POETRY

Title – The Ant And The Cricket.

OBJECTIVES

To make the students recite the poem.

To comprehend the gist of the poem.

To make them enjoy the rhythm of the poem with its rhyming scheme.

Summary

It is a fable in poetic form. A fable is a story, often with animals as characters,that conveys a moral.This poem about an ant and a cricket contains an idea of far reaching significance, which is as true of a four legged cricket as of a two legged ones. You must have seen a cricket that has two legs.

This is the story of a cricket who spent his summer singing. When the winter came he started starving. He went to ant and wished to borrow grain. But they asked him what he did in summer. He replied that he sang in the summer. They asked him to dance in winter. There are crickets in our society. Some have four legs some have two.

VOCABULARYVOCABULARYMatch the following:Match the following:

WordsWords AccustomedAccustomed GayGay CrumbCrumb StarvationStarvation FamineFamine QuothQuoth WarrantWarrant

MeaningMeaning HappyHappy To say trueTo say true Said (old Eng)Said (old Eng) HabitHabit Feel hungryFeel hungry Scarcity of foodScarcity of food Piece of foodPiece of food

STANZA:1 A silly young cricket, accustomed to singThrough the warm,sunny months of gay

summer and spring,Began to complain when he found that,at

home,His cupboard was empty,and winter was come.

Not a crumb to be found;On the snow-covered ground;

Not a flower could he see,Not a leaf on a tree.

‘Oh! What will become,’ says the cricket,’of me?’

Answer the following:

• What was the young cricket accustomed to do ?

• When was the cricket more happy ?

• Why did he complain ?

• Give the opposite of : empty, warm.

At last by starvation and famine made bold,

All dripping with wet,and all trembling with cold,

Away he set off to a miserly ant,

To see if, to keep him alive,he would grant

Him shelter from rain,

And a mouthful of grain,

He wished only to borrow;

He’d repay it tomorrow;

If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.

STANZA:2

Answer the following :

• What made the cricket bold ?

• Why was he trembling ?

• Why did he go to the ant ?

• Find out the rhyming words in the paragraph above ?

STANZA:3STANZA:3

Says the ant to the cricket,I’m your servant and friend,Says the ant to the cricket,I’m your servant and friend,But we ants never borrow;we ants never lend.But we ants never borrow;we ants never lend.

But tell me,dear cricket,did you lay nothing by But tell me,dear cricket,did you lay nothing by When the weather was warm ?When the weather was warm ?

Quoth the cricket,Not I !Quoth the cricket,Not I !My heart,was so lightMy heart,was so light

That I sang day and night,That I sang day and night,For all nature looked gayFor all nature looked gay‘‘You sang,Sir,you say?You sang,Sir,you say?

Go then, ‘says the ant, ‘and dance winter away.’ Go then, ‘says the ant, ‘and dance winter away.’

Answer the following :

• What did the ant tell the cricket ?

• What did the ant ask the cricket ?

• How was the weather ?

• Pick out two phrases from the passage.

STANZA : 4

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,

And out of the door turned the poor little And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.cricket.

Folks call this a fable.I’ll warrant it true:Folks call this a fable.I’ll warrant it true:

Some crickets have four legs,and some have Some crickets have four legs,and some have two.two.

Answer the following:

• How did the ant behave with the cricket?

• What do the folks call this story?• What does the last word ‘some’

refer to?• Find out the rhyme-scheme of the

stanza.

A silly young cricket sang throughout the winter.

The cricket’s cupboard was full of grains.

The ground was covered with snow.

The ant helped the cricket with some food.

The ant lifted a gun.

Fill in the blanks with the hints Fill in the blanks with the hints

given in the boxgiven in the box..

The ant and cricket were true friends. But the The ant and cricket were true friends. But the ant________help the cricket in need as it ant________help the cricket in need as it ________throughout the______and did not save ________throughout the______and did not save anything for future. anything for future.

The cricket ______and the ant taught him a The cricket ______and the ant taught him a lesson by not________.lesson by not________.

(helping,did not, summer, sang, regretted)(helping,did not, summer, sang, regretted)

Moral of the Moral of the poem:poem:

Moral of the Moral of the poem:poem:

Lay by for the rainy day.Lay by for the rainy day.

If we are lazy and do not want If we are lazy and do not want to work,Nobody will help us to work,Nobody will help us

and we’ll have to starve.and we’ll have to starve.

We express our gratitude to: We express our gratitude to:

Mr.A.K. Shukla,Mr.A.K. Shukla,

Assistant Commissioner, Lucknow RegionAssistant Commissioner, Lucknow Region

Dr. U.C.BajpaiDr. U.C.Bajpai

Ex.D.D.,N.V.S.Ex.D.D.,N.V.S.

Mr.T. SagarMr.T. Sagar

Principal,J.N.V,AlmoraPrincipal,J.N.V,Almora

Mr. Vikram JoshiMr. Vikram Joshi

Principal,J.N.V.,U.S.NagarPrincipal,J.N.V.,U.S.Nagar

Miss. Veena RawatMiss. Veena Rawat

P.G.T.English J.N.V.UttarkashiP.G.T.English J.N.V.Uttarkashi

Mr. Rajesh GuptaMr. Rajesh Gupta

P.G.T.,English,J.N.V.AlmoraP.G.T.,English,J.N.V.Almora