Belling the cat to learn English with fairy tales based on Aesop’s Fables with a podcast, list of new words and expressions for young English learners or beginners
Belling the Cat is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.
Video of Belling the Cat
Belling the Cat
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case.
“You will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the cat.
By this means, we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood.” This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: “That is all very well, but who is to bell the cat?”
The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:
“It is easy to propose impossible remedies.”
New words and expressions
- Council: assembly, meeting
- Outwit: outsmart, use trickery to get an advantage over someone, outfox
- Proposal: suggestion, plan
- Consist: contain, entail, involve
- Sly: crafty, cunning, furtive
- Procured: obtained, acquired
- Ribbon: band, tie, strip
- Retire: go to bed and relax
- Applause: clapping to show praise and appreciation
- Remedy: solution
In this fable, the young mouse came up with a solution: to attach a bell to the cat’s neck. The challenging and important part was finding someone willing to take this responsibility. This was where everyone were silent.
The conclusion is that it’s easier to talk than to take action.
With much appreciation! That’s exactly why in English we say:
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1. everyone was silent
2. it’s easier to talk than take action.