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Question
Answer the following question briefly.
Why is the frog's joy both sweet and bitter?
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Solution
- The frog’s joy is sweet because he was making a lot of money on the talent of the nightingale and earning a good business.
- But his joy turns bitter because he became jealous of the nightingale’s popularity.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Have you come across people who are not what they seem to be - like someone who is extremely friendly and helpful yet you are not very comfortable with him / her as you feel it is a put-on? Have a class discussion about such people and why you feel as you do.
The following is a summary of the poem but it is jumbled up. Write out the events in their correct order to form a continuous paragraph.
(a) As a result, her voice lost its beauty, and the other creatures stopped coming to hear her sing.
(b) Soon the nightingale became famous, and creatures from miles around came to hear her sing.
(c) All the creatures in the bog cheered and clapped at her beautiful song.
(d) He offered to train the nightingale, so that she could sing even more beautifully.
(e) So the frog could sing unrivalled in the bog once more.
(f) The next night the frog introduced himself.
(g) The frog charged an admission fee, and earned a lot of money from these concerts.
(h) A frog croaked all night in a bog, in an unpleasant voice.
(i) But the frog made the nightingale rehearse continuously in the rain.
(j) One night a nightingale began to sing in a melodious voice.
(k) Finally, the nightingale burst a vein and died.
Now that you have read the poem, add more personality traits to the word-web of the frog and the nightingale as depicted in the poem. Then complete the given table. (Some of the words in the box below may help you. You may also use the words given in Q. 1.)
| Character | Extract | Personality traits |
| Nightingale | Sorry - was that you who spoke? | Polite, Timorous |
| Frog |
Yes,… you see, I'm the frog who owns this tree In this bog I've long been known For my splendid baritone. |
|
| Nightingale | Did you…did you like my song? | |
| Frog | Not too bad - but far too long The technique was fine, of course, But it lacked a certain force. | |
| Frog | Without proper training such as I And a few others can supply You'll remain a mere beginner, But with me you'll be a winner. | |
| Nightingale | But I can't sing in this weather | |
| Nightingale | …This is a fairy tale - And you're Mozart in disguise Come to earth before my eyes. | |
| Frog | Come, my dear - we'll sing together. | |
| Frog | We must aim for better billing You still owe me sixty shillings. |
|
| Frog | Brainless bird - you're on the stage Use your wits and follow fashion. Puff your lungs out with your passion. | |
| Frog | …I tried to teach her, But she was a stupid creature. |
| Dismissive Nervous Timid Presumptuous Superior Fawning Shy Polite Meek Possessive Dominating Mercenery |
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, complete the sentences given below by choosing the appropriate option.
- The animals reacted to the nightingale's song with
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, complete the sentences given below by choosing the appropriate option.
- The nightingale accepted the frog's tutelage as she
Read the stanza given below and complete the sentence by choosing the appropriate option.
- The nightingale was sorrowful and pale because
Read the stanza given below and complete the sentence by choosing the appropriate option.
- She no longer enjoyed singing alone as
How did the creatures of Bingle bog react to the nightingale's singing?
Answer the following question briefly.
How did the frog become the unrivalled king of the bog again?
Discuss the following question and write the answer in your note-books.
Bring out the irony in the frog's statement - 'Your song must be your own'.
Discuss the following question and write the answer in your note-books.
Do you think that the end of the poem is justified ?
Discuss the following question and write the answer in your note-books.
Do you think the nightingale is 'brainless'? Give reasons for your answer.
Discuss the following question and write the answer in your note-books.
Inspite of having a melodious voice and being a crowd puller, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. How far is she responsible for her own downfall?
Discuss the following question and write the answer in your note-books.
Do you agree with the Frog's inference of the Nightingale's character? Give reasons for your answer.
The nightingale has scaled the heights of success. But now the audience is dwindling, the frog is unhappy and reprimands her all the time. She is mentally and physically exhausted and fears failure. As the nightingale, write a diary entry highlighting her fears and analyzing the reasons for her failure.
Even though both, the frog from Vikram Seth’s poem, The Frog and the Nightingale and Abel's children from the play, The Dear Departed, display greed, there are differences. Elaborate, in about 150 words, how the greed of the frog and that of Abel's children differ in motivation, actions, relationship, and consequences.
