The Auction, by Stephen Crane | A Short story read by Naya Nomikou

"Some said that Ferguson gave up sailoring because he was tired of the sea. Some said that it was because he loved a woman. In truth it was because..."

Thus starts"The Auction" a story by Stephen Crane.

It tells us how shame can wound deeper than loss.

The fear of being seen failing...

As contemporary writer Stephen Sinclair notes, "Crane puts tragedy and the ridiculous funny on a razor's edge".

🎙️ Narrated by me

🔗 Full story on YouTube: Listen here

The Frogs & The Well - Summary and Analysis | Aesop Fables

This fable tells us the story of two frogs who had to abandon the marsh they were living at because it dried out. " Two frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh dried up completely. So they left it to look for another place to live in." So they had to find another home. On their search they came upon a deep well. One of the two frogs considered the well a wonderful place to live in. "By and by they came to a deep well. One of them looked down into it and said to the other, “This looks like a nice cool place. Let's jump in and settle here.” " But his companion was wiser and said to his friend that they shouldn't make a hasty decision because " Supposing this well dried up like the marsh, how should we get out again?". The moral lesson of the fable is "Look twice before you jump", meaning that one should take the time and asses every aspect of a matter and also use past experiences, before making a decision that mig...

The Frogs & The Ox: A Tale of Vanity and Authenticity | Summary and Analysis | Aesop Fables

Summary : In this fable, we find an Ox who accidentally squashes a young Frog while taking a sip from a reedy pool. The wise old Frog, intrigued by the incident, asks about the reason behind the little one's sudden disappearance. The other Frogs paint a picture of the Ox as a gigantic monster, and the old Frog, keen to show her own size, puffs herself up. However, as the young Frogs insist that the monster was even larger, she continues to inflate until she bursts. Moral Lesson & Analysis: The primary moral lesson is: “Pride is all good and well, but don’t think yourself bigger than you are.” The old Frog's vanity and desire to seem bigger than she truly was ultimately led to her downfall. This story serves as a valuable lesson against excessive pride and self-deception. In addition to this moral lesson, we can explore another perspective. The fable sheds light on the folly of comparing oneself to others. The old Frog's attempt to measure up to the Ox's size ...

The Town Mouse & The Country Mouse - Summary and Analysis | Aesop Fables

I narrated an Aesop Fable that you can find here The Town Mouse & The Country Mouse . The moral of the fable was "Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty", but i changed it to "Beware of golden cages", as it seemed more fitting to me. Another moral given on other books found on gutenberg.org is "Better a little in safety, than an abundance surrounded by danger.". In any case this fable shows the difference between a Country Mouse and a Town Mouse. The first lives in innocence and has simple delights and security, while the latter leads a luxurious life that is filled hazards and anxiety. The fable shows us the superiority of the delights of a private and seemingly poor life compared to a public, lustful, noisy, fast and dangerous life. This fable reminds me of the Greek saying " οὐκ ἐν τῷ πολλῷ τὸ εὖ" which means that plenty does not mean good. And so the splendour and luxury of the town mouse's l...

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