The Flea and the Man by Aesop with a podcast and vocabulary practice in real context for advanced ESL students based on the English Immersion Program
The Flea and the Man is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.
Podcast of the Flea and the Man
The Flea and the Man
A flea bit a man, and bit him again, and again, till he could stand it no longer, but made a thorough search for it, and at last succeeded in catching it.
- flea: a small leaping bloodsucking insect
- stand: tolerate, bear
- thorough: complete, meticulous, in-depth, comprehensive
Holding it between his finger and thumb, he said—or rather shouted, so angry was he—”Who are you, pray, you wretched little creature, that you make so free with my person?”
- pray: emphasizing a question or command (interjection)
- wretched: miserable
- free: unrestricted, uncontrolled
The flea, terrified, whimpered in a weak little voice, “Oh, sir! pray let me go; don’t kill me! I am such a little thing that I can’t do you much harm.”
- terrified: frightened, horrified, scared
- whimper: cry, whine, sob
But the man laughed and said, “I am going to kill you now, at once: whatever is bad has got to be destroyed, no matter how slight the harm it does.”
- slight: small, minor, insignificant
Do not waste your pity on a scamp.
- scamp: a mischievous child, a wicked person, rascal, rogue
The flea and the man by Aesop suggests that some people bring trouble upon themselves through their bad behavior, and feeling sorry for them or helping them might be wasted effort. Instead of pitying them, it’s better to let them face the consequences of their actions. So, we should focus our kindness on who truly needs it. And, compassion is valuable, but it should not be wasted on those who take advantage of it.
You’ve captured the core lesson of The Flea and the Man well. The fable teaches that some individuals create their own problems, and blindly offering sympathy or help to those who repeatedly act irresponsibly can be futile.
Your point about directing kindness toward those who truly need it is especially important. While compassion is a virtue, it should be paired with wisdom—helping those who take advantage of it can enable bad behavior rather than correct it.