Use Aesop's fable to answer questions 9, 10, and 11.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf - An Aesop Fable
There once was a boy who kept watch over the village sheep. He would often become bored and to amuse himself, he would call out, "Wolf! Wolf," although there was no wolf about.
The villagers would stop what they were doing and run to save the sheep from the wolf's jaw. Once they arrived at the pasture, the boy just laughed. The naughty boy played this trick over and over until the villagers grew tired of him.
One day while the boy was watching the sheep, an actual wolf did come into the field. The boy cried and cried, "Wolf! Wolf!"
No one came. The wolf had a feast of sheep that day.
In 3-5 sentences, identify an example of dramatic irony in The Boy Who Cried Wolf. How does the dramatic irony impact the story's plot?
3 answers
An example of dramatic irony in The Boy Who Cried Wolf is when the boy calls out for help, pretending there is a wolf, and the villagers believe him and rush to save the sheep. The villagers do not know that the boy is lying, but the audience (readers) knows the truth. This impacts the story's plot because it sets up a pattern of deception by the boy, making it harder for the villagers to believe him when he is actually telling the truth about the wolf's arrival.
The dramatic irony in The Boy Who Cried Wolf is evident when the boy falsely cries out for help, claiming that a wolf is attacking the sheep. The villagers, unaware of the boy's deceitful nature, rush to the pasture to protect the flock, believing his cries to be genuine. However, the audience knows that the boy has been lying about the wolf's presence in previous instances. This creates a sense of tension and suspense as the audience anticipates the consequences of the boy's repeated false alarms. The impact of this dramatic irony on the story's plot is significant as it ultimately leads to the villagers' skepticism and lack of response when a real wolf does appear, resulting in the loss of the sheep.