Customs & Conduct

As the fall quarter comes to a close, one of the last readings we have done is of the Kalila wa Dimna under the instruction of Professor Rahimieh which comes full circle to the beginning of the quarter when we first read Fables by Marie De France under the instruction of Professor Davis. I find it intriguing that both texts are didactic while using animals as they encourage and call attention to the high standard of social behavior that can and should be enforced while particularly targeting those who rule. The purpose of Fables primarily served as a way to naturalize the social order and underline the abuses of power and was rather straightforward in stating so. To both compare and contrast, in Kalila wa Dimna the intent was to provide lessons the king inquired about how he should serve in different scenarios, but there was an indirect approach when the messages were relayed to him. I found it thought-provoking that the texts themselves as a whole demonstrate growth. What I mean by this is that in Fables, the morals being taught were scrutinizing those with power compared to Kalila wa Dimna where the one who held power was the one asking for the guidance. Although geographically speaking there is not a correlation here where we see this change in character from first being told how one should act to eventually one wanting to learn, I am referring to our development of reading the textual information through the course which has indeed displayed this growth of yearning for a code of conduct.

In addition to these two texts, under the instruction of Professor Lupton, we also saw a variety of metamorphoses one of which was Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream where he became part animal and part human gaining insight into a larger world around him as a result of the transformation. While we do not see anything of this measure in Kalila wa Dimna or in Fables, it is still notable that all three have the common theme of a lesson being taught or understood through the use of animals. And this concept of using animals as a means to instruct is a familiar case which is still put to use in modern day.

A common routine is children asking their parents for a bedtime story. These children’s stories are filled with morals and lessons, but are expressed through the use of animals. Such examples are the books pictured above that use both fish and pigeons in different anecdotes to demonstrate the importance of sharing. These amongst many other books communicate a model of qualities one should attain and practice. This application has even begun to advance into video format as technology continues to grow such as in the animated youtube video of the book The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. These examples demonstrate how the approach of Fables and Kalila wa Dimna remains apparent today.