The Lamp by Aesop for ESL Students + New Words

The Lamp by Aesop for ESL students with a podcast, list of new words and vocabulary in real context, and some questions for discussion

The Lamp by Aesop is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.

Podcast of the Lamp by Aesop

The Lamp by Aesop

A lamp, well filled with oil, burned with a clear and steady light, and began to swell with pride and boast that it shone more brightly than the sun himself.

Just then a puff of wind came and blew it out. Some one struck a match and lit it again, and said:

“You just keep alight, and never mind the sun. Why, even the stars never need to be relit as you had to be just now.”

English proverbs from the short story

Pride goes before a fall:

This proverb reflects the lamp’s arrogance and its subsequent extinguishing by the wind.

It’s better to shine brightly for a short time than to burn dimly forever:

This proverb doesn’t perfectly fit, but it touches on the idea of the lamp using its light effectively rather than boasting about it.

Vocabulary in context

1. steady: stable and continual
2. swell: to grow bigger, puff up
3. boast: to brag about one’s possessions or accomplishments
4. blew it out: extinguished it, put it out
5. alight: burning, on fire

Questions and answers

Answer the following questions in the comment box below.

1. The lamp boasts about its light, comparing itself to the sun. What does the lamp’s pride reveal about its understanding of its own importance?
2. The wind extinguishes the lamp’s flame. How does this event connect to the moral of the story?
3. After being re-lit, the lamp is told to “be happy with itself and shine quietly.” What lesson does the master of the house want the lamp to learn?