The Wild Boar and the Fox by Aesop for ESL students with a video, vocabulary practice in real context, questions for discussion and the moral of the story
The Wild Boar and the Fox is now in the public domain available on Gutenberg Project.
Video of the Wild Boar and the Fox
The Wild Boar and the Fox
A wild boar was engaged in whetting his tusks upon the trunk of a tree in the forest when a fox came by and, seeing what he was at, said to him, “Why are you doing that, pray? The huntsmen are not out today, and there are no other dangers at hand that I can see.”
“True, my friend,” replied the boar, “but the instant my life is in danger, I shall need to use my tusks. There’ll be no time to sharpen them then.”
English proverbs from the short story
Here are a few proverbs that are thematically related to the fable “The Wild Boar and the Fox“:
This proverb emphasizes the importance of being prepared for negative outcomes, even while maintaining a positive outlook.
A stitch in time saves nine.
This proverb suggests that addressing a small problem early on can prevent a much larger problem later.
Forewarned is forearmed.
This proverb implies that having knowledge of a potential danger or difficulty can help one prepare to deal with it.
All of these proverbs reinforce the idea that it’s wise to be prepared for unexpected challenges, as the boar in the fable did.
Moral of the short story
The moral of the fable “The Wild Boar and the Fox” is: It is best to be prepared for any eventuality, even if it seems unlikely. The boar, by sharpening his tusks in advance, is ensuring that he is ready to defend himself if a threat or menace arises. This shows the importance of being proactive and anticipating potential difficulties rather than waiting for them to happen.
Vocabulary in real context
- engaged: busy doing something
- whet: to sharpen the cutting edge or blade of a tool or weapon
- trunk: the main stem of a tree
- tusk: an enlarged pointed front tooth that projects out from the mouth in animals, such as the elephant, walrus, and wild boar and is often used for fighting
- pray: used to emphasize a question or a command, either politely or sarcastically
- huntsman: hunting man, a man who hunts, either for a living or for sport
- at hand: imminent, about to happen
The short story is telling us that you need to be always prepared for something in the future. In the story , the fox asked that why are you whetting your tusks it’s too much early for that there is no huntsmen right now . And the wild boar said that you should always be prepared for every thing.
That’s right. This is the main difference between proactive and reactive attitudes toward any potential source of danger and trouble.
The moral of this short story is that it is important to be prepared for future possibilities. It is better to be prepared when they come, rather than doing nothing now and then regretting it when things get out of control.
Precisely. I should also add that future-sightedness as endorsed in this short story is in contrast with the philosophy of carpe diem, or seizing the day. The balance between the two is up to you to maintain.