What is the internal and external conflict in Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare?

Question

what is the internal and external conflict in aespo's fable of the tortise and the hare?

Answer 1

That even someone who is slow like a tortise if s/he keeps working at what s/he is doing they can accomplish the improbable while someone who thinks s/he can get things done fast so they slack off thinking they have all the time in the world might end up watching the back of the tortise when he passes the hare to the finish line. ;-)

Answer 2

I'm not quite sure what you mean by your question, but I'm going to try my best anyway.  Aesop used fables to teach about what he considered to be human virtues and human vices, and how the virtues would win the day, and the vices rue the day.  In this story the overconfident and boasting rabbit allows himself to be so prideful of his speed that he takes a nap during the race.  The tortoise is the archetype for slow patience, perseverance and determination, which wins out in the end, despite all appearances and odds.

Answer 3

Wow, it has been a very VERY long time since I read that story.

I would say that the hare wanted the win to the point that the hare almost needed to win. Because the winning of the race was becoming the hare identity. The hare would then be a Winner, the fastest rabbit. The Ego was a big part of who the hare was. The hare couldn't lose the race, because then the hare would lose his worth. To the hare the race was much more than just a race. The hare was the race and the winner, the winning of the race was the hare.

The tortoise was the tortoise no matter what. Nothing to prove to himself or anyone else. To the tortoise the race was a journey. Something to enjoy. But the race didn't define the tortoise's worth. Win or lose the tortoise was better for it, just because he did it. The win had nothing to do with it. The tortoise's joy and happiness didn't depend on winning the race.

The hare's worth and happiness depended on winning, there was no joy in the race itself. In the end the hare's Ego got the best of him. He thought he was so much better, so much faster and so much smarter and it worked against him. The tortoise staying focused on the journey of the race got to the finish line a stronger and wiser tortoise.

Okay, there you go.