The Man and the Lion by Aesop for ESL students with a video, vocabulary practice in real context and questions for discussion
The Man and the Lion is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.
Video of the Man and the Lion
The Man and the Lion
A man and a lion were companions on a journey, and in the course of conversation, they began to boast about their prowess, and each claimed to be superior to the other in strength and courage.
They were still arguing with some heat when they came to a cross-road where there was a statue of a man strangling a lion.
“There!” said the man triumphantly, “look at that! Doesn’t that prove to you that we are stronger than you?”
“Not so fast, my friend,” said the lion: “that is only your view of the case. If we, lions, could make statues, you may be sure that in most of them you would see the man underneath.”
English proverbs from the short story
Here are a few proverbs and idioms related to this fable:
Another side to every story
This proverb encapsulates the lion’s perspective in the fable, highlighting that different viewpoints can drastically alter a narrative.
Perspective is everything.
Similar to the previous point, this saying emphasizes the importance of considering different angles before forming an opinion.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Although not directly related to the fable, the idea of appearances being deceiving is a common theme in Aesop’s works, including this one.
There are two sides to every question.
This proverb signifies that any issue or dispute typically involves multiple perspectives. It cautions against hasty judgments and emphasizes the importance of considering all viewpoints before forming an opinion. This proverb underscores the complexity of human interaction and the need for empathy and open-mindedness in understanding different standpoints.
Vocabulary in real context
- companion: friend
- journey: trip
- boast about: overemphasize one’s possessions or accomplishments, brag
- prowess: superior skill or ability, valor in combat
- superior: higher in quality, better than others
- strangle: to kill someone by choking
- triumphantly: victoriously
- underneath: below, beneath, under
I didn’t exactly understand the story. But I think the lion was right because for example if the rats made the statue the rats were killing or strangling the lion.
Thank you for your comment. I just wonder where you got the word “rats”! This story is an argument between a lion and a man.
In this short fable, a man and a lion argue about which of them is more powerful and superior to the other.
The man tries to prove his superiority by showing the lion a statue of a man defeating a lion.
To me, the moral of the story is that every story has multiple dimensions and perspectives, and we should consider other viewpoints as well.
You’re precisely referring to the central message of this short story. We should not mix our judgment with bias and prejudice. Otherwise, our decisions would be lopsided and uneven.