The Bundle of Sticks
A certain Dad had a family of Boys, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.
One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bunch of sticks.
Then handing the bunch to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it.
But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.
The Dad then untied the bunch and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.
“My Sons,” said the Dad, “do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bunch.”
Moral of the story
Strength in unity: Working together makes you stronger.
Divided we fall, united we stand.
Questions for the children
- How did the Dad teach his Sons about unity?
- Why do you think it’s important for people to work together?
Post Note: This story is based on Aesop’s fable, written around 600 BC. In this retelling, we’ve used simpler words to make the story easier for young readers to understand.
