THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE: SUMMARY AND QUESTION ANSWERS

The Frog and The Nightingale

I. SUMMARY

Once upon a time a frog croaked in the Bingle Bog every night. His voice was very loud and unpleasant. He croaked in a loud noise continuously throughout the night. So other creatures living there hated it. Insults, brick-bats and complaints too could not make the frog stop his croaking. So they had no choice but to listen to it every night.

A Nightingale comes there and sings.

One night in the cold moonlight, a nightingale came there. She perched on the tree and began to sing melodiously. All the creatures in the Bog cheered her and clapped for her song. Ducks swam to listen to her. Toads, herons, teals and tiddlers also reached there to listen to her song. When she ended, they clapped because her song was really very sweet. They called her song 'divine'. This made the nightingale sing till morning.

Frog meets her.

Next night, the frog went to the nightingale and haