Gorby and the Rats is a fourteenth century Persian political satire, originally written in the form of the heroic epic, that tells the story of a cat (Gorby) that hides in a wine cellar and preys on countless rats. Gorby is seen repenting his sins in a mosque, which leads the rats to believe that he has changed. However, upon being embraced by the celebrating rats, Gorby pounces on them. The story concludes with the rats attempting to execute Gorby, only to have him escape and scare them away. This satire serves as political commentary on the abuses of power, reflecting the political turmoil that Zakani experienced in his own life.

Gorby and the Rats undoubtedly features violent imagery in the text and the accompanying illustrations. For example, the image on the right shows Gorby, jaw open and fangs out, ready to devour the terrified rat. This violence is presented through animal characters, allowing readers to view the story from a distant perspective. Zakani uses satire to expose and criticize the hypocrisy of power hungry rulers. While this is a very direct and personal attack, the use of non-human characters allows him to more lightly express his criticisms, all while ensuring that he is protected from the restraints of autocratic rule.

Violence is also portrayed through animal characters in Marie's Fables. The narratives feature talking animals that often engage in violence, such as in Fable 4 when the dog feeds off the ewe's flesh. Similarly to Zakani's purpose in using animal characters to provide distance, Marie uses such characters as means of defamiliarization. By presenting the familiar ideas of human bias or misunderstandings in an unfamiliar way, she allows readers to view her narratives from a new perspective, further highlighting the impact of violence.

Both works attack the tyranny and hypocrisy of the law, exposing the abuses of power in a flawed system. Gorby and the Rats depicts the chaos that results from a political system that indulges in propaganda and punishes people for certain beliefs. Here, the abuse of power is apparent in the way Gorby is able to defeat the entire rat population without suffering any consequences. Likewise, in Fable 4, the failure of the law is revealed when the dog utilizes false witnesses to wrongly accuse the innocent ewe, resulting in the death of the ewe. This unfortunate narrative highlights the abuse of power, as the dog is able to manipulate the law and come out unscathed. Although different in their narrative, both works offer a critique of those in power who exploit the law against the powerless.