A Young Ostrich came to its Mother, groaning with pain and with its wings tightly crossed upon its stomach.
"What have you been eating?" the Mother asked, with solicitude.
"Nothing but a keg of Nails," was the reply.
"What!" exclaimed the Mother; "a whole keg of Nails, at your age! Why, you will kill yourself that way. Go quickly, my child, and swallow a claw-hammer."
What is he mocking?
Quack doctors and meddling advisers answer one self-inflicted harm with a bigger one.
Advertisement
Discussion questions
- What led the young Ostrich to make such a poor choice, and how can this relate to real-life decisions?
- How does the Mother Ostrich's advice reflect wisdom found in other moral stories?
- What are some lessons we can learn from this story that apply to our everyday lives?
Advertisement
