Animals
In this text, the characters are animals, who all represent different people. For example, the judge is a lion, which plays into stereotypes about lions being the leaders of the animal kingdom. The judge is depicted as fair, kind and reasonable.
The Court
The setting of the story is a courtroom, with animals performing various roles. For example, the lion performs the role of judge and the tiger performs the role of a lawyer. This sets the story as being one about morality, law, and order.
Fables
This story uses some key tropes and images from classic fables. This includes the use of animal characters and an over-arching moral of the story. In this case, the moral is about the cruelty animals endure at the hands of humans.
Violence
Although the story starts with a lighthearted tone, the details of the court case are graphic and violent. The murder of the human is first described, which is followed by the cruel treatment and torture of the Ox. These details make us feel sympathy for the Ox.
