The Bundle of Sticks

AN old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a faggot of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the Bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the faggots," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.

Union gives strength.

From The Bundle of Sticks by Aesop, translated by Joseph Jacobs (1894). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. What did the father ask his servants to bring?

A bundle of sticksA bowl of soupA heavy rockA piece of rope

2. What happened when the sons tried to break the whole bundle of sticks?

They broke it easilyThey could not break itThey threw it awayThey gave it to the servants

3. Retell the steps the father took to teach his sons a lesson.

4. Why did the father tell his sons to untie the bundle of sticks?

5. What does the father mean when he says 'Union gives strength'? Use what happened with the sticks to explain.

6. Think of a time when working together with someone else made you stronger or helped you finish a hard task. How is your experience like the bundle of sticks?