Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Some Versions of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' Messed With the Moral

Some Versions of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' Messed With the Moral: ALMOST ANYONE GROWING UP IN an English-speaking culture knows the story of The Tortoise and the Hare. In the tale, the two animals challenge one another to a race to prove who is fastest: mid-race, the hare lays down to rest, certain that it’s going to win. Then out comes the tortoise, plodding along without pause, the winner; slow and steady wins the race, as the moral goes. Then there’s a huge forest fire, and almost everybody dies.

1 comment:

Fred Zackel said...

In many societies--Japanese, Polynesian--the turtle or tortoise is a symbol of longevity. That might make the story about longevity. The race is the race to have a long life. The rabbit burns himself out.