Analysis of the fable The Mirror and the Monkey
In the fable “The Mirror and the Monkey,” fabulist I. A. Krylov showed a casual conversation between two animals, in which the bear poked his face at the monkey’s ignorance and pointed out the shortcomings of people. The monkey, looking at her reflection, for some reason saw the shortcomings of all her friends and acquaintances, but not her own.
People who are depicted in the fable as a bear are often silent and try not to interfere with the behavior of the “monkeys,” which further emphasizes the latter’s confidence in their rightness. But this is probably not the right decision and such ignorance and arrogance should be stopped.
The famous author is popular almost all over the world for his ability to ridicule the ugly deeds and actions of people using the image of animals.
Moral of the fable The Mirror and the Monkey:
Moral of the fable: no one wants to see themselves in satire and denunciation. The fabulist shows that the one who hears the reproof first of all thinks that it is addressed to another. I. A. Krylov loved to make fun of human shortcomings using images of animals. It was not without reason that he made a monkey the main character of the fable. She makes fun of her own antics, like ignoramuses who notice “the beam in someone else’s eye.” Few people notice their shortcomings and correct them. Everyone is good at judging others.
The fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” by Krylov tells how the stupid Monkey expressed contempt for her own reflection in the mirror.
Several interesting Fables
- Tolstoy's fable The Fox and the Grapes
The fox saw ripe bunches of grapes hanging, and began to figure out how to eat them. - Aesop's fable Zeus and People
Text and analysis of the fable Zeus and People - Aesop's fable The Travelers and the Bear
Text and analysis of the fable The Travelers and the Bear - La Fontaine's fable Fortune and the Child
Text and analysis of the fable Fortune and the Child - Krylov's fable Starling
Text and analysis of the fable Starling
Content:
Winged expressions from the fable “The Mirror and the Monkey”
In such a short fable, many expressions have already become popular: people use them in conversation as established ones, denoting a well-known phenomenon.
For example, speaking about a poisonous gossip who sees only other people’s shortcomings around him: “Why should the godmother work, isn’t it better to turn on yourself, godfather?”
Talking about a man blaming others for his own sins: “They read about bribes to Klimych, but he furtively nods at Peter.”
Many apt, daring, full of satire lines, as if adopting the author’s surname, have become popular today! The meaning of Krylov’s fables is obvious - they expose human vices that have become commonplace.
History of writing
This fable was written by Ivan Andreevich Krylov in 1815, and published for the first time in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland.” According to the author’s recollections, working on the work took him literally several days. Observing his acquaintances, Krylov saw that many of them were ready to discuss the qualities of other people, but at the same time did not notice their shortcomings at all.
The main characters of this fable are:
- Bear.
- Monkey.
Especially to highlight this topic, Krylov decided to write a small and easy-to-understand fable that would be intended for children, but would be relevant for every adult. Unlike many other works by Krylov, “The Mirror and the Monkey” has its own original plot, completely invented by the author, and not copied from foreign works.
Mirror and Monkey, Krylov's fable
Fable "The Mirror and the Monkey"
During his very long creative life, Ivan Andreevich Krylov wrote more than 200 fables. He not only revived the interest of Russian society in this rather rare genre, but also turned the fable itself into a subtle instrument for influencing the minds, hearts, and consciences of people. For centuries now, the fables of the great Russian fabulist have been included in the school curriculum of Russian literature, playing a very important teaching and educational role.
Not all fables have equal popularity, however, “The Mirror and the Monkey” is exactly the case when the text of the work is literally “pulled apart” into quotes, and almost every adult, even from school, can quote it.
Surprisingly, history has preserved the exact date of creation of the work - on January 2, 1816, Krylov finished the fable and soon published it in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland.”
Contents of the fable
One day Monkey got hold of a mirror somewhere and began to peer intently at her reflection. With indignation, the Monkey noticed, turning to the Bear, how ugly the “face” was in the mirror, how disgusting its jumps and antics were. And she concluded that if she herself looked like this “stranger” in the mirror, she would simply hang herself out of boredom. Although among her gossips there really are such crooks.
Brief story
The plot of this fable is extremely simple and will be understandable to every child . The monkey saw her own reflection for the first time and began to be surprised and criticize her appearance. The monkey thought that someone else was looking at him. According to her, it is extremely difficult to meet such funny and disgusting creatures.
Mishka, to whom the monkey told her impressions, tried to reason with her, claiming that the monkey saw his reflection in the mirror. However, she did not want to listen and turned a deaf ear to all her friend’s instructions.
The monkey remained unconvinced, only mocking the image in the mirror, being confident in her beauty, which cannot be compared with the reflection she saw.
Fable The Mirror and the Monkey read text online
The Monkey, seeing his image in the Mirror, quietly nudged the Bear with his foot: “Look,” he says, “my dear godfather!” What kind of face is that there? What antics and jumps she has! I would hang myself with melancholy if I were even a little like her. But, admit it, there are five or six such crooks out of my gossips: I can even count them on my fingers.” - “Why should godmothers work? Isn’t it better to turn on yourself, godmother?” - Mishka answered her. But Mishenka’s advice was wasted.
There are many such examples in the world: No one likes to recognize themselves in satire. I even saw it yesterday: Everyone knows that Klimych is dishonest; They read about bribes to Klimych. And he furtively nods at Peter.
Fable Analysis
In this fable, Krylov shows a casual conversation between two animals. The monkey sees her reflection in the mirror for the first time and criticizes it, while her bear friend points out that everyone has flaws. This is an allegorical work in which the main characters are understood not as animals, but as people who do not notice anything wrong with themselves .
