The Ant and the Grasshopper, illustrated by Milo Winter in a 1919 Aesop anthology

The Ant and the Grasshopper, also known as The Grasshopper and the Ant or The Grasshopper and the Ants, is a fable attributed to Aesop, providing a moral lesson about hard work and preparation. In the numbering system established for Aesopic fables by B. E. Perry, it is number 373.^[1] The fable has been retold or adapted in a number of modern works. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Brushtail grabs a big Plymouth Rock hen by the neck, in an Milo Winter illustration for Doctor Rabbit and Brushtail the Fox, by Thomas Clark Hinkle Milo Winter (August 7, 1888- 1956) was a book illustrator, who produced works for editions of Aesops Fables, Arabian Nights, Alice in Wonderland... For other uses, see Fable (disambiguation). ... Nofootnotes|date=February 2008}} Aesop, as conceived by Diego Velázquez Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel in 1493. ...

In its Greek original, as well as in its Latin and Romance translations, the grasshopper is in fact a cicada. For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family that comprises all the languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... For other uses, see Cicada (disambiguation). ...

The story has sometimes been used as an example of a Libertarian society.^[2] See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ...

Synopsis

The fable concerns a grasshopper who has spent the warm months singing away while the ant (or ants in some editions) worked to store up food for winter. After the winter has come, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger, and upon asking the ant for food is only rebuked for its idleness. The story is used to teach the virtues of hard work and saving, and the perils of improvidence. Some versions of the fable state a moral at the end, along the lines of: Superfamilies Tridactyloidea Tetrigoidea Eumastacoidea Pneumoroidea Pyrgomorphoidea Acridoidea Tanaoceroidea Trigonopterygoidea For other uses, see Grasshopper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ant (disambiguation). ...

Idleness brings want

To work today is to eat tomorrow

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity

Ancient versions

Versions of the fable are found in the verse collections of Babrius (140) and Avianus (34), and in several prose collections including those attributed to Syntipas and Apthonius. In a variant prose form of the fable (Perry 112), the lazy animal is a dung beetle, which finds that the winter rains wash away the dung on which it feeds. Babrius was the author of a collection of fables written in Greek. ... Avianus, a Latin writer of fables, placed by some critics in the age of the Antonines, by others as late as the 6th century AD. The 42 fables which bear his name are dedicated to a certain Theodosius, whose learning is spoken of in most flattering terms. ... Syntipas (the Greek form of Sindibad or Sendabar) was an Indian philosopher supposed to have lived about 100 B.C., and the reputed author of a collection of tales known generally in Europe as The Story of the Seven Wise Masters. ... Aphthonius of Antioch, Greek sophist and rhetorician, flourished in the second half of the 4th century AD, or even later. ... Dung beetles (also known as tumble bugs) are beetles which feed partly or exclusively on feces. ...

Modern versions

Title screen from Disney's short film.

• La Fontaine retold the story in a well known version of the 17th century.

• In Finnegans Wake, James Joyce adapted the tale into a story known as "The Ondt and the Gracehoper".

• "Happier" versions of the fable show the ants taking pity and giving the grasshopper some food, on the premise that turning the grasshopper away in his time of need is also morally questionable. A prime example is the 1934 animated short subject produced by Walt Disney. The Queen of the Ants decrees that the grasshopper may stay in the ant colony, but he must play his fiddle in return for his room and board. He agrees to this arrangement, and the ant tunnels become a grand ballroom where all the ants happily dance to the music of the grasshopper, who finally learns that he needs to make himself useful. Notably, this short introduced the song "The World Owes Me a Livin'", which would later become a signature tune for Goofy.

• In the film Things Change, Don Ameche recalls an alternate version where the grasshopper eats the ant in the end.

• The fable was retold on The Muppet Show in the episode guest-starring Bernadette Peters. Sam the Eagle narrates the story which ends with the ant being stepped on and the grasshopper driving his sports car to Florida.

• Elements of the fable were loosely adapted as part of the storyline of the Pixar film A Bug's Life. In this instance, though, there are multiple grasshoppers, and they act as Mafia-like tyrants who demand a tribute of food from the ant colony, even though the ants within far outnumber the grasshoppers.

• The Ant and the Grasshopper was made into a song by Leon Rosselson in the 1970s. The song tells the story much as Aesop did.

• Author Toni Morrison wrote the 2003 children's book "Who's Got Game?: The Ant or the Grasshopper?" in which the old fable is given a new spin in order to provoke a discussion about the importance of art. The grasshopper represents the artisan. Some times the Leo Lionni book "Frederick" touches upon similar issues of art versus gathering winter food stores.

• The story is briefly alluded to in the song STALKER, by the Japanese band The Pillows. The line can be translated as "A rocker working like an ant/ Are you harvesting for the winter?". In comparison to the story, this line (spoken by the Last stalker in the song, who claims to always have time for fun) could easily be attributed to the grasshopper.

• In the Futurama episode My Three Suns, Fry recounts the story of The Grasshopper and the Octopus as a rationalization for laziness: "All year long the grasshopper kept burying acorns for winter, while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV. But then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus ate all his acorns. And also, he got a racecar. Isn't any of this getting through to you?"

