CBSE Class 10 Poetry The Frog and Nightingale PDF

Summary

This document is a poetry unit from the CBSE curriculum for class 10. Its focus is on the poem "The Frog and the Nightingale." The document includes character analysis and discussion points. Keywords include poetry and class 10.

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7 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry P.1 The Frog And The Nightingale UNIT...

7 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry P.1 The Frog And The Nightingale UNIT by Vik ram Seth 1. Listed below are a few character traits of people. Some are positive qualities, while others are not. Tick mark the ones you feel are desirable qualities in a person. Characteristic Tick Characteristic Tick Characteristic Tick Mark Mark Mark Insensitive High - headed Manipulative Humorous Egoistic Patronizing Naïve Humble Submissive Opportunistic Foolish Arrogant Creative Original Conniving Disapproving Helpful Innocent Commanding Calculative Condescending Benevolent Crafty Scheming Simple Wise Rude Overbearing Generous Boastful Sly Gentle Proud Territorial Aggressive Servile 2. Have you come across people who are not what they seem to be - like someone who is extremely friendly and helpful yet you are not very comfortable with him / her as you feel it is a put-on? Have a class discussion about such people and why you feel as you do. CBSE 85 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 3. Before you read the poem complete the word - web with the words that we associate with a Frog and a Nightingale. Melodious Croak Ugly Frog Nightingale 4. Read Vikram Seth's poem : The Frog and the Nightingale. Once upon a time a frog Croaked away in Bingle Bog1 Every night from dusk to dawn He croaked awn2 and awn and awn. 5 Other creatures loathed3 his voice, But, alas, they had no choice. And the crass cacophony4 Blared out from the sumac tree At whose foot the frog each night 10 Minstrelled5 on till morning night. Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks, Insults or complaints or bricks Stilled the frog's determination To display his heart's elation6. 15 But one night a nightingale In the moonlight cold and pale Perched upon the sumac tree Casting forth her melody. Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog. 1 bog : an area of land that is very wet and muddy CBSE 2 awn : on misspelt and mispronounced so that it rhymes with dawn 3 loathed : hated 4 cacophony : a very loud and unpleasant noise 86 5 minstrelled : sang 6 elation : great pride and joy Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 20 And the whole admiring bog Stared towards the sumac, rapt7, And, when she had ended, clapped, Ducks had swum and herons waded To her as she serenaded8 25 And a solitary loon9 Wept, beneath the summer moon. Toads and teals10 and tiddlers, captured By her voice, cheered on, enraptured:11 "Bravo!" "Too divine!" "Encore!"12 25 So the nightingale once more, Quite unused to such applause, Sang till dawn without a pause. Next night when the Nightingale Shook her head and twitched her tail, 35 Closed an eye and fluffed a wing And had cleared her throat to sing She was startled by a croak. "Sorry - was that you who spoke?" She enquired when the frog 40 Hopped towards her from the bog. "Yes," the frog replied. "You see, I'm the frog who owns this tree. In this bog I've long been known For my splendid baritone13 45 And, of course, I wield my pen For Bog Trumpet now and then". "Did you… did you like my song?" 7 rapt : totally interested, so that you cannot think of anything else 8 serenaded : sang beautifully 9 loon : a large water bird 10 teal : a small duck 11 enraptured : filled with fascination and delight 12 encore : 'sing some more' CBSE 13 baritone : a male singing voice, fairly deep 87 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry "Not too bad - but far too long. The technique14 was fine of course, 50 But it lacked a certain force". "Oh!" the nightingale confessed. Greatly flattered and impressed That a critic of such note Had discussed her art and throat: 55 "I don't think the song's divine. But - oh, well - at least it's mine". "That's not much to boast about". Said the heartless frog. "Without Proper training such as I 60 - And few others - can supply. You'll remain a mere beginner. But with me you'll be a winner". "Dearest frog", the nightingale Breathed: "This is a fairy tale - 65 And you're Mozart in disguise Come to earth before my eyes". "Well I charge a modest fee. Oh!... But it won't hurt, you'll see" Now the nightingale inspired, 70 Flushed15 with confidence, and fired With both art and adoration, Sang - and was a huge sensation. Animals for miles around Flocked towards the magic sound, 75 And the frog with great precision Counted heads and charged admission. CBSE 14 technique : a method of doing something 88 15 flushed : very excited and pleased Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry Though next morning it was raining, He began her vocal training. "But I can't sing in this weather". 