The Fox and the Goat – An English fairy tale from Aesop’s Fables with a podcast or video and a list of English vocabulary and expressions to improve your listening, reading and vocabulary
Source: Gutenberg Project at www.gutenberg.org
The Fox and the Goat
A fox one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of escape. A goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and seeing the fox, inquired if the water was good.
Concealing his sad plight under a merry guise, the fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying it was excellent beyond measure, and encouraging him to descend.
The goat, mindful only of his thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down, but just as he drank, the fox informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested a scheme for their common escape.
“If,” said he, “you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.”
The goat readily assented and the fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the goat’s horns, he safely reached the mouth of the well and made off as fast as he could. When the goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out:
“You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had no means of escape.”
Look before you leap.
to check that something is not going to cause problems or have a bad result before you do it
Source of definition: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
New words and expressions
- Well: water supply, wellspring, source
- Means: tool, instrument
- Inquire: ask questions, investigate
- Concealing: hiding
- Merry: happy
- Indulge in: take pleasure in, luxuriate in, exult in, relish
- Lavish: abundant, copious, wasteful, extravagant
- Mindful: aware of
- Scheme: plan
- Forefoot: animal’s front foot
- Assent: agree, concur, acquiesce
- Leap: jump, dive
- To steady: to stabilize, to secure
- Make off: run away, run off, flee
- Upbraid: scold, tell off, reproach
- Cry out: yell, shout
- Inspect: look at, examine
Questions for discussion
- What trick does the fox use to convince the goat to jump into the well?
- How does the goat feel after realizing she has been tricked by the fox?
- What is the moral of the story “The Fox and the Goat”?
The fox deceived the goat by saying that the water of the well is excellent and convinced him to descend.
The moral of the story is to consider the consequences of our actions and not to act mindlessly.
The situation was even more aggravated when the naive goat was fooled twice in succession. The first time when the gullible goat was tricked into the well could be pardonable. Nevertheless, the second time when he was duped again and used as a ladder was quite intolerable.