Poem 1: The Ant and the Cricket

 

Summary

This poem is about a silly young cricket and an ant. Cricket was only singing all day long and used to enjoy his good times during summer season. He didn’t plan anything for the future.

When winter arrives, cricket couldn’t find a small amount of food to eat. So, the cricket thinks of going to miser ant to borrow food and to get shelter. Then, the cricket knocked on the ant´s door asking for help.
The ant gives a very important lesson of life during its conversation with the cricket. Ant says that ants neither borrow from somebody nor lend to somebody. Ants are hardworking creatures and save for the future. The ant asks the cricket what it was doing during happier times. On hearing the cricket indulged in dancing and singing and making merry, the ant asks the cricket to try dancing and singing once again during rough times.

Moral: We should happy moments but should not ignore our future. Careful planning is essential for everyone and it ensures a secure future.

Q1. What was the young cricket accustomed to do?

Ans. The young cricket accustomed to sang all day long and enjoyed his good times.

Q2. When was the cricket more happy?

Ans. The cricket was more happy through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring.

Q3. Why did he complain?

Ans. He complained because he found his cupboard was empty, and winter was come.

Q4. Give the opposite of: empty, warm.

Ans. Empty – Full

Warm – cold

Q5. What made the cricket bold?

Ans. Starvation and famine made the cricket bold.

Q6. Why cricket go to the ant?

Ans. The cricket went to the ant for shelter and grains to eat.

Q7. What did the ant tell the cricket?

Ans. The ant told the cricket that they neither borrow from somebody nor lend to somebody.

Q8. What did the ant ask the cricket?

Ans. The ant asked the cricket that what he was doing in summer times.

Q9. The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?

Ans. The cricket said the given line when it found that its cupboard was empty and winter had arrived. It could not find a single crumb to eat on the snow covered ground and there were no flowers or leaves on the tree. It wondered what would become of it because it was getting cold and since there was nothing to eat, it would starve and die.

Q10. Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare).

 Ans. The lines in the poem that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” are ‘But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend.’

Q11. What is your opinion of the ant’s principles?

Ans. I agree with what the ant says first that one should save something for the future so that he does not need to borrow or lend. But I don’t agree with the ant’s principle what he told later. If he says he is a friend of cricket then he should also help the cricket at the time of distress. On the other hand I believe that a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Q12. The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?

 Ans. The ant told the cricket to “dance the winter away” because when it asked the cricket what it did in the summers and why it had not stored any food for summers, the cricket answered that it sang through the warm and sunny months of summers. Therefore, in reply to this, the ant asked the cricket to “dance” the winter away just like it “sang” all through the summers and did not bother to store food for winters.

Q13. Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment? Read them aloud. Write the comment in your own words.

 Ans. The lines in the poem that express the poet’s comment are “Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true.”

This comment by the poet means that this poem is indeed a fable as it had a moral behind it. The cricket did not have anything to eat during the winters because it did not bother to store some food during summers. It was negligent and sang all through the summers. The ant, on the other hand, had built a nice home for itself and had stored food so that it would not starve during winters. It worked hard during summers to achieve this. Thus, the moral of the poem is to be prepared for the adverse times and always work hard instead of being negligent.