batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4007-l4019

---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4007-l4019
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
  label: THE HOUND AND THE FOX / THE FATHER AND HIS DAUGHTERS / THE THIEF AND THE
    INNKEEPER / THE PACK-ASS AND THE WILD ASS; lines 4007-4019
  start: '4007'
  end: '4019'
  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: "“Advantages that are dearly bought are doubtful blessings.”"
  summary: A Wild Ass first envies a well-fed Pack-Ass resting in the sun, but later
    sees him carrying a heavy load while being beaten by a driver and concludes that
    the Pack-Ass pays dearly for his comforts.
  language: English
  quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
  text: A Wild Ass wanders idly and comes upon a Pack-Ass lying at full length in
    a sunny spot and enjoying himself.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:2
  text: The Wild Ass tells the Pack-Ass that he appears lucky, well-fed, and enviable.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:3
  text: Later, the Wild Ass sees the Pack-Ass carrying a heavy load while a driver
    follows and beats him with a thick stick.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:4
  text: The Wild Ass says he no longer envies the Pack-Ass because he sees that the
    Pack-Ass pays dearly for his comforts.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: obs:5
  text: The appended moral states that advantages bought at a high cost are doubtful
    blessings.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
  name_or_label: Wild Ass
  description: A wandering wild ass who first envies, then reconsiders his view of,
    the Pack-Ass.
  role_refs:
  - role:1
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
- id: fig:2
  name_or_label: Pack-Ass
  description: A domestic pack animal first seen resting comfortably, later seen carrying
    a heavy load and being beaten.
  role_refs:
  - role:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: fig:3
  name_or_label: driver
  description: A driver following the Pack-Ass and beating him with a thick stick.
  role_refs:
  - role:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
  label: observer who revises judgment
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: The Wild Ass first envies the Pack-Ass and later says he does not envy him
    anymore.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
- id: role:2
  label: apparently fortunate but burdened figure
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: The Pack-Ass appears sleek and comfortable at first, but is later shown carrying
    a heavy load under beating.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: role:3
  label: coercive handler
  assigned_to:
  - fig:3
  basis: The driver follows behind the Pack-Ass and beats him with a thick stick.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
  label: heavy load
  literal_form: The heavy load carried by the Pack-Ass.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: sym:2
  label: thick stick
  literal_form: The stick used by the driver to beat the Pack-Ass.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: sym:3
  label: sunny resting spot
  literal_form: The sunny spot where the Pack-Ass lies at full length and enjoys himself.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
  label: Initial envy of the resting Pack-Ass
  summary: The Wild Ass sees the Pack-Ass resting in a sunny place and praises his
    apparent good fortune and sleek condition.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: scene:2
  label: Recognition of the cost of comfort
  summary: The Wild Ass later sees the Pack-Ass burdened with a heavy load and beaten
    by a driver, and withdraws his earlier envy.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
- id: scene:3
  label: Stated moral
  summary: The fable closes by generalizing that costly advantages may be doubtful
    blessings.
  figure_refs: []
  symbol_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
  label: Apparent good fortune revealed as costly burden
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The Wild Ass first envies the Pack-Ass's comfort, then sees the labor and
    punishment attached to it, and the moral warns against advantages dearly bought.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  confidence: high
  cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad; the passage presents a didactic
    moral rather than a named mythic motif.
- id: motif:2
  label: Envy corrected by fuller knowledge
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The Wild Ass's envy changes after he sees the Pack-Ass's heavy work and harsh
    treatment.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  confidence: high
  cautions: This is extracted as a fable pattern from the passage itself, not as a
    cross-cultural comparison.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
  type: summary
  locator: lines 4007-4012
  quote_or_summary: A Wild Ass comes upon a Pack-Ass lying in a sunny spot, enjoying
    himself; the Wild Ass calls him lucky, notes his sleek coat, and says he envies
    him.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
  type: summary
  locator: lines 4012-4016
  quote_or_summary: The Wild Ass later sees the Pack-Ass carrying a heavy load while
    a driver follows and beats him with a thick stick.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
  type: quote
  locator: lines 4016-4018
  quote_or_summary: "“I don't envy you any more: for I see you pay dear for your comforts.”"
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
  type: quote
  locator: line 4019
  quote_or_summary: "“Advantages that are dearly bought are doubtful blessings.”"
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
confidence:
  extraction: high
  motif_candidates: medium
  comparison_claims: high
  notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are passage-based and
    didactic; available taxonomy mapping is limited to the broad wisdom family. No
    comparison claims were made because the supplied passage does not itself support
    a specific 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 fable text was used; other titles mentioned in the locator label were not present in the passage text.
  batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
  custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4007-l4019
  passage_sha256=8e0c206aab0c006784fb9835e7735acec3d4895a77a65df10b85e30792aff0e9