batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3490-l3501
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3490-l3501
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE MONKEY AND THE CAMEL / THE SICK MAN AND THE DOCTOR / THE TRAVELLERS AND
THE PLANE-TREE / THE FLEA AND THE OX; lines 3490-3501
start: '3490'
end: '3501'
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: A flea asks an ox why such a large strong animal serves humans and works
for them, while the flea lives on humans and drinks their blood without working.
The ox replies that humans treat him kindly by feeding, housing, and patting him.
The flea answers that if humans patted him, nothing would be left of him.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A flea addresses an ox and contrasts the ox's size and strength with its service
to mankind.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The flea says it lives on human bodies, drinks human blood, and does no work
for this benefit.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The ox says men are kind to him, feed and house him well, and sometimes pat
his head and neck.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The flea says it avoids being patted because such contact would leave nothing
of it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The passage presents a sequence of question, reply, and counter-reply between
two animals.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Flea
description: A small creature that says it lives on human bodies and drinks human
blood without working.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ox
description: A big strong animal that serves mankind, does hard work, and says humans
feed, house, and pat it kindly.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Men / mankind
description: Humans served by the ox; they feed, house, and pat the ox, and are
fed upon by the flea.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: questioning critic
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The flea asks why the ox is content to serve mankind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: serving laborer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The ox is described as serving mankind and doing their hard work.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: parasitic beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The flea says it lives on humans and drinks their blood without working.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: grateful recipient of care
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The ox says it is grateful because humans feed and house it and show fondness
by patting it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: human providers and hosts
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Humans are described as feeding and housing the ox, while also being bodies
from which the flea drinks blood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: blood
literal_form: Blood drunk by the flea from human bodies.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: patting gesture
literal_form: Humans patting the ox on the head and neck as a sign of fondness;
the flea says such patting would destroy it.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: hard work
literal_form: The ox's labor performed for mankind.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Flea questions the ox's service
summary: The flea asks why the strong ox serves mankind and labors while the flea
takes blood from humans without working.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Ox explains gratitude for human care
summary: The ox replies that humans are kind because they feed and house him and
show fondness by patting him.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Flea explains avoidance of touch
summary: The flea says humans would also pat it if allowed, but it avoids this because
being patted would destroy it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: service rewarded by care contrasted with parasitic taking
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The ox serves humans and receives food, housing, and affection; the flea
takes blood without work but must avoid human touch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level fable pattern rather than a match to a supplied
mythological motif family.
- id: motif:2
label: small creature boasts of advantage over larger laboring creature
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The flea contrasts its small size and workless feeding with the large strong
ox's hard service.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The boast is implicit in the flea's comparison and is limited to the dialogue
provided.
- id: motif:3
label: different natures make the same human gesture beneficial to one and dangerous
to another
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Patting signifies fondness for the ox, but the flea says it would be destroyed
by being patted.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not attach a formal moral to this contrast.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 3490-3495
quote_or_summary: The flea asks why a "big strong fellow" like the ox serves mankind
and works, while the flea lives on human bodies and drinks their blood without
working.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief excerpt/summary used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: 3495-3499
quote_or_summary: The ox replies that men are kind, feed and house him well, and
show fondness by patting his head and neck.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief excerpt/summary used for evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 3499-3501
quote_or_summary: The flea says humans would pat it too if allowed, but it avoids
this because "there would be nothing left of me."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief excerpt/summary used for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal dialogue and roles are clear. Motif labels are descriptive passage-level
candidates; no external comparison is asserted.
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: |-
No supplied taxonomy motif family or symbol was confidently applicable beyond descriptive passage-level motifs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3490-l3501
passage_sha256=5574872b0aee4836502c3fcb3691bcf8561a54bee6569a4a89f529358496e20c