In both fables, the societal qualities of leadership and courage are juxtaposed with the consequences of inaction and criticism. The shy lion ultimately realizes that having the best ideas is meaningless if he does not act on them, highlighting that true leadership requires courage and decisiveness. Meanwhile, the animal council's failure to manage in King Lion's absence demonstrates that complacency and constant criticism without action are condemned, reinforcing the idea that effective leaders must be willing to step up and take responsibility.
The Lion Fable This story follows a lion who is shy and afraid to act for fear of looking foolish. While the lion watches quietly, several other animals step up to lead without hesitation—and make things progressively worse. Each time, the lion quietly tells his mouse friend how he would have done things, and each idea sounds like it would have been a much better and more logical solution. Finally, the mouse points out that the most foolish animals in the kingdom have stepped up to lead without hesitation and suggests that the biggest fool of them all is the lion, who has the best ideas but is too timid to lead. The lion takes the mouse’s words to heart and steps up to rule.
The Animal Council This story is about a group of animals who serve on King Lion’s council. They gather frequently when their king is not around to complain about his rules and way of doing things. They echo one another’s concerns, and all agree that the king is their greatest problem. Hearing of their doubt, the king decides to teach the animals a lesson. He disappears for two weeks. During this time, the animal council is given the chance to lead. They make several messes, and by the end of the two weeks, the mouse alerts the king that his council is desperate to find and return him to his throne. When he returns, he tells the animals not to question his leadership if they cannot do better themselves.
Use the folk tale descriptions to answer the question. Both stories focus on themes of personal qualities. In 3 sentences, explain how the two stories work together to reveal something about which qualities are accepted and condemned in this society. (4 points)
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