batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2108-l2132

---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2108-l2132
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
  label: THE DOG IN THE MANGER / THE TWO BAGS / THE OXEN AND THE AXLETREES / THE BOY
    AND THE FILBERTS; lines 2108-2132
  start: '2108'
  end: '2132'
  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: 'Two brief fables: oxen pulling a loaded wagon rebuke noisy axletrees for
    complaining while doing none of the work; a boy traps his hand in a jar by grasping
    too many filberts and is advised to take less so he can withdraw it.'
  language: English
  quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
  text: A pair of Oxen draw a heavily loaded wagon along a highway.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:2
  text: The Oxen tug and strain at the yoke while the Axletrees creak and groan.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:3
  text: The Oxen turn around indignantly and ask the Axletrees why they make noise
    when the Oxen do all the work.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:4
  text: The stated moral says that those who suffer least complain most.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: obs:5
  text: A Boy puts his hand into a jar of Filberts and grasps as many as his fist
    can hold.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: obs:6
  text: The Boy cannot pull his hand out because the jar neck is too small for the
    large handful.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: obs:7
  text: The Boy is unwilling to lose his nuts, cannot withdraw his hand, and bursts
    into tears.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
- id: obs:8
  text: A bystander tells the Boy not to be greedy and to be content with half the
    amount so he can withdraw his hand.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
- id: obs:9
  text: The stated moral says not to attempt too much at once.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
  name_or_label: Pair of Oxen
  description: Two oxen drawing a heavily loaded wagon and speaking indignantly to
    the Axletrees.
  role_refs:
  - role:1
  - role:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: fig:2
  name_or_label: Axletrees
  description: Wagon axletrees that creak and groan while the Oxen pull the load.
  role_refs:
  - role:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: fig:3
  name_or_label: Boy
  description: A boy who grasps too many filberts in a jar and cannot withdraw his
    hand.
  role_refs:
  - role:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
- id: fig:4
  name_or_label: Bystander
  description: A person who sees the cause of the Boy's trouble and advises him to
    take less.
  role_refs:
  - role:5
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
  label: burdened workers
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: They draw a heavily loaded wagon and strain at the yoke.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: role:2
  label: rebukers of noisy complaint
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: They ask why the Axletrees make noise when the Oxen do all the work.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: role:3
  label: noisy non-laboring wagon parts
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: The Axletrees creak and groan while the Oxen pull the load.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: role:4
  label: greedy child caught by excess
  assigned_to:
  - fig:3
  basis: The Boy grasps too many filberts, cannot withdraw his hand, and cries rather
    than release the nuts.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
- id: role:5
  label: practical adviser
  assigned_to:
  - fig:4
  basis: The bystander identifies the trouble and tells the Boy to be content with
    half the amount.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
  label: heavy wagon load
  literal_form: heavily loaded wagon
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: sym:2
  label: yoke
  literal_form: yoke at which the Oxen tug and strain
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: sym:3
  label: creaking axletrees
  literal_form: Axletrees that creak and groan
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: sym:4
  label: jar of filberts
  literal_form: jar containing filberts
  associated_figures:
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: sym:5
  label: overfull handful
  literal_form: as many filberts as the Boy's fist can hold
  associated_figures:
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: sym:6
  label: narrow jar neck
  literal_form: jar neck too small for the large handful to pass
  associated_figures:
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
  label: Oxen rebuke the creaking Axletrees
  summary: On a highway, Oxen pulling a heavy wagon hear the Axletrees creak and groan,
    then ask why they make noise when the Oxen do all the work.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:2
  - sym:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
- id: scene:2
  label: Boy trapped by grasping too many filberts
  summary: A Boy grasps too many filberts inside a jar, cannot remove his hand through
    the narrow neck, cries, and receives advice from a bystander to take only half.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:3
  - fig:4
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:4
  - sym:5
  - sym:6
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
  label: Those least burdened complain most
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The Oxen bear the load while the Axletrees make the noise; the explicit moral
    states that those who suffer least complain most.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  confidence: high
  cautions: This is a moral pattern within a fable; no broader mythic comparison is
    established by the passage.
- id: motif:2
  label: Greed traps the grasping person
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The Boy cannot withdraw his hand because he has grasped too many filberts;
    the bystander tells him not to be greedy and to take less.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  - ev:6
  confidence: high
  cautions: The passage supports the ethical pattern directly, but does not connect
    it to a named external motif tradition.
- id: motif:3
  label: Moderation enables release
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The bystander says the Boy can free his hand by being content with half the
    amount, and the stated moral warns not to attempt too much at once.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
  confidence: high
  cautions: This is drawn from the fable's explicit advice and moral; no historical
    or comparative claim is implied.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
  type: summary
  locator: lines 2108-2112
  quote_or_summary: A pair of Oxen draw a heavily loaded wagon along the highway;
    as they strain at the yoke, the Axletrees creak and groan.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
  type: quote
  locator: lines 2112-2115
  quote_or_summary: '"Why do you make such a noise when we do all the work?"'
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:3
  type: quote
  locator: line 2117
  quote_or_summary: '"They complain most who suffer least."'
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:4
  type: summary
  locator: lines 2121-2126
  quote_or_summary: A Boy puts his hand into a jar of filberts and grasps as many
    as he can; he cannot pull his hand out because the jar neck is too small for the
    large handful.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
  type: summary
  locator: lines 2126-2128
  quote_or_summary: Unwilling to lose the nuts but unable to withdraw his hand, the
    Boy bursts into tears.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
  type: summary
  locator: lines 2128-2131
  quote_or_summary: A bystander tells the Boy not to be greedy, to be content with
    half the amount, and then he will be able to withdraw his hand.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
  type: quote
  locator: line 2132
  quote_or_summary: '"Do not attempt too much at once."'
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
  extraction: high
  motif_candidates: high
  comparison_claims: uncertain
  notes: The passage provides clear fable actions and explicit morals. No comparison
    claims are made because the passage does not itself establish external parallels
    or historical relationships.
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 two fables present in the supplied passage text were extracted; titles mentioned in the locator but absent from the passage text were not used.
  batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
  custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2108-l2132
  passage_sha256=e83d532dd6764848fdf67996bd242d69f5a999c124765f05777ad3ac569db7c9