Greed Overreaches itself
Some of our most enduring, fundamental lessons are learned through stories. They have been used for centuries to teach children, congregations, and even spur entire countries to act. Some of the simplest, yet prolific, stories to date are those told through the fables of Aesop. As children we learned about the virtues and pitfalls of humanity; these simple stories resonate with us and teach us simple lessons. For my final analysis, I have chosen Aesop's tale of The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs. Through this analysis I will examine the lessons embedded in this short story, the mode in which these lessons are taught, and extrapolate on the rhetoric presented in the story. I hope to find a deeper meaning that speaks clearly through the story.
The exact origin of Aesop’s fables may be nothing better than a
guess. Over the years the stories must
have been told a million times; each time from a slightly different perspective
and each time with a potential different motive. The most basic context for the story would be
one of a simpler time: when you lived on what you could grow yourself or barter
with those around you. A time not so
long ago that riches, the opportunity of lavishness and a privileged life, did
not exist. One of the reason, or maybe
consequences, of the story lasting centuries is it can be applied in many
contexts. The context in this story is
not what makes the story valuable or useful. It does not matter if the goose is the mans only thing of value to feed his family or if the goose is one of many, in a wealthy mans flock. The
story is worth considering because the principles in the story will relate to
you. The story teaches about greed,
patience, and prudence.
The story takes places in the country. By contrast to the ending of the story the beginning
of the story is set in humble circumstances. Regardless of the man’s initial standing,
adding the amount of a golden egg to his estate seems to have an impact.
The characters are the goose and the countryman. The countryman
provides the moral of the story by changing his expectation, wants and needs as
the story progresses. The goose says
little but provides the catalyst for the change. The events are simple, yet whimsical. The goose
lays a golden egg a day and each day the country man gathers the eggs and sells
them. As the man does this he
accumulates wealth. This causes the man
to became greedy and require more wealth.
Until, by design the goose meets his maker. This not only yields the countryman no
reward, but dispatches his opportunity to obtain more wealth. The demographics’ may change, but the primary
audience is those who receive a sudden and drastic increase in treasure (note-the
treasure does not have to be monetary in value).
The story has three messages. Greed is bad, the need for patience
and perseverance, and that prudence is a virtue.
The story warns against greed and the yearning for more than is
possessed or earned. -In the story the
man receives a great blessing of wealth, yet he becomes so gluttonous for more
he kills the source of his blessings. This
teaches the audience that when given a free lunch, they should be thankful, not
dependant. By becoming accustomed to
more we become dependent. Until the more that we received is no longer enough.
It shows patience as a virtue.
Had the man continued each day to feed and water the goose, the goose
may have continued to lay golden eggs each day as long as it lived. The man would have to wait a short time
between each lay, but over time would receive a much larger reward. Similar to any goals we have, if we are
willing to put in the time, energy and patience any goal is achievable. The greater the patience we have the more
likely we are to see a big result and more importantly to be content with our
current situation.
And finally the story reminds us that mild mannered prudence will
guide us to wise decisions. The story
describes the hastiness of the man to receive a large reward now, haste is what
drove the man to kill his source of riches. In his zeal and impatience he made a grave
mistake that turned no reward.
The unfortunate ending to this story would define it as a tragedy.
The inability of the countryman to overcome
is greed, haste and impatience made him incapable of continuing his success.
In reading and understanding
this, as with many of Aesops fables, we learn the benefits of developing our
own character. More importantly the
story points out the damage we can do to ourselves by letting these values erode
and submitting to our natural tendencies. These stories would be told not only to build one
’s self, but with the understanding the communities are built one person at a
time. As one member learns the pit falls
of greed and the virtues of patience and prudence, the collective values of the
community rise and the community as a whole is protected against the infectious
tendencies of man.
