The Black Sheep and Other Fables

Augusto Monterroso

5 ideas

  1. The Black Sheep and Its Statue

    In a far-off country, a black sheep was shot. A century later the repentant flock put up an equestrian statue of it, which looked fine in the park. From then on, every time a black sheep appeared it was quickly executed, so that future generations of ordinary sheep could also practice sculpture.

  2. Commemoration Replaces Reform, Not Repentance

    A community that honors a dissenter it killed gets moral credit without changing the behavior that killed him. The ritual of remorse becomes a reason to repeat the crime, because each new martyr supplies material for the next monument.

  3. The Frog Who Wanted Authenticity

    A frog wanted to be a real frog and looked to others' opinions to confirm it. She worked her thighs until people admired them, then let them cut off her legs to eat. As they ate, she heard them say only that she tasted like chicken.

  4. Satire Dies Among Friends

    A monkey set out to become a satirist, but every vice he meant to mock belonged to someone he knew and liked. So he mocked no one. Satire needs distance from its targets, and social closeness plus the wish to be liked quietly disarm the critic before he writes a word.

  5. Inverted Moral as Critique of Fable

    Each fable sets up the traditional animal-lesson form and then lands on a moral that reverses or undercuts the expected one. The reader's reflex to pull out a tidy lesson becomes the target, showing that moralizing is itself a form of conformity and self-congratulation.

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