The Fox and the Grapes

Some people disparage what they can’t have.

Introduction

In this Aesop’s Fable, a hungry fox tries to hide his own failings by laying the blame on someone else.

A FOX was padding about a vineyard in the mountains, when he spotted some bunches of grapes hanging from a trellis. He scampered over to them, as they were ripe and deep black, harvested in peak condition by a farmer who evidently knew his business.

The fox leapt up at them eagerly, but found he could not reach them. Again and again he leapt, until he was worn out with effort, but it was no good. He was bitterly disappointed. ‘Of course,’ he said, by way of consoling himself, ‘the farmer’s a fool. I could see all along that he’d picked them before they were ripe.’ But it wasn’t true, and he knew it.

And the moral of that is, that some people disparage what they can’t have.

Based on the Greek of Babrius.
Précis
A hungry fox tried to help himself to a bunch ripe grapes. When he found they were out of reach, he hid his disappointment by telling himself the grapes were sour. Some people, when they can’t get what they want, make themselves feel better by pretending there is something wrong with it.
Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

What did the fox notice about the grapes when he first saw them?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

A fox walked through a vineyard. He saw some grapes.

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