80 "Come my dear - we'll sing together. Just put on your scarf and sash16, Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!" So the frog and nightingale Journeyed up and down the scale17 85 For six hours, till she was shivering and her voice was hoarse18 and quivering19. Though subdued20 and sleep deprived, In the night her throat revived, And the sumac tree was bowed, 90 With a breathless, titled crowd: Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent, Mallard and Milady Trent, Martin Cardinal Mephisto, And the Coot of Monte Cristo, 95 Ladies with tiaras21 glittering In the interval sat twittering - And the frog observed them glitter With a joy both sweet and bitter. Every day the frog who'd sold her 100 Songs for silver tried to scold her: "You must practice even longer Till your voice, like mine grows stronger. In the second song last night You got nervous in mid-flight. 16 sash : a long piece of cloth that you wear round the waist or over the shoulder, usually as a badge of honour 17 scale : a sequence of musical notes that go up and down, one after the other 18 hoarse : rough and unclear 19 quivering : shaking, trembling CBSE 20 subdued : quiet, with little energy 21 tiara : a semicircular metal band decorated with jewels and worn by wealthy women on formal social occasions 89 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 105 And, my dear, lay on more trills22: Audiences enjoy such frills. You must make your public happier: Give them something sharper, snappier. We must aim for better billings23. 110 You still owe me sixty shillings." Day by day the nightingale Grew more sorrowful and pale. Night on night her tired song Zipped24 and trilled and bounced along, 115 Till the birds and beasts grew tired At a voice so uninspired And the ticket office gross Crashed, and she grew more morose25 - For her ears were now addicted 120 To applause quite unrestricted, And to sing into the night All alone gave no delight. Now the frog puffed up with rage. "Brainless bird - you're on the stage - 125 Use your wits and follow fashion. Puff your lungs out with your passion." Trembling, terrified to fail, Blind with tears, the nightingale Heard him out in silence, tried, 130 Puffed up, burst a vein, and died. Said the frog: "I tried to teach her, But she was a stupid creature - Far too nervous, far too tense. Far too prone to influence. CBSE 22 trills : singing two musical notes one after the other, repeatedly and very quickly 23 billings : publicity for a concert, show etc. 90 24 zipped : sang quickly 25 morose : miserable, bad-lempered Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 135 Well, poor bird - she should have known That your song must be your own. That's why I sing with panache26: "Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!" And the foghorn27 of the frog 140 Blared unrivalled through the bog. 5. The following is a summary of the poem but it is jumbled up. Write out the events in their correct order to form a continuous paragraph. a) As a result, her voice lost its beauty, and the other creatures stopped coming to hear her sing. b) Soon the nightingale became famous, and creatures from miles around came to hear her sing. c) All the creatures in the bog cheered and clapped at her beautiful song. d) He offered to train the nightingale, so that she could sing even more beautifully. e) So the frog could sing unrivalled in the bog once more. f) The next night the frog introduced himself. g) The frog charged an admission fee, and earned a lot of money from these concerts. h) A frog croaked all night in a bog, in an unpleasant voice. i) But the frog made the nightingale rehearse continuously in the rain. j) One night a nightingale began to sing in a melodious voice. k) Finally the nightingale burst a vein and died. 6. Now that you have read the poem, add more personality traits to the word-web of the frog and the nightingale as depicted in the poem. Then complete the table given below. (Some of the words in the box below may help you. You may also use the words given in Q. 1.) CBSE 26 panache : a very confident, elegant style 27 foghorn : a very loud, unpleasant noise 91 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry Character Extract Personality traits Nightingale Sorry - was that you who spoke? Polite, Timorous Frog Yes,… you see, I'm the frog who owns this tree In this bog I've long been known For my splendid baritone. Nightingale Did you…did you like my song? Frog Not too bad - but far too long The technique was fine, of course, But it lacked a certain force. Frog Without proper training such as I And a few others can supply You'll remain a mere beginner, But with me you'll be a winner. Nightingale But I can't sing in this weather. Nightingale …This is a fairy tale - And you're Mozart in disguise Come to earth before my eyes. Frog Come, my dear - we'll sing together. Frog We must aim for better billing You still owe me sixty shillings. Frog Brainless bird - you're on the stage Use your wits and follow fashion. Puff your