batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2089-l2105
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2089-l2105
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE JACKDAW AND THE PIGEONS / JUPITER AND THE TORTOISE / THE DOG IN THE MANGER
/ THE TWO BAGS; lines 2089-2105
start: '2089'
end: '2105'
translation: Aesop's Fables; a new translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: In one fable, a dog lies on hay in a manger and prevents cattle from eating
it, though he cannot eat it himself. In another, each person is said to carry
two bags of faults, with others' faults in front and one's own behind, explaining
why people see others' faults but not their own.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A dog lies in a manger on hay intended for cattle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: When the cattle try to eat, the dog growls and snaps at them and blocks access
to their food.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: One of the cattle calls the dog selfish because the dog cannot eat the hay
but will not let those who can eat it do so.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The second fable states that every person carries two bags, one in front and
one behind, both filled with faults.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The front bag contains neighbours' faults, and the rear bag contains the person's
own faults.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The stated consequence is that people do not see their own faults but see
the faults of others.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Dog
description: A dog lying in the manger on hay and preventing cattle from eating.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cattle
description: Cattle who come to eat the hay and are blocked by the dog.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: One of the cattle
description: A member of the cattle who comments on the dog's selfishness.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Every man
description: A generalized human figure described as carrying two bags filled with
faults.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: selfish blocker of access
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The dog cannot eat the hay but prevents the cattle from eating it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: excluded rightful eaters
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The cattle come to eat the food placed for them but are driven away by the
dog.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: moral commentator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: One animal states the moral criticism of the dog's conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: bearer of visible and hidden faults
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The passage says every person carries two bags of faults, one before and
one behind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: manger with hay
literal_form: A manger holding hay put there for cattle.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: two bags of faults
literal_form: Two bags carried by every person, one in front and one behind, both
full of faults.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: front bag
literal_form: The bag in front containing neighbours' faults.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: rear bag
literal_form: The bag behind containing the person's own faults.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Dog blocks the cattle from the manger
summary: A dog lies on cattle's hay in a manger and, when the cattle try to eat,
growls and snaps to keep them away; one cow condemns the dog as selfish.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Two bags explain selective sight of faults
summary: Every person is described as carrying others' faults in a front bag and
personal faults in a rear bag, explaining why people notice others' faults but
not their own.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Denying others the use of what one cannot use oneself
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dog cannot eat the hay but still prevents the cattle, who can eat it,
from reaching it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level fable motif label, not a supplied taxonomy reference.
- id: motif:2
label: Moral blindness to one's own faults
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fable explains that people see others' faults while failing to see their
own.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The broad taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is used because the passage explicitly
presents a moral explanation rather than a mythic episode.
- id: motif:3
label: Externalized faults carried before and behind
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Faults are represented as objects in two bags, with neighbours' faults visible
in front and one's own faults behind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The image is metaphorical within the fable; no narrower supplied taxonomy
reference is available.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2089-2094
quote_or_summary: A dog lies in a manger on hay meant for cattle and growls and
snaps when the cattle try to eat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 2094-2097
quote_or_summary: '"he can''t eat himself and yet he won''t let those eat who can."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2101-2104
quote_or_summary: Every person carries two bags full of faults; the front one holds
neighbours' faults and the rear one holds the person's own faults.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 2104-2105
quote_or_summary: '"men do not see their own faults, but never fail to see those
of others."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are inferred from the
fables' morals; comparison claims are omitted because the provided passage does
not itself establish cross-textual comparison.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage text and metadata were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2089-l2105
passage_sha256=bf8899a4eaa1ec0c8c1e2631c2a5cb9b375be38a8a076dd4162a6f35b8b8fa4e