Aesop fables and role in society

I enjoyed reading the fables and I found them amusing as I was reading each one. Fables are stories that teach a moral. I agree with Edward Clayton, that fables are important to human society. Fables are targeted for young children, so by exposing these allegorical stories to children, they learn at a young age to differentiate between right and wrong. In addition, these fables teach children important life lessons that will help shape them to the type of person they will become. As I was reading the fables, I was able to reflect to myself on the morals they taught.  This opened my eyes and actually taught me that fables not only is a tool of explanation, but can also be used as a tool of self reflection and I never really thought about that. According to Edward Clayton, fables had an important role in ancient Greece. He explains that the lower class society in ancient Greece would slander the government by using fables. By using the method of fables, the government wouldn't know the slander upon them from the lower class. In addition, Aristotle believed that humans and animals are linked in some parts of the soul. Fables try to show that human and animal characteristics are similar. The point of reading the fables for humans is to be able to reflect on the moral that they have learned and apply it.