lungs out with your passion. Frog …I tried to teach her, But she was a stupid creature. Dismissive Nervous Timid Presumptuous CBSE Superior Fawning Shy Polite 92 Meek Possessive Dominating Mercenery Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 7. Divide yourselves into groups of four or five and brainstorm on any one of the given situations in order to create an imaginary dialogue or a comic strip. Keep in mind the characters and situations while doing so. Representatives from each group could then present the dialogues / read them to the class. Situations a. The efforts made by the other creatures of the bog to still the frog's determination 'to display his heart's elation'. b. The first time the Nightingale sings. c. The nightingale is awestruck when the frog introduces himself. d. The practice session when it is raining. e. The nightingale is reprimanded by the frog when the box office crashes. 8. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, complete the sentences given below by choosing the appropriate option. 1. The frog's aim was to a. make the nightingale a sensation b. make the nightingale as good a singer as him c. maintain his supremacy in the bog d. make a lot of money 2. The animals reacted to the nightingale's song with a. hatred b. admiration c. indifference d. suggestions for improvement 3. The nightingale accepted the frog's tutelage as she a. was not confident of herself b. wanted to become as good a singer as the frog c. wanted to become a professional singer d. was not a resident of Bingle Bog CBSE 93 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry 9. Read the stanza given below and complete the sentences by choosing the appropriate option. Day by day the nightingale Grew more sorrowful and pale. Night on night her tired song Zipped and trilled and bounced along, Till the birds and beasts grew tired At a voice so uninspired And the ticket office gross Crashed, and she grew more morose - For her ears were now addicted To applause quite unrestricted, And to sing into the night All alone gave no delight. i. The nightingale was sorrowful and pale because 1. she had been practicing in the rain 2. she had been performing all night 3. she was losing confidence in herself 4. she was falling ill ii. The audience was tired of her song because 1. they had heard it many times 2. it had become mechanical 3. she looked tired 4. she had added trill to her song iii. She no longer enjoyed singing alone as 1. she wanted to sing only for titled crowd 2. she was now used to the appreciation she got 3. the frog was no longer with her 4. she had become proud of herself 10. Answer the following questions briefly. CBSE a. How did the creatures of Bingle bog react to the nightingale's singing? 94 b. Which are the different ways in which the frog asserts his importance? Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry c. Why is the frog's joy both sweet and bitter? d. Why was the frog angry? e. How did the frog become the unrivalled king of the bog again? 11. Discuss the following questions and write the answers in your note-books. a. Bring out the irony in the frog's statement - 'Your song must be your own'. b. Do you think the end is justified? c. Do you think the nightingale is 'brainless'? Give reasons for your answer. d. Inspite of having a melodious voice and being a crowd puller, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. How far is she responsible for her own downfall? e. Do you agree with the Frog's inference of the Nightingale's character? Give reasons for your answer. 12. The Frog and the nightingale is a spoof on the present society. Study the Mind Map given below. Divide yourselves into groups, select a box and discuss the statement given. Then present your views to the class. Shallow thinking Fickle-minded patterns people Materialistic society Commercialization Instant success, of Art results at any cost CLASS DISCUSSION How a person tries to put down another when that perosn is succeeding in his or her life. Our self-image is often based on what others make us believe we are. A poor self- image can do irrepairable damage to us. Do you agree with this statement? Elaborate with suitable reasons and exmples. WRITING TASK 13. The nightingale has scaled the heights of success. But now the audience is dwindling, the frog is unhappy and reprimands her all the time. She is mentally and physically exhausted and fears failure. As the nightingale, write a diary entry highlighting her fears and analyzing the reasons for her failure. CBSE 14. Write an obituary for the nightingale. You may begin like this: May the kind 95 soul……… (or you may make use of your own beginning) Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Poetry LISTENING TASK 15. Listen to a poem on a similar theme by Mary Howitt and compare the Fly to Vikram Seth's Nightingale. NIGHTINGALE FLY _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ CBSE 96 Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

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