The Boy and the Filberts by Aesop for ESL students with a video, vocabulary in real context and questions for discussion based on the English Immersion Program
The Boy and the Filberts is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.
Video of the Boy and the Filberts
The Boy and the Filberts
A boy put his hand into a jar of filberts, and grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold. But when he tried to pull it out again, he found he couldn’t do so, for the neck of the jar was too small to allow of the passage of so large a handful.
Unwilling to lose his nuts but unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears. A bystander, who saw where the trouble lay, said to him:
“Come, my boy, don’t be so greedy: be content with half the amount, and you’ll be able to get your hand out without difficulty.”
English proverbs from the short story
Do not attempt too much at once.
In the fable “The Boy and the Filberts,” the proverb “do not attempt too much at once” relates to the boy’s struggle. His greed for filberts leads him to grab more than he can fit through the jar’s opening, leaving him stuck and frustrated. The proverb teaches moderation – by taking fewer filberts at a time, he could have achieved his goal easily, avoiding the setback caused by his overambition.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Both the fable and the proverb warn against greed and overreaching. They teach us to be moderate in our desires and take things one step at a time.
Vocabulary in real context
- filbert: hazelnut
- grasp: take hold of something
- handful: an amount of something that could be held in the hand
- unwilling: not willing, reluctant
- withdraw: take out, pull out
- burst into tears: start crying
- bystander: witness, eyewitness, passer-by
- content (adj): satisfied
