The Crow and the Pitcher
The Crow and the Pitcher to learn English with fairy tales based on Aesop’s Fables with a podcast, new words and related lessons for young English learners or beginners.
A crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight.
When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it.
He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain.
At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
New words and expressions
- Perished: died, passed away
- Pitcher: a single-handed jug or container of liquids
- Delight: enjoyment, pleasure
- Grief: sorrow, sadness
- Contained: included
- Efforts: attempts
- In vain: unsuccessful, without any good result
- Beak: a bird’s mouth part
- Invention: discovery, creation
This fable emphasizes the fact that in times of need, we can get creative and try to find a way to overcome our challenges.
That’s exactly right. You’ve greatly re-worded the maxim derived from this short story that reads: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”