CLASS X ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE

POETRY - THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE BY VIKRAM SETH

BACKGROUND OF FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE

The poem was written by Vikram Seth in 1994 and was published by the Evergreen Publications
(India) Limited. It has got the acclaims to be the part of “The golden Lyre”.

ABOUT THE POEM

“The frog and the Nightingale” is a perfect fable unfolding the story of a frog and a nightingale. The
poem tells us how a frog traps an innocent virtuous nightingale and brings an end to her art. This poem is
aimed to mock the prevailing social state and leaves us in front of a lot
facts to think.

FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE - A FABLE

A fable is a short story in which plants, animals, mythical creatures are attributed with human
qualities ending in a moral. “Frog and the Nightingale” even qualities the tenets of fable when we find the
frog and nightingale acting like humans presenting us an interesting story with a didactic message.

FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE - A MOCK TO THE SOCIETY.

The poem is aimed to satire the societal system. Fresh

and new talents are never welcomed by the critics. Critics are only for
negative criticism. They are never for constructive criticism. They try to pull
the talent down shamelessly and curb their future prospect. Criticism is important
to turn someone perfect and pure. But in our form of society it is done for
opening up the negativity of the new talent and never encouraging them.

FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE - A JAB TO THE HYPOCRITE.

We find a double faced character trait in the frog. He presents himself to be a hypocrite. At the
concluding part of the poem when the nightingale was killed, the frog stated that the nightingale should have
known that her song must be her own. Whereas it was the frog himself who changed the signing of the
nightingale and destroyed his rival in the bog.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE POEM

Line 1 – 10

Once upon a time there was a frog who used to croak (hoarse singing) away in a bog named Bingle. It was
his daily work. From dusk to dawn he continued his rough singing. The other creatures of the Bingle Bog
hated the voice of the frog. But they had no other option but to listen his voice. And the frog continued his
rough unpleasant singing from the foot of the Sumac tree.

Poetic Devices in use:

1) Antithesis – “Dusk to dawn,”Morning night” {An antithesis is a figure of speech that states
strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition.}
2) Alliteration – “Bingle. Bog” , awn and awn and awn”’
“crass cacophony”.

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Lines – 11 – 20

To stop the frog from his awkwardly unpleasant and rough singing ,the other animals of the Bog used stones,
sticks, bricks and they even prayed, insulted and complained. But all their efforts went futile, at this juncture,
one night there came a nightingale. It flew and sat on the top of the sumac three and sang the most
beautiful song ever the animals of the bag heard. The frog agaped and was speechless at the sweet voice of
the nightingale. Even all other creatures of the bog even stared at the frog with utmost amazement.

Poetic Devices in use :-

1) Alliteration – ‘his heart’s” , “ towards the”.

LINES – 21 – 30

When the nightingale ended her song every creature of the bag was amazed and elated. Ducks and herons
out of attractions moved towards the nightingale. Even a lonely loon cried as the music of the Nightingale
touched his heart. Toads, teals and tidlers requested the nightingale to sing more. The nightingale was not
habituated with this high applause and compliments. So she was carried with the praising and sang till the
morning.

Poetic Devices in use :-

1) Alliteration –“she serenaded”,

2) Onomatopoeia –‘clapped”

LINE – 31 – 44

After the grand performance in the first night , the nightingale was preparing herself for the next night. She
shook her head, twitched her tail, fluffed a wing, closed an eye and cleared her throat to
sing. At this very moment the frog emerged with a sound of croak. The nightingale inquired about him and
he boastfully declared himself the owner of the tree and as well as presented himself as the great musician
and singer.

Poetic devices in use :

1)Alliteration –“Next Night”,. “her head”, “this tree”,

2)Onomatopoeia –“fluffed”
3)Antithesis –“head ……tail”, “now ……then”

Lines – 45 – 56

Out of enthusiasm, the nightingale asked the frog about his opinion about the song of the nightingale. The
envious frog accepted her song to be a good one but at the same time criticised her song to be with flaw
and subject to improvement. He opined that the technique was a good one but was devoid of certain force.
At this the nightingale was immensely flattered and happy that a critic of high level evaluated her voice and
the art of singing. The nightingale stated that her song was not of heavenly state but it was her own.

Poetic Devices in use :-

1) Alliteration –“The technique”, “art and” , “think the”

2)Antithesis –“Now and then”.

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LINES – 57 – 68

The heartless frog snapped the enthusiasm of the nightingale by saying him not to boast as without proper
training the nightingale will not be able to prosper and will remain merely the beginner. He also bragged that
such training is impossible to be imparted by none but him. And if she is trained and guided by the frog she
is sure to reach to the peak of fame. At this the simple and stupid nightingale turned flattered and stated
the frog to be the Mozart and the whole happenings as fairy tale. At this the wicked frog reminded the
nightingale about his fees as he would abuse the nightingale and at the same time bring an end to her.

Lines – 69 – 78

When the frog agreed to be the trainer and mentor to the

nightingale, the nightingale was much inspired. With enhanced confidence, the
nightingale sang and created sensation. Many animals who were mesmerised by the
singing of the nightingale came in group to behold and enjoy the magical sound
of the animals and collected admission fees. Next morning, the first day of the
nightingales training, it started raining. The frog with ill intention did not
care about the weather and started the tra9ining.

Poetic Devices used

1) Alliteration –“Art and adoration”, “towards the”,

LINES – 79 – 88

As the rainy weather was adverse for singing the nightingale stated that she could not sing in this weather.
But the frog who had only one aim i.e. to destroy her voice instructed her to put on scarf and sash and follow
his training. He showed her the negative method ‘koo-oh-ah! Ko-ash! Ko-ash!” And the frog practised up
and down in scale with his wicked intention. For long six hours they practised and in that detrimental
weather she started quivering. And the aftermath was the hoarse voice of the nightingale. The nightingale
was exhausted and was suffering from the lacuna of sleep. In spite of these inimical situations, at night her
voice restored.

Poetic Devices in use:-

1) Antithesis – “up and down the scale”

LINES – 89 – 98

At night the whole sumac tree was overburdened with acclaimed and celebrated crowd. The goes on naming
some of the august animals though those are fully imaginary and does not have any resemblance to any real
life animal. Then the poet goes on describing how the ladies with tiaras and luminous look continued to chat.
In this jubilant situation the frog was the only one who was in pang. He was at the same time happy and as
well as envious. He was happy as he was having a free flow of money but envious because the
nightingale glorified.

Poetic devices in use :

1) Onomatopoeia –“twittering”
2) Antithesis –“sweet and bitter”

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LINES – 99 – 110

Scolding turned out to be a daily matter for the frog who earned handsome selling the song of the
nightingale. He forced the nightingale to practice longer and harder till his voice turns stronger like the frog.
He even stated her examples how the nightingale got nervous in the second song last night. And the frog
advised the nightingale to use frills as audience like those. He reminded her to perform better which would
bring him money as she still owed sixty shillings to the frog.

Poetic devices in use:

1) Alliteration –“Second song”, “must make”, “something sharper snappier”, “better billings”,
“sixty shillings”

LINES – 111 – 112

As the nightingale was taught in all wrong way with the intention of destroying her voice she started to
perform below her reputation. She lost her confidence. She was totally dejected. The zipping, trillings and
bouncing in her voice destroyed her voice and very few animal came to enjoy her song. This made her even
miserable singing all alone at night did not inspire her.

Poetic Devices in use

1)Alliteration –“Till the”, “the ticket”, “more morose”, “All alone.”

Lines – 123 – 130

Out of anger the frog censured the nightingale and addressed her as brainless with indecorous tone he
instructed the nightingale how to perform and puff lungs out with passion. Completely traumatised the
nightingale puffed her lung, tried to sing and had her vain burst ensuring her demise.
Poetic Devices in use:

1)Alliteration –“Brainless Bird”, “follow fashion”, “trembling, terrified to”.

LINES – 131 – 140

After the death of the nightingale, the frog turned pole asunder and blamed the nightingale with all negative
words. He declared her as a stupid creature that is nervous, tense and prone to influence. He, like a hypocrite
stated that the nightingale should have known that her song is her own. He then went on lecturing about his
own singing style. At the end the Bingle Bog remained without any rival against the frog.

Poetic Devices in use :

1)Alliteration –“tired to teach”, “too tense”, “she should”, through the”.

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 CLASS X ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE
DRAMA - THE DEAR DEPARTED BY STANLEY HOUGHTON

The Dear Departed is a drama by Stanley Haughton. The poet uses many literally devices to criticize basic
human characteristics. He uses a combination of dramatic irony, sarcasm, simultaneous speech, humour and
twist in the drama to criticize human traits. Moreover, the characters in the story are two – dimensional and
there is no development. This allows us to look through the character and understand their actions. In this
short play, Haughton manages to portray irony in several different ways. Firstly, the title is irony in itself. It
depicts that the departed, Abel Merryweather, was not one bit dear and precious to them. The only thing that
the sisters were interested in is the money or valuables he owned.

The Dear Departed focuses on the moral values which everyone should learn. It depicts that nowadays, the
value of money is far more than human emotions. The book further shows how family values are decreasing
in society. Materialism has affected the modern life of ordinary people that even the Father and daughter's
respectful relationship is also tainted with it. The play highlights the aspects of the matched craftsmen by
wonderfully absorbing the ordering of the scenes.

