The Role of Fables in Human Life by Edward Clayton

         In Edward Clayton Essay “The Role of Fables in Human Life" he states the importance of fables, who uses it and what was the reason it was written.  Clayton states that fables were written by the aristocratic class. The upper class was providing advice and warnings of danger to the weaker party who is also known as the lower class.  The fables are described as if the animals are human beings. The similarities between the animal behavior and human behavior are the only way the fables are written. The character traits a human being share with an animal makes fables important.  It focuses on democracy, equality and justice; also seen as a legal part of "democratic political, philosophical, and artistic discourse." The understanding of both humans and animals is easier to see or find a democratic message in the fables. The Athens believed that fables represent the best way to convey complex political ideas. The lower class are not the only ones who uses fables as a lesson or advices, but Roman authors and orators also use the fables as well. The similarities between human and animals that make fables relevant is that they are born wild. Fables generally show us a short a short version of “two animals that are unequal in power and who do not reflected on their situation or plan for future.” It is a way of giving them advice in how to face their problems. By reading fables and having animals illustrates as humans they see that weaker animals also known as the lower class faces inequality and injustice. By facing inequality and injustice they do not realize that they have a unique characteristic which reflects in the lessons that are found in fables. The lessons of the fables support the idea of inequality and justice.  In the beginning Clayton gave a quote “If someone has considered the study of the other animals to lack value, he ought to think the same thing about himself as well.” This quote is important for this essay because it means if you think animals are not important than you are worth less because in fables human beings are illustrated as animals.