batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3737-l3747
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3737-l3747
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: BROTHER AND SISTER / THE HEIFER AND THE OX / THE KINGDOM OF THE LION / THE
ASS AND HIS DRIVER; lines 3737-3747
start: '3737'
end: '3747'
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: An Ass was being driven down a mountain road... rushed to the edge of a precipice.
summary: An ass leaves a mountain road for the brink of a precipice. Its driver
tries unsuccessfully to pull it back by the tail, then gives up and warns that
the ass’s chosen way leads to sudden death.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An ass is being driven down a mountain road.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The ass leaves the track and rushes to the edge of a precipice.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The driver catches hold of the ass’s tail and tries to pull it back.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The driver cannot move the ass from the brink.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The driver gives up and says the ass’s own way is the way to sudden death.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ass
description: An ass being driven down a mountain road who leaves the track and remains
at the precipice brink.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Driver
description: The ass’s driver, who tries to pull the ass back by the tail and then
warns it.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: obstinate endangered animal
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The ass rushes to a precipice and will not budge when pulled back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: failed restrainer and warning speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The driver attempts to pull the ass back, then gives up and warns of sudden
death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mountain road
literal_form: mountain road
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: precipice brink
literal_form: edge of a precipice / brink
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: tail grasp
literal_form: driver catching hold of the ass’s tail
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ass leaves the road
summary: While being driven down a mountain road, the ass stops proceeding sensibly
and rushes from the track to a precipice edge.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Driver fails to pull the ass back
summary: The driver catches the ass by the tail and tries to pull it away from the
brink, but the ass will not move.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Warning of sudden death
summary: The driver abandons the attempt and tells the ass to reach the bottom its
own way, warning that this way leads to sudden death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: obstinate refusal of rescue or guidance
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The ass persists at the precipice despite the driver’s attempt to pull it
back from danger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable pattern rather than a mythological motif family in the
supplied taxonomy.
- id: motif:2
label: self-chosen path to destruction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The driver explicitly states that the ass’s chosen way leads to sudden death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not depict the death itself, only the warning.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 3737-3740
quote_or_summary: "“An Ass was being driven down a mountain road” and initially
goes along “sensibly enough.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 3740-3742
quote_or_summary: The ass suddenly leaves the track and rushes to the edge of a
precipice, about to leap over it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 3742-3745
quote_or_summary: The driver catches the ass by the tail and tries to pull it back,
but cannot make it move from the brink.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 3745-3747
quote_or_summary: The driver gives up, saying, “get to the bottom your own way,”
and warns it is “the way to sudden death.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; short quotation used for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are descriptive and not
mapped to the supplied motif-family taxonomy. No passage-supported comparison
claims are made.
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 was used; no external fable moral or surrounding text was added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3737-l3747
passage_sha256=dfbb87cb9d8a979cb476a3482634d70dabb01b5bd2b8a48cfccafa2e4c391fac