Detailed Summary: The Raven and The Fox

About the Poet

Jean de La Fontaine was a famous French poet and fabulist, born on July 8, 1621, in Château-Thierry, France. He is best known for his fables, which are short stories that often include animals with human traits. These stories teach moral lessons and are still popular today. La Fontaine’s work is characterized by its cleverness, wit, and humor. He drew inspiration from ancient sources, including Aesop’s fables, and transformed them into engaging tales that resonate with both children and adults.

Key Points of the Poem

• The poem “The Raven and the Fox” by Jean de La Fontaine consists of four stanzas.
• It tells the story of a raven holding a piece of food and a fox trying to flatter the raven.
• The fox uses compliments to trick the raven into opening its beak, causing the food to fall.
• The poem teaches a moral lesson about the dangers of pride and flattery.
• It is a classic example of La Fontaine’s use of animal characters to convey human traits and behaviors.

Detailed Summary
Stanza 1

Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.

In this first part of the poem, we see a big black bird called Mr. Raven sitting on a tree branch. The Raven is very proud and looks very nice with shiny feathers. Below him stands Reynard the Fox, who is looking up at the Raven. The Fox wants something very special that the Raven is holding in his beak. This special thing is a tasty piece of food. The Fox really wants this food and would do almost anything to get it. So, we can see that the Fox is very clever and knows that the Raven has something he wants. This sets the stage for the story, where we learn about how the Fox tries to get what he wants from the proud Raven.

Stanza 2

Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”

In the second part, the Fox starts talking to the Raven. He speaks in a very nice way, telling the Raven how beautiful he is. The Fox is saying, “Wow! You are such a pretty bird!” He goes on to flatter the Raven by saying that if the Raven would sing, all the birds would think he is the best bird in the forest. The Fox is trying to make the Raven feel really good about himself. This is a clever trick because if the Raven feels proud and happy, he might forget about being careful and might drop the food he is holding. The Fox is using sweet words to trick the Raven, showing us how sometimes people say nice things to get what they want.

Stanza 3

The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride-
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.

In this part, the Raven is too proud to realize that the Fox is tricking him. He doesn’t understand that the Fox is just pretending to admire him. The Raven thinks he is so special that he decides to sing, even though his voice is not very pretty; it sounds more like a croak, similar to what a frog makes. When he opens his beak to sing, the delicious piece of food he was holding falls out! This is the moment when the Fox gets what he wanted. The Raven’s pride made him forget to be careful, and this shows us that being too proud can lead to mistakes and problems.

Stanza 4

“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know,
Ignore sweet words that make you glow.
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise;
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”

In the last part, the Fox laughs at the Raven and tells him a lesson. He says, “Now you understand that you should be careful with sweet words that make you feel good.” The Fox is teaching the Raven that being too proud can make you ignore what is really happening around you. The Fox is saying that pride can lead you to make silly mistakes, like losing something important. The Fox feels clever because he tricked the Raven, and this teaches us that sometimes, people might say nice things not because they mean it, but to get what they want. This ending shows us that we should be wise and not let our pride get the best of us.

Try yourself:

What lesson does the Fox teach the Raven in the poem?

• A.Pride can lead to mistakes and problems.
• B.Flattery is a form of manipulation.
• C.Listening to compliments can bring happiness.
• D.Being cautious is important in all situations.

View Solution

Theme/Message

Themes

• The main theme of “The Raven and the Fox” is the danger of pride and the power of flattery. Pride is when someone thinks too highly of themselves. 
• In the poem, the raven is so proud of its looks that it forgets to be careful. The fox uses sweet words to make the raven feel good about itself. 
• This shows how people can sometimes say nice things not because they really mean them, but to get what they want. The raven’s mistake teaches us that if we let pride take over, we may not see the tricks others are playing on us.

Message

• We should not be too proud or easily fooled by compliments. Flattery can be dangerous because it can lead us to make bad choices. 
• The raven loses its food because it wanted to show off and sing, thinking it was special. The fox, on the other hand, is clever and takes advantage of the raven’s pride. This teaches us that we must be wise and careful. 
• We should always remember that not everyone who says nice things has good intentions. It is important to stay humble and not let our pride blind us to the truth. By doing so, we can avoid making foolish mistakes like the raven did.

Difficult Words

• Perched: To rest or sit on something high.
• Morsel: A small piece of food.
• Admiring: Showing respect or approval for someone or something.
• Feathers: The soft covering of birds that helps them fly.
• Croak: The sound a crow or raven makes; it’s often a low, harsh sound.
• Pride: A feeling of being better than others; sometimes it can be too much.
• Foolish: Lacking good sense or judgment; silly.
• Glow: To shine or feel happiness; sometimes from praise.
• Teaching: The act of helping someone learn or understand.
• Surprise: Something unexpected that causes a feeling of shock or amazement.
• King: A male ruler of a country or land; a title of respect.
• Forget: To fail to remember something.
• Joke: Something said or done for fun or laughter.
• Wise: Having knowledge, experience, and good judgment.
• Friend: A person who is kind and supportive.