• Lee and Herring parodied the fable on their series Fist of Fun. In which Richard Herring references the fable to illustrate his diligence to writing the script whereas Stewart Lee would lazily leave all his work. Stewart Lee then recites his amended fable of The Ant and the Man, which demonstrates that tales involving animals have no bearing on human behaviour as we are capable of rationalised thought above natural instinct.

• On 5th of November, 2006, Jong-Cherl Yeon wrote in his comic-book format diary known as Marineblues an alternate version of this fable in which the price of the grasshopper's house rises by 300,000,000 Won after 3 years of lazing about, and the ant only earns 3,000,000 Won despite working hard for 3 years.

• A modern satirical version of the story, making the rounds since at least 2002, has the grasshopper calling a press conference at the beginning of the winter to complain about socio-economic inequity, and being given the ant's house. This version was written in 1994 by Pittsburgh talk show guru, Jim Quinn. [1]

• An alternate version was shown during a wartime cartoon that has the grasshopper wasn't worried about food because he invested in warbonds.

• W. Somerset Maugham wrote a short story, published in 1960, titled "The Ant and The Grasshopper". It concerns two brothers, one of whom is a hard worker, and the other is a dissolute moocher. At the end of the story, the "grasshopper" brother marries a rich widow, who promptly dies and leaves him a fortune.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jean de La Fontaine. ... For the street ballad which the novel is named after, see Finnegans Wake. ... This article is about the writer and poet. ... Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ... Early American actor William Garwood starred in numerous short films, many of which were only 20 minutes in length Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of cinema. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated puprose of which is holding dances (balls). ... This article is about the Disney character. ... Things Change is the first episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which originally aired on February 8, 2003. ... Not to be confused with former NBA player John Amaechi. ... The Muppet Show was a television program featuring a cast of Muppets (diverse hand-operated puppets, typically with oversized eyes and large moving mouths) produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. ... Bernadette Peters (born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. ... Sam the Eagle Sam the Eagle is a character from the syndicated television show The Muppet Show, performed by Frank Oz. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... Pixar Animation Studios is an American computer animation studio based in Emeryville, California, United States, and is notable for its eight Academy Awards. ... A Bugs Life is a 1998 computer animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 25, 1998, in Australia on December, 1998 and in the United Kingdom on February 5, 1999. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Russian prince Taking Tribute, by Nicholas Roerich, 1908 (Moscow). ... Leon Rosselson (b. ... For the Louisiana politician, see deLesseps Morrison, Jr. ... Leo Lionni (May 5, 1910 - October 11, 1999) was an author and illustrator of childrens books. ... The Pillows (or the pillows) are a Japanese rock band, best known internationally for the soundtrack of the anime series FLCL.[1] During its long-running career, the group has released more than a dozen original studio albums, along with several EPs, singles and compilations. ... This article is about the television series. ... My Three Suns is episode 7 in season 1 of Futurama. ... Lee and Herring are a British standup comedy double act consisting of the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. ... Fist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring (the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring). ... William Somerset Maugham, CH (January 25, 1874 – December 16, 1965) was an English playwright, novelist, and short story writer. ...

Interpretations

The story can be translated into different outlooks on life. The reader can interpret the ant as both collectivist and individualist. On one hand, the ant represents the sharing of resources among equals in a way similar to how ants function in colonies. On the other hand, the staunch refusal of the ant to provide basic life support to the dying grasshopper can be seen as an example of strong individualism. This view of individualism would be similar to the writings of Ayn Rand and Libertarians who advocate a lifestyle of strong self-reliance. Collectivism, in general, is a term used to describe a theoretical or practical emphasis on the group, as opposed to (and seen by many of its opponents to be at the expense of) the individual. ... For judgements of value about collectivism and individualism, see individualism and collectivism. ... For articles with similar names and topics, see Individual (disambiguation). ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher. ... This article deals with the libertarianism as defined in America and several other nations. ...

In the 20th century, depictions of the story often toned down the consequences to the grasshopper as it was no longer morally acceptable to allow the grasshopper to die. Such modifications of the story still provide the same moral lessons to the reader, but allow more room for forgiveness. In this way, modern versions reflect the social safety nets set up by western governments which provide basic subsistence living to the most destitute of society. In fact, a popular conservative version of this story satirizes this perceived difference in the function of society. In this version, the grasshopper receives government aid for his hedonistic lifestyle while the hardworking ant suffers.

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Ants and the Grasshopper

• Aesop's Fables

• A Bug's Life

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel. ... A Bugs Life is a 1998 computer animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 25, 1998, in Australia on December, 1998 and in the United Kingdom on February 5, 1999. ...

Notes

1. ^ Ben Edwin Perry (1965). Babrius and Phaedrus, Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 487, no. 373. ISBN 0-674-99480-9. 
2. ^ http://www.boogieonline.com/revolution/politics/activism/gifts.html Libertarian themed stories, Young Children 5-9

The Loeb Classical Library is a series of books, today published by the Harvard University Press, which present important works of ancient Greek and Latin Literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original Greek or Latin text on each...

External links

• Perry 373 at Aesopica
• Perry 112 at Aesopica
• Moral has changed in updated tale of the ant and grasshopper (2002-04-29)