CHARACTERS
1. Amelia Slater: An energetic and sharp woman who married Henry Slater and has a ten-year-old
daughter, Victoria.
2. Henry Slater: He is a man who has no will of his own and no say in the house.
3. Elizabeth Jordon: Mrs. Jordon is a stout and complacent woman.
4. Ben Jordan: He is a practical man and a very big hypocrite in the play.
5. Abel Merryweather: He is an old widower.

SUMMARY
MR. ABEL MERRYWEATHER IS DEAD
The play begins with Mr. Abel Merryweather declared dead and accordingly, her sister and her husband, the
Jordans are informed about the sudden demise of their father. Mrs. Slater and her husband are busy making
arrangements for the mourning. They are expecting the Jordans to join them. They start using the various
belongings of their father. Victoria, daughter of Mrs. Slater does not like all this but reluctantly she is
helping her parents in these matters.

THE FAMILY MEMBERS DISCUSS THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BELONGINGS

Victoria is asked to keep a watch on the main door to inform her mother about the arrival of the Jordans.
Mrs. Slater is not willing to share her father’s belongings with Mrs. Jordan. When the articles are being
shifted, the Jordans arrive. The family members start a detailed conversation on the deeds of their deceased
father, planning the details of the obituary announcement in the papers and the insurance premium payment.
They start a discussion over the distribution of their father’s belongings among them.

MR. ABEL MERRYWEATHER WAS ALIVE

Surprisingly, at this point, the play witnesses a turn of events. Victoria who has been sent to the
grandfather’s room returns very scaredly. She tells everyone that her grandfather is alive. To everybody’s
surprise, grandfather is seen coming downstairs.

CONCLUSION
The lesson ‘Dear Departed’ focuses on the family values that are dwindling fast in society. Materialism has
affected modern man’s life so much that even the respectful relationship between father and daughter has
become tainted with it. The lesson highlights this aspect of the relationship with unmatched craftsmanship
by weaving a wonderful and absorbing sequence of events.

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 Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]

Q1. Mrs. Jordan says that she has a feeling that father has not paid his insurance premium. How do
all react to it?
Answer:They all were worried about father’s overdue insurance premium. Mrs. Jordan says that she has a
‘warning’ from the insurance office. She says that father has done it on purpose. After a long search, the
receipt is found in the bureau. The two sisters express anger at father’s irresponsibility and ‘swindling’
motive.

Q2.What does the shifting of the bureau tell us about the character of Mrs. Slater?
Answer:Mrs. Slater has always wanted to have the bureau after the grandfather died. She feels she can
easily take it before her sister arrives. It shows that she was greedy and selfish. She lacked feelings.

Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]

Q3. Even at the time when the grandfather is supposedly dead, the sisters are trying to pull each other
down. With reference to the play, The Dear Departed, mention the traits that the sisters display. Do
you approve of them ? Give a reasoned answer.
Answer: No, I do not approve of the selfish motive and morality of the two sisters, Mrs. Slater (Amelia) and
Mrs. Jordan (Elizabeth). At the time when the grandfather is supposedly dead, the selfish and greedy sisters
are craving to grab his wealth. In fact, he was not dead but merely drunk. In the play, both the sisters—
Amelia and Elizabeth—are portrayed as greedy and selfish. Amelia is after the bureau and Elizabeth wanted
the gold watch. Since their father is alive, the truth behind their spat comes out. The sisters do not love their
father, they only want his wealth and belongings. So says the grandfather, “It seems to me that neither of
you has any cause to feel proud about the way you treated me…. neither of you cared to put up with me”.

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]

Q4.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Amelia and Henry. They’ve stolen your clock and bureau. (working herself up.) They sneaked into your
room like a thief in the night and stole them after you were dead.

A) Who is Amelia?
Answer: The real name of Amelia is Mrs. Slater, who is the daughter of Abel Merryweather and sister of
Mrs. Jordan.
B) How did they steal the things?
Answer: They closed the main door of the house and shifted the things from the room of Mr. Abel to their
own room.
C) Why did they have to steal them?
Answer: They stole the things of Mr. Abel so that they would not have to give the share of those items to
Mrs. Jordan.

Q5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
I’ll tell you what I’ve got to do. On Monday next I’ve got to do three things. I’ve got to go to the lawyer’s
and alter my will.

A) Who is the speaker?

Answer:Mr Abel Merryweather is the speaker.
B) Who is he speaking to?
Answer:He is speaking to his two daughters and their husbands.
C) What is the speaker going to do and why?
Answer:He is going to change his will, pay the premium of his insurance and marry at St Philip’s Church.
He wants to do so for his better future and for giving a lesson to his greedy daughters.