The Ass and the Lap Dog

Those who love Aesop’s Fables might know the story of the “The Ass and the Lap Dog“. It is the story of a dog which was being treated very nicely by its aster and not given any work at all while a donkey was being overworked The donkey foolishly tries to reverse his fortunes…..

Story:

There was one a man who had a pet Dog. He also owned an Ass. The man loved his dog. The dog would jump up and sleep on his lap. The dog would get pieces of food from his plate. The man would pet the dog and play with him. The dog would lick his face and the master would laugh.

The Ass was very unhappy. The Ass had a lot of work. The master did not pay any attention to him. He wanted to be like the Dog.

The foolish Ass thought, “If I act like the dog, the master will like me more.”

The Ass left his stable and trotted to the master’s house.

TROT! TROT! TROT! TROT!

The Ass climbed the stairs.

CLAT! CLAT! CLAT! CLAT!

The Ass opened the door and ran around the table like the dog. He was so clumsy that he upset the table and broke all the plates.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

He brayed loudly and rolled on the carpet and the carpet tore.

BRAAAY! BRAAAY!

He jumped on the master and tried to lick his face. The master got very frightened on seeing the Ass. The Ass was acting like it was mad. He screamed and called the neighbors. The neighbors came and saw the Ass sitting on the master. They gave the Ass a good beating and a good kick and chased him away.

Moral of the story:

The moral of the story “The Ass and the Lap Dog” is that “Do not try to gain favor by acting in a way that is contrary to your own nature and character.”

Questions on “The Ass and the Lap Dog“

Who are the main characters of the story?
How did the man treat the lap dog?
Did the ass get a lot of work?
What happened at the end of the story?
What is the moral of the story?

Answers:

The main characters of the story are a lap dog and an ass.
The man loved his dog. It would jump up and sleep on his lap, would get pieces of food from his plate. The man would also pet the dog and play with him and the dog would lick his face and the master would laugh.
The Ass was very unhappy. The Ass had a lot of work. The master did not pay any attention to him. He wanted to be like the Dog.
The Ass jumped on his master and tried to lick his face. The master got very frightened since the Ass was acting like it was mad. The neighbors came and saw the Ass sitting on the master. They gave the Ass a good beating and a good kick and chased him away.
The moral of the Aesop’s Fable is that “Do not try to gain favor by acting in a way that is contrary to your own nature and character.”