As a young boy growing up in the forties and fifties, storytelling was a common way for older folks to teach younger children different lessons about life and morals. One of the most popular storytelling or fables that adults and school teachers often referred to was Aesop.
While growing up, I didn’t know very much about Aesop except the fact that most stories were frequently prefaced by Aesop’s Fables. As a young boy not knowing that a fable was the same as storytelling, I thought his name was Aesop Fable. Before grade school, I recalled Daddy telling me several stories as his way of teaching me how to examine both sides of an issue.
Once when I was feeling unsure about my athletic ability to compete with a playmate, Daddy told me the story about the “Rabbit and the Turtle.” He described in his own vernacular how the turtle won a race against the over confident rabbit. The rabbit was so sure he could out run the turtle, he took a nap before finishing the race, and when he awakens, the turtle had won the race, because he refused to give up. At least, that was the way Daddy told me the story. According to the recorded version, it was one of Aesop’s Fables, The Tortoise and the Hare, told slightly differently, but just as effective. (more…)
