# The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

A farmer, having sown a field of wheat, tries to protect his crop from rooks and starlings. When the birds learn to flee at the word 'sling,' the farmer tricks them by using the code word 'humph' to call for the sling, allowing him to strike several birds. The surviving rooks warn other birds that men say one thing but mean another.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cunning and Deception

The farmer uses a code word to deceive the birds, and the rooks learn that men say one thing but mean another.

### Wisdom and Foolishness

The starlings' failure to recognize the trick leads to harm, while the rooks gain wisdom to warn others.

## Character check-ins

### The Farmer

Devises a trick to deceive the birds by using a code word instead of 'sling'.

### The Boy

Accompanies the farmer and carries the sling, following the farmer's instructions.

## Key lines

> They have a way of saying one thing and meaning another which has just been the death of several of our poor friends.

Humans speak deceptively, and that deceit has recently killed several of our companions.

_The rook's warning encapsulates the theme of deception and its deadly consequences._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-farmer-his-boy-and-the-rooks
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters