The Sun and the North Wind

The Sun and the North Wind

Learn English through Story

The Sun and the North Wind were talking to each other in the sky. The North Wind was saying that he was better than everyone else. The Sun listened as the North Wind talked with enthusiasm about how powerful he was and how he could push something from one continent to another with one breathe. He said, “I am the strongest thing in the sky.”

“Really?” asked the Sun. “How do you know that you are more powerful than the stars, or the rain, or even me?”

The North Wind laughed with disrespect. He yelled, “You? That’s a joke!”

This hurt the Sun. He was usually timid and did not want to cause conflict.

Today he decided that he should teach the North Wind a lesson.

In the meantime, a man began walking along the avenue down on Earth. When the Sun looked down on the terrain below, he saw the man. He pointed down to the Earth and said, “Do you see that man walking below? I bet I can get his jacket off of him. Can you?”

“Of course!” the North Wind replied as he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with air. He used all of his muscles in his face and belly to blow winds at his target in succession.

The harsh air currents made the man cold. The man pulled his jacket more tightly around him. It did not come off. The Sun decided to rescue the man from the mischief of the North Wind. He said, “May I try?” Then he sent down sunlight that made the man warm. The man leaned against a tree. He took off his jacket and enjoyed the nice weather.

“You are very powerful,” the Sun said to the North Wind, “but you use

violence in your bid to appear strong. You should think of an alternative. The strongest people don’t use force to get what they want.”