Source: www.gutenberg.org

By Aesop

An Eagle, swooping down on powerful wings, seized a lamb in her talons and made off with it to her nest. A Jackdaw saw the deed, and his silly head was filled with the idea that he was big and strong enough to do as the Eagle had done.

So with much rustling of feathers and a fierce air, he came down swiftly on the back of a large Ram. But when he tried to rise again he found that he could not get away, for his claws were tangled in the wool. And so far was he from carrying away the Ram, that the Ram hardly noticed he was there.

The Shepherd saw the fluttering Jackdaw and at once guessed what had happened. Running up, he caught the bird and clipped its wings. That evening he gave the Jackdaw to his children.

“What a funny bird this is!” they said laughing, “what do you call it, father?”

“That is a Jackdaw, my children. But if you should ask him, he would say he is an Eagle.”

Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers. 

Moral of the Story:

Alright kids, let’s talk about the story “The Eagle and The Jackdaw.” It’s a story about a little bird called the Jackdaw who saw a big, strong eagle pick up a lamb and fly away. The Jackdaw thought, “Hey, I can do that too!” But when he tried to do the same thing with a large ram, he couldn’t lift it and got his claws stuck in the ram’s wool. The shepherd found him, clipped his wings, and he ended up being a pet for the shepherd’s children.

From this story, we can learn a few important lessons:

Be Yourself: The Jackdaw wanted to be like the eagle, but eagles and jackdaws are different. The Jackdaw should have remembered what makes him special instead of trying to be someone else. It’s great to admire others, but we should also be proud of who we are and what makes us unique.
Know Your Limits: The Jackdaw overestimated what he could do. It’s good to have dreams and goals, but we also need to know what we can realistically do. This helps us make smarter choices and keeps us out of trouble.
Think Before You Act: The Jackdaw acted without thinking it through. If he had stopped to think about whether it was really a good idea to try and lift a ram, he might have realized it wasn’t possible. We should always think about what might happen because of our actions.
Actions Have Consequences: Because the Jackdaw didn’t think ahead and acted like he was bigger and stronger than he was, he ended up in a situation where he couldn’t fly anymore and became a pet. This shows us that what we do can lead to outcomes we didn’t expect.
So, remember kids, it’s okay to have big dreams, but also be proud of who you are, know what you can do, and always think about what could happen because of your actions!

— THE END –

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