THE GNAT AND THE BULL
A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.
"You must be very glad to have me go now," he said.
"It's all the same to me," replied the Bull. "I did not even know you were there."
We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor.
The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.
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It was a brisk day in Spring. The sun was shining and the cows
were grazing in the pasture. Flies were buzzing over the meadow, acting as an annoyance in the pasture. Gnat, an enthusiastic, little fly made his way into
the meadow looking for a place to rest his wings. Gnat found his way on the tip
of a horn of Bull, a well-mannered, but quiet creature. He didn’t
want to be a menace like most of the other flies, so he crept down to in
between Bull’s horns.
“It is a beautiful day in the meadow,” he said.
“Indeed,” replied the Bull.
“Thank you for letting me rest my wings,” said Gnat.
“Of course. Thank you for saying hello,” replied Bull.
They exchanged a smile. Most flies will use the Bulls as a
resting place, but never exchange a smile or hello, but Gnat knew that people
should always be thanked for having a giving and selfless spirit. Sometimes you
will have a greater importance in the eye of your neighbor, if you take a look
at their world through your own.
Author's Note: When reading the original fable it is a simple story of The Gnat and Bull. There are a few exchange of words and it is a usual interaction that a fly and a bull would have on a daily basis in the pasture. I wanted to twist the meaning of the story a little bit. The overall message of this story was, "We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor", but I wanted to change this to show that you can become more important if you walk a mile in someones shoes It is important to know the power of saying hello and offering a smile. Additionally I wanted to change their actual names to Gnat and Bull rather than it just referring to the general animals.
Bibliography: This story is based on the fable “The Gnat and the Bull" Aesop for Childnre, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919)
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Christina,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on adding to the original story. I really like how you made the message to, you can become more important if you walk a mile in someones shoes. You never know when you can make someones day just by saying hello and exchanging a smile. A little can always go along ways. I also try to get to know the person and their situation before I judge anything. I want to know the meaning behind the story.
-Ashlie
I like your take on the story. It is amazing how something as simple as receiving a smile or a hello from someone can improve your day. You never know how much the other person needs to hear kind words from someone. It can make all the difference in the world. Also it can change your own mood if you make the effort to smile and be friendly to others even when you are not feeling so happy.
ReplyDeleteHi! I have never heard on this story before with the bull and the gnat. I really enjoyed your story because it was simple and happy. It was really nice to read and was well done. I loved how the fly was the only one to smile and show thanks to the bull. It was a great lesson and reminder that everyone needs to be courteous to others.
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