batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4142-l4156
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4142-l4156
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE CRAB AND THE FOX / THE FOX AND THE GRASSHOPPER / THE FARMER, HIS BOY,
AND THE ROOKS / THE ASS AND THE DOG; lines 4142-4156
start: '4142'
end: '4156'
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: An Ass and a Dog travel together and find a sealed packet. The Ass opens
it and reads writing about fodder. The Dog, bored, asks whether it contains anything
about meat and bones. When the Ass finds nothing of that kind, the Dog tells him
to throw it away.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An Ass and a Dog are traveling together.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: They find a sealed packet lying on the ground.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The Ass picks up the packet, breaks the seal, and reads its writing aloud.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The writing concerns grass, barley, hay, and other fodder liked by Asses.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The Dog becomes bored and asks the Ass to skip ahead to see whether the packet
mentions meat and bones.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The Ass searches through the packet and finds no mention of meat and bones.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Dog tells the Ass to throw the packet away because he sees no use in it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ass
description: An Ass traveling with a Dog; he opens and reads the found packet aloud.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Dog
description: A Dog traveling with the Ass; he becomes bored by the fodder-related
contents and wants information about meat and bones.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: traveling companion
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The passage says the Ass and Dog were on their travels together.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: reader of the found packet
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Ass picks up the packet, breaks its seal, and reads it aloud.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: bored listener and rejecter
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Dog is bored by the reading, asks for meat and bones, and then tells
the Ass to discard the packet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sealed packet
literal_form: sealed packet lying on the ground
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: fodder writing
literal_form: writing about grass, barley, hay, and other fodder
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: meat and bones
literal_form: meat and bones sought by the Dog in the packet
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Discovery and reading of the packet
summary: While traveling together, the Ass and Dog find a sealed packet. The Ass
opens it and reads aloud writing about fodder.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Dog rejects the packet
summary: The Dog, bored by fodder-related contents, asks for meat and bones. When
none are found, he dismisses the packet as useless.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: usefulness judged by personal appetite
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Dog dismisses the packet after learning it contains material useful or
interesting to the Ass but nothing about meat and bones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives no explicit moral in the supplied text; the motif label
is an interpretive summary of the narrative action.
- id: motif:2
label: found writing with contents suited to one hearer but not another
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A found packet is read aloud; its contents concern fodder favored by Asses,
while the Dog seeks different contents and loses interest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a passage-level narrative pattern rather than a named taxonomy
motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4142-4147
quote_or_summary: An Ass and a Dog travel together, find a sealed packet on the
ground, and the Ass opens it and begins reading the writing aloud.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 4147-4150
quote_or_summary: "“all about grass and barley and hay--in short, all the kinds
of fodder that Asses are fond of”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 4150-4154
quote_or_summary: "“Just skip a few pages, friend, and see if there isn't something
about meat and bones.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 4154-4156
quote_or_summary: The Ass looks through the packet and finds nothing about meat
and bones; the Dog tells him to throw it away and asks what good such a thing
is.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are cautious because no explicit moral or comparative frame is included in the
passage.
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 comparison claims were added because the provided passage itself does not support a specific cross-textual comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4142-l4156
passage_sha256=014e519be274d4bf947ef813603f3e94ccce5dbacbe2a928523d8c07adf76b91