Question

Answer the following question in about 150 words:

Both the poem ‘The Frog And The Nightingale’ and the story ‘Mrs Packletide’s Tiger’ reflect themes of exploitation of others in pursuit of personal benefit. How, according to you, do each of these literary works manipulate situations to attain their personal desires and with what consequences?

Answer 1

Vikram Seth’s “The Frog and the Nightingale” is about a frog who takes advantage of the nightingale’s innocence and skill to get ahead and make money. He takes advantage of the sparrow by pretending to be her teacher and plays with her until she becomes too tired and dies. By taking advantage of the frog, we learn how dangerous it is to trust people who only want something for themselves.

This is similar to how Mrs. Packletide hunts a tiger in “Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger” to satisfy her need to compete with Loona Bimberton in social situations and to show off her pride. To make herself look better, she fakes a hunt, but the tiger dies of old age, and the hunt fails. The story shows how silly and shallow social injustice is, as well as how far people will go to get what they want.

These literary works highlight the moral and ethical hazards of exploiting and manipulating others for one’s own gain.