English Literature - ...

About the poem

A.  Read to understand

1. Fill in the blanks with words from the poem to complete this summary.

One day, the mountain and the squirrel have a___________. The huge __________calls the tiny ____________a___________. The squirrel, whose name is_____, replies that while it is not as _____as the mountain, the mountain is not even half as ____________as the squirrel. To make up a ______and a____________, all sorts of things and weather must be taken into consideration. The ___________of both the mountain and the squirrel differ greatly. If the squirrel cannot _________the forest on its back, then the mountain cannot _________a tiny nut.

 

2. Answer these questions.

     a)   How many times does the mountain speak in the poem?

 

     b)   What two things does the squirrel acknowledge the mountain can do?

 

     c)   How does the squirrel defend itself against the big mountain?

 

 

3. Choose the correct options.

    a)   ‘And I think it no disgrace/To occupy my place.’ These lines tell us that

i. wisdom always gets the better of strength.

ii. everything in this world has its own value.

iii. there is nothing that cannot be achieved without hardwork.

iv. there is no shame in admitting that we are inferior to someone.

 

    b)   ‘All is well and wisely put.’ Which one of the four statements best explains this line?

i. God, in his unlimited wisdom, has made everything as it is for a reason.

ii. Nothing in this world can compete with God, who has made everything.

iii. All will be well between the mountain and the squirrel if they appreciate each other’s importance.

iv. Too much importance must not be given to our abilities as there is always someone better than we are.

 

    c)   The squirrel makes its case by trying not to offend the mountain. Which of these lines from the poem is an example of this tactful nature of the squirrel?

i. ‘And I think it no disgrace / To occupy my place.’

ii. ‘You are not so small as I / And not half so spry.’

iii. ‘I’ll not deny you make / A very pretty squirrel track;’

iv. ‘But all sorts of things and weather / Must be taken in together,’

 

 

 

B.  Discuss

1. A fable is a short imaginary tale that teaches a moral or a lesson usually by means of animal characters. The story can be in prose or in verse. Would you call this poem a fable? Give reasons for your answer.

 

2. In what ways do you think a small creature like a squirrel is important to a forest? How is a forest helpful to a squirrel?

 

 

C.  Read to appreciate

1. Look at the last words of each line in the poem. Do you find any words that rhyme? Which are these?

 

You will notice that this poem does not follow any regular arrangement of rhyming words at the end of the lines.

In other words, the poem lacks a definite H R E M Y  C S M E H E. (Solve the anagram to find the answer.)

 

The theme of a poem or a story is the main idea or lesson that the writer is trying to express.

2. Tick  the statements that you think tell us the theme of this poem.

     a)   Mere size is not everything.

     b)   We all think too much of ourselves.

     c)   None is superior or inferior in this world.

     d)   Everyone is gifted with different talents.

     e)   There is a pattern behind all of God’s creation.

     f)    God has simply put things of all sizes on this earth.

     g)   It is all right to judge merely by appearances.