The Zebra Storyteller; Not Fit to Be Tied

The Zebra Storyteller; Not Fit to Be Tied

The Siamese cat, who learned to fluently speak fluent Zebraic, was most certainly fit to be tied. The use of the phrase “fit to be tied” plays a subtle, yet important role in this fable. It can be understood figuratively or literally, which is what really makes the tale interesting.

“Fit to be tied” is an expression that can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the context. The Zebraic-speaking Siamese cat who also pretended to be a lion, was so fluent at Zebraic, even the Zebras were amazed. After speaking to a zebra, the zebra was “so astonished at hearing a Siamese cat speaking like a zebra” (1. 9) and thought “he’s just fit to be tied” (1. 10). The figurative meaning of “fit to be tied” in this context would be that the Siamese cat is just so wonderful at speaking Zebraic; it was like he was meant to be a zebra. The literal perspective would be that the cat was literally fit to be tied up. The cat would astound the zebras with how well he speaks their language, and use this to his advantage. The Siamese cat would shock the zebras by speaking to them in their own language, and then tie them up and kill them. Maybe, the Siamese cat really was meant to be tied up, after all of the tricking and pretending he did.

Another use of the phrase “fit to be tied” is when the zebra storyteller meets the Siamese cat who surprisingly speaks his language. The zebra storyteller was not too fond of this cat, in fact he “wasn’t fit to be tied at hearing a cat speaking his language” (1. 27), especially after he had just been thinking about telling a story about a cat who learns to speak Zebraic. The use of “fit to be tied” in this context would be perceived in a more figurative way rather than literal, for the zebra was not happy or please with seeing a Zebraic-speaking cat.

The Siamese cat would do the tying up of the zebras,