The monkey in the mirror saw only the negative qualities and shortcomings of her friends, even despite the bear’s assurances that it was her own reflection.
The heroes described by Krylov are extremely interesting. The characterization of the bear from the fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” shows this character as a wise and tactful animal who always tries to tell the truth . The monkey is an absurd comic image, deaf to the advice and recommendations of smart people. The moral of the fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” in its own words tells us that we must always look at things realistically, including the negative sides and shortcomings.
- Fable The Mirror and the Monkey - Krylov Ivan Andreevich
The moral of The Mirror and the Monkey is extremely simple. The monkey couldn’t admit that the little creature he saw in the mirror was actually her. Thus, the fabulist Krylov seems to show that many people skip comments, not wanting to pay attention to their shortcomings. Mishka, on the contrary, is well-mannered; tact and self-criticism are felt in his speech. He tries to guide the monkey on the true path, but due to the limitations of his thinking, he does not understand what was said and does not think about what his shortcomings are.
The author of the allegory text encourages you to look at yourself from the outside, evaluating your actions, thoughts and words . You should not try to judge others, as words can hurt loved ones.
Having analyzed the fable “The Mirror and the Monkeys” for grade 3, we can say that this work makes fun of ignoramuses who have inflated self-esteem, slander their loved ones, but never notice anything bad about themselves. This is precisely the allegorical meaning of the work.
Krylov's fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” has been translated into many languages. The work is popular in Germany, France, Spain and other countries. There are numerous versions of this story, which invariably teach people to be critical of themselves, respect others and listen to the advice of loved ones. This is an excellent option for reading together with children, who, using such vivid images and heroes that they understand, will be able to learn to have a correct attitude towards life, taking something good out of this fable.
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Krylov's fable The Mirror and the Monkey
Moral of the story: The Mirror and the Monkey
Nobody likes to recognize themselves in satire
Analysis of Krylov's fable The Mirror and the Monkey
Krylov loves to make fun of fools and ignoramuses. In the story with the mirror, the Monkey turned out to be such an ignoramus. She does not see or does not want to see her shortcomings. But he finds a lot of flaws in his girlfriends. It’s the same in life. No one wants to admit that they have problem areas (and this concerns not only their figure and face, but also their life experience, intelligence, and intelligence). And everyone is capable of evaluating those around them.
Winged expressions of the fable The Mirror and the Monkey
- Why should godmothers work hard? Isn’t it better to work for yourself, godfather?
The Monkey, seeing himself in the mirror, told the Bear that there was some kind of face in the mirror. She really doesn’t like her, she knows about five or six of these monkeys, and she would hang herself with boredom if she looked like her! The bear replied that before considering a gossip, you need to look at yourself first. But Monkey did not listen to his advice. The author says that there are many such people around, for example, the bribe-taker Klimych, although he himself is not clean, but blames Peter for this.
Moral of the fable The Mirror and the Monkey:
Moral of the fable: no one wants to see themselves in satire and denunciation. The fabulist shows that the one who hears the reproof first of all thinks that it is addressed to another. I. A. Krylov loved to make fun of human shortcomings using images of animals. It was not without reason that he made a monkey the main character of the fable. She makes fun of her own antics, like ignoramuses who notice “the beam in someone else’s eye.” Few people notice their shortcomings and correct them. Everyone is good at judging others.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. — M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.
Analysis/moral of the fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” by Krylov
Ivan Andreevich Krylov’s fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” was first published in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland.”
The fable was written around 1815. Its author turned 46 at this time; he is known not only for his successful translations of foreign fables, but also for his original, original works. At that time he worked as an assistant librarian in St. Petersburg. The work is built on a dialogue between the characters and a moral drawn up by the author at the end. The mirror turns from an object into a kind of character, revealing the problem. The monkey sees himself in the mirror for the first time. Not understanding what is happening and who is making faces at her, she calls the Bear to laugh at the “face”. The diminutive suffix of the adverb “quietly” emphasizes the monkey’s hypocritical desire to both attract the attention of the “godfather” and not incur a reprimand from the “creep.” This is how cowardice is combined with impudence. “Push with the foot”: here “push” acts as a verb. It is immediately clear that their relationship is familiar, because they are also godfathers (a degree of kinship quite often encountered in the works of I. Krylov). A dialogue ensues. And if the godfather is “cute”, then in the mirror there is clearly a “face”. The clash of vocabulary enhances the comedy of the situation. A few questions and exclamations. Monkey’s own “antics and jumps” make him laugh. She would rather die than be even a little like this weirdo. “From the gossips”: apparently, here this word is also used in the meaning of “girlfriends”. “Five-six”: the numeral gives her story a special verisimilitude. Indeed, the reader would be ready to agree with the Monkey’s reasoning, but the author already warned in the first line that the monkey sees itself. Mishenka is familiar with the mirror and advises the monkey to “turn on himself.” She didn’t pay the slightest attention to his words. The moral of the fable is indicated in the finale: people stubbornly do not recognize themselves in satire, diligently brand other people's vices and quirks, without noticing their own. The final lines are a living example of a storyteller from life: the bribe-taker is read about bribes, and he understandably “nods at Peter.” Here, a couple of anthroponyms and the presence of Russian calendar names for the characters also attract attention. This was an innovative technique for fable creativity of that time. The problem of a burned conscience, frivolity, and narcissism is discussed here. The vocabulary is colloquial, lively, and in some places outdated.
The vice of condemnation is discussed in I. Krylov’s work “The Mirror and the Monkey.”
