THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE
1.‘Other creatures loathed his voice,
But, alas, they had no choice,
And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning night’
a. Why had ‘they’ no choice?
The frog would go on singing continuously without caring for others.
b. Why did other creatures loathe his voice?
... because he sang loudly, constantly and unpleasantly.
c. Find a word from the passage which means ‘hated’
loathed.
2. ‘And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And, when she had ended, clapped,
Ducks had swum and herons waded
To her as she serenaded’
a. Where did the whole admiring bog stare?
They stared towards the sumac tree.
b. When did they clap?
They clapped when the nightingale ended her melodious song.
c. Find a word from the passage which means ‘walked through water’?
waded.
B. Answer the following questions briefly.
a. Which are the different ways in which the frog asserts his importance?
The frog knows that the nightingale is naive, timid and lacks self- esteem. He becomes her self-styled guide and teacher. He makes money by showcasing her talent to the admiring creatures of the bog. He charges her a fee for the lessons in singing. He asserts himself to be the owner of the sumac tree.
b. Why is the frog’s joy both sweet and bitter?
The frog exploited the nightingale’s talent to his advantage. He sold her songs for silver. He was filled with joy when he saw ladies of status and wealth coming to hear the nightingale’s song. But he was also
bitter as he was jealous of the appreciation and attention she received from the creatures of the bog.
C. Long answers
a. Bring out the irony in the frog’s statement: ‘Your song must be your own.’
The frog’s statement ‘Your song must be your own’ is quite ironical. The frog who charged the nightingale for being stupid and ‘too prone to influence’ says these words. It was the frog who ruined her natural potential for singing by claiming to be a critic and appointing himself her trainer. He then went on to exploit her by telling her that her singing needed some improvement. He made her practise till she was tired and her uninspired voice could not attract an audience. When she died he charged her for not being an inspired singer.
b. Do you think the end is justified?
The end seems tragic but is justified. Those who do not have self- esteem and confidence in their own talent generally meet the same fate as the nightingale did. The timid and servile bird allowed herself selfishness. Not only did she ruin her voice but also brought an end to herself.
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