The Fisherman Piping

A Fisherman skilled in music took his flute and his nets to the sea-shore. Standing on a projecting rock he played several tunes, in the hope that the fish, attracted by his melody, would of their own accord dance into his net, which he had placed below. At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea, made an excellent haul of fish. When he saw them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said: "O you most perverse creatures, when I piped you would not dance, but now that I have ceased you do so merrily."

From The Fisherman Piping by Aesop, translated by George Fyler Townsend (1867). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. What is the primary irony in the fisherman's concluding remark?

He catches more fish with the net than the flute.He misinterprets the fishes' struggle for life as a joyful dance.He realizes his music is not as good as he originally thought.He believes the fish are mocking his musical abilities.

2. Analyze the author's use of the word 'perverse' in the fisherman's final dialogue. How does this word choice reveal the fisherman's perspective on the situation?

3. How does the author structure the narrative to contrast idealism with practical reality?

4. Defend or challenge the following statement using evidence from the text: 'The fisherman learns a valuable lesson about the nature of his work by the end of the passage.'