The Grasshopper

and the Bell

Cricket

READING
2nd week
Gr.9
T. Intesar Idres
 Grasshopper Bell Cricket
Grasshoppers are Bell cricket stands
symbolic of most of for the precious
the mediocre things in life that
events in life that are worth
we often neglect. treasuring.
 SETTING
“The Grasshopper and the Bell
Cricket” is set behind a university
in an embankment.
The embankment is a very
colorful and magical place lit up
by home-made lanterns.
CHARACTERS
 NARRATOR
Who might be the narrator
in this story? What clues
are provided in the story?
What is this story all about ?

lanterns
insects
young love
 PLOT
A young boy and a young girl fell in love
unexpectedly.

It started off with a scene set with beautiful

multicolored lanterns in Japan.

Some children made their own lanterns out

of cardboard and tissue paper.

The young boy at first is advising his friends

that he has a sacred grasshopper and that
he is giving it away.
As several children crowd around him, a
young girl approaches and voices her
desire for the grasshopper.

But once Fujio hands her the

grasshopper, Kiyoko realizes that it is
not a grasshopper, but a cricket.

Then they unknowingly fall in love.

,

THEMES :
CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE,
JOY, FRIENDSHIP,LOVE,
CULTURE, DIVERSITY
AND CREATIVITY
The children in the embankment are
disinterested with the problems of the world.
Their only worries are their lanterns and
finding a grasshopper, or maybe even a bell
cricket. Specifically, the main characters, Fujio
and Kiyoko, are very innocent. They are
unaware of their futures, and are focused only
on the present and finding a grasshopper or a
bell cricket.
METAPHORS / SYMBOLS
varicoloured lanterns

DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS
OF CHILDREN
Red lantern –having intense emotion
Pink – gentle emotions
Yellow – wisdom and intellect
Indigo –dignity and high
aspirations

Violet –noble, spiritual

aspirations,honor, spirituality
and self-esteem.

Green –social stability and

greediness
 VALUES
The story is able to provide a
simplistic view ofu the world.
It excludes biased impressions of
friendship and love.
Illustrating friendship, Kawabata
creatively chosen the grasshopper
as its symbol. "Does anyone want
a grasshopper?
 IMAGES :
SIGHT IMAGERY
 CONNECTION

Yasunary Kawabata uses

the title “ The Grasshopper
and the Bell Cricket ” as a
symbol to differentiate
different kinds of people.
REFLECTION: DRAW IMAGES
SEEN IN THE SELECTION.
 ASSIGNMENT :
1. Summarize the story.
2. Answer the questions of the selection.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
capacity n. The ability to contain, hold, produce, or understand.
confer v. To grant or give to.
emerge v. To come forth, out of, or away from.
generate v. To produce or cause something to happen or exist.
trace v. To discover or determine the origins or developmental stages of
something.
SIGNPOSTS:
1-Again and Again is repetition—words, phrases, images, details, or events that
appear over and over again in a text.
2-Aha Moments are moments when a character experiences surprise and sudden
understanding and that they provide insight into that character for readers.
3- Words of the Wiser, pointing out that the wise words provide a lesson for the
less-wise character—a lesson that may provide hints to the theme.

GENRE ELEMENTS: SHORT STORY

• includes the four basic elements of fiction—setting, characters, plot, and theme
• usually develops one major conflict
• can be read in one sitting
CRITICAL VOCABULARY Pg.174
lozenge loiter emanate sheepish discernible
1. Jason’s ……………….expression showed that he had broken the vase.
2. The gravestone was so old that the writing on it was barely………… .
3. The principal told us not to……………….. in the halls between classes.
4. Every morning, delicious smells …………………from the corner bakery.
5. Louisa’s new sweater has a large, red …………….shape on it.
Answers:
1. sheepish
2. discernible
3. loiter
4. emanate
5. lozenge
1-What aspects of Japanese culture do these details illustrate? Pg.175
The details illustrate an appreciation of and even reverence toward nature,
especially regarding insects.
2- MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT THEME
Why do you think the author goes into such detail in an imaginary scene? What
conclusions can you draw about theme using these details? Pg.176
People need to keep trying to achieve beauty. Expressing your unique vision is
important.
3- AGAIN AND AGAIN
Why do you think the children do this? Pg.176
The author is showing an appreciation for the children’s creativity and drive to
create beauty.
4- AHA MOMENT
What can you infer about his feelings toward her? Pg.177
The behavior of the boy toward the girl implies that he favors her over the other
children and may have a crush on her.
5- WORDS OF THE WISER
What is the narrator advising Fujio about? Pg.179
The narrator wants Fujio to know that bell crickets are unique and not as easily
found as grasshoppers ,they represent the people who are special. Grasshoppers,
however, are common, they represent the people who do not capture a person’s
heart.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING Pg.179

Answers:
1. D
2. G
3. C
ANALYZE THE TEXTPg.180
Possible answers:
1. The outside setting enables the author to use the Japanese cultural affinity for
nature to develop his themes. The narrator’s attentiveness to and appreciation of
the natural world reveals this connection. The hunt for the relatively common
grasshopper versus the rare bell cricket in this setting represents the theme of
individuality and of the importance of being true to yourself and seeing the true self
of others.
2. He appreciates the lanterns’ colors, the care that goes into making them, and the
ingenuity of the designs. The lanterns might symbolize each child’s individuality or
the innocence and creativity of youth. Each day the children make lanterns “out of
their heart and minds,” wanting their individual creation to be the most beautiful.
The reflections of the lanterns are the children’s spirits—all beautiful, detailed,
unexpected, and glowing.
3. People desire things that are not common. The children are “envious” when a bell
cricket is found. Understanding the value of bell crickets in Japanese culture allows
readers to appreciate the children’s envy.
4. The narrator expresses the thought that it is hard to find a person who is your
bell cricket, uniquely special. Even if you are willing to go off the usual path, you are
not guaranteed success—or you might fail to identify your bell cricket and settle for
someone who is not your soulmate.
5. In the narrator’s first Aha Moment, he realizes that Fujio keeps asking whether
anyone wants the grasshopper because he wants Kiyoko to take it. Then the
narrator sees the lighted names that appear on the two children and realizes that
the children are connected in a special way that neither of them recognizes. After
these realizations, the narrator’s mood shifts; he becomes more pessimistic about
what might lie ahead for Fujio.
THANK YOU