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Examples

This story is a fable. A fable is a moral tale in which the characters are usually animals who talk and behave like humans. The animals display characteristics which are typical of that animal but which also occur in humans.

The Hare and the Tortoise

One day the Hare was boasting to the other animals that he could run very fast. He laughed at the Tortoise and said: "Look at your short legs. You are so slow!" The Tortoise laughed with the others. She knew that she was slow.

Then the Tortoise said: "Let's have a race. Even though you are as fast as the wind, I'll beat you." The Hare laughed out loud. "Impossible," he said, and he agreed that they should have a race. The Hare and the Tortoise asked the Fox to mark out the course and be the judge.

The Hare and the Tortoise started the race together. The Hare sprinted way ahead, laughing to himself. When he was halfway along the course, he felt hot and tired. "I think I'll have a rest," he said. "The Tortoise is so far behind she'll never catch up. Even if she does, I'll still beat her." The Hare lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

Meanwhile the Tortoise never stopped for a moment. She kept walking with slow and steady steps straight to the end of the course. When the Hare woke up, the Tortoise was out of sight. He raced towards the finish line as fast as he could. When he reached the end of the course, he saw the Tortoise. She had crossed the line in front of him and was sleeping in the sun while she waited.

Slow and steady wins the race.