60
The pike and the cat
Textbook: Part 4, pp. 29–33
GoalGive general information on Ivan Krylov’s fable “Cho‘rtanbaliq va mushuk”; understand the fable genre; identify the moral of our own fable.
New words
fable · masalmoral lesson · ibratcraft · hunarmockery, laughter · kulgu
Explanation
The Russian writer and fabulist Ivan Krylov was born in 1769, and more than 230 of his fables were published in nine collections. The textbook has his fable “Cho‘rtanbaliq va mushuk” (The pike and the cat), which gently mocks those who abandon their own work to try another craft. We do not retell it; we read our own fable. A fable is a short work in which animals or things speak and show human faults; it ends with a moral. We explain the moral in our own words and with an example from life.
Worked examples
Fable “The stork and the swallow”. The stork watched the swallow building a nest and said: “I will build such a small nest too,” and started gathering tiny pellets of mud. His long legs got in the way and his beak could not hold the mud. By the time the swallow finished her nest the stork was tired. Neighbours laughed. The stork built a large nest at his own height and was glad of it. Moral: when each does the work that suits his abilities, it turns out well.
Moral: know your abilities and do your work with love.
Class activity
“Find the moral”: children write the moral of the fable in one sentence and give an example from life.
Practice
1
What did the stork try to make?
A small nest like the swallow’s
2
Why did he not manage?
His legs were long and his beak could not hold mud.
3
What did the stork finally do?
Built a large nest that suited him.
4
State the moral of the fable.
It is good for each to do work that suits his abilities.
5
Who was Ivan Krylov?
A Russian fabulist