Animal Symbolism in Aesops Fables essays

Animal Symbolism in Aesop's Fables essays Since the dawn of time, man and animal have been intertwined. We have defended ourselves against lions and wolves, we have hunted birds and fish for food and we have domesticated oxen and horses to plow our fields. All civilizations have been in some way connected to the animal world. It is a theme that runs the course of humanity. This common thread allows authors to reach audiences in ways that would be simply impossible with human protagonists. Animals are universal symbols, common to all of mankind. In her book, Talking Animals, Jan Ziolkowski asserts that Taken as a group, animals represent a language common to all people. All cultures incorporate animals into their history and folklore. Obviously, each of these cultures regards different animals with different connotations and associations. But animals have earned their universal status not because they are so much the same the world over but because people are so much the same; for most animals in fiction are not portrayed rea listically but instead are anthropomorphized. Regardless of their species, they are given human characteristics, motivations and behavior. (Ziolkowski, 1993). In Animal Lore in English Literature, P. Ansell Robin says that, This interpretation of the animal world gave rise to a distinct form of literature which originated in the oral tradition of many primitive peoples. (Robin, 1932) Today, animal literature is most closely associated with the beast fable or, as it is more commonly known: the fable. A beast fable is an account of a fictional event involving animal characters that is followed by an explicit moral exposition. (Ziolkowski, 1993) Nowadays, fables are viewed merely as childhood curiosities. They are thought of as simple childrens stories and nothing more. Throughout history however, the fable has served many purposes. Perhaps the most important of all these roles has been the use of fabl...