analysis of The Birds and the Foxes, by J.Thurber
Thurber's aim in this text is to satirize political language which is used to justify reprehensible actions, in this case the attack of one community by another, leading to the extermination of the weaker of the two.Using a mixture of elements from fairy tale and fable, Thurber draws a seemingly humorous moral from his story. His message is, however, quite serious : we must not let one community aggress another purely in its own interest.We have the whole text in front of us, and so we can see how it functions. "Once upon a time" is the classical opening of a fairy tale and by using the terms "sanctuary", "happily" and "refuge", Thurber indicates that here is a kind of paradise for the inhabitants, who are birds. In the third sentence, the coming conflict is announced by the words "protested", "arbitrary" and "unnatural" with reference to the fence protecting the birds. These words are used by a community of foxes, and so we are now in a familiar fable context, where animals speak and reason. Foxes a
The foxes have just been warned not to molest the birds and consequently we would normally expect "but" or "however" in this context. What did the Russians say about their invasion of Afghanistan ? The US Administration about the activities of the CIA in South America and elsewhere ? Unfortunately, examples are legion. The story and the language are simple and the sentences are short. This text illustrates the gap that often exists between the real motives for political action and the justification which is given in public language. So we realize that there must be solidarity amongst all communities in order to prevent aggressors from acting purely in their own interests, and we must also beware of political language. When the foxes start to prepare their attack on the birds, they use classical justifications. Sadly enough, this gap remains unnoticed most of the time, and it often is too late when the public opinion reacts. The advantage of Thurber's "fable", which in my opinion is beautifully efficient and economical, is that we can plainly see the gap between words and actions. The danger inherent in not taking the foxes seriously is suggested by the almost total absence from the scene of the "other animals", who could perhaps have prevented the tragedy by their physical presence.
Common topics in this essay:
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South America,
Afghanistan Administration,
leader foxes,
fairy tale,
people people,
purely own,
political language,
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Acceptance Essays
