloped off.

Related idioms, proverbs or phrases

Questions for discussion

  1. Why did the argument between the traveler and the owner of the donkey begin?
  2. What lesson can be learned from the donkey running away in the fable?
  3. In the story, was the shadow really part of what the traveler paid for? Why or why not?

4 thoughts on “The Ass and His Shadow English Fairy Tale with Vocabulary Practice”

  1. I believe that both of them could have shared the shadow. I mean that one of them use it for a little amount of time and then the other one. Furthermore, to me, even the donkey needed a shelter to rest, so they must have thought about that as well.
    The donkey seized the opportunity and ran away when the owner and the traveler were busy fighting with each other.

    • That was really considerate of you to give some right to the poor donkey as well. After all, the donkey was also alive and serviceable. The selfish and uncivilized owner and traveler did deserve to be left high and dry by the donkey.

  2. I think that this story is about facing with a problem. We should notice the circumstances and solve the issue. So, the traveler and the owner should notice that how the weather was so hot and everyone needed a shelter from the heat. On the other hand, if the traveler and the owner shared the shadow, both of them can save off the heat.

    • That was a very good argument you shared with us.
      Feedback
      1. the traveler and the owner should notice that how the weather = the traveler and the owner should have noticed how the weather …
      2. Your last sentence should be written in a conditional sentence Type 3 format because it refers to the past time: if the traveler and the owner had shared the shadow, both of them could have been saved / well-protected from the heat.

Leave a Comment