You are on page 1of 2

Parable Unit Whats wrong with these parables?

The Scorpion and The Fox

Correct the Parable

A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side. Suddenly he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river. "The fox said, 'No. If I do that, you'll sting me, and I'll drown.' "The scorpion assured him, 'If I did that, we'd both drown.' "The fox thought about it, finally agreed. So the scorpion climbed up on his back, and the fox began to swim. But halfway across the river, the scorpion stung him. "As the poison filled his veins, the fox turned to the scorpion and said, 'Why did you do that? Now you'll drown, too.' "'I couldn't help it,' said the scorpion. 'It's my nature.'" The Obstacle in our Path In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the kirig's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. Who Is The Rich Man? One day a wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country so that the son could see how the poor lived. They spent a day and a night at the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "Very good, Dad!" "Did you see how poor people can be?" "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?" The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and so do they. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a bathtub. We have imported lamps in the house; and they have bare light bulbs. Our patio reaches to the front yard; they just have steps." When the little boy was finished, the father was speechless. His son then added, "Thanks Dad!" 1

Parable Unit

Correct the Parable

DO NOT GIVE THIS PAGE TO THE STUDENTS


ANSWERS: The Scorpion and the Fox The characters in this story are animals. This is a fable. The Obstacle in the Path This story has no clear meaning or lesson to be learned. Who Is The Rich Man? This story has no difficult decision or moral dilemma.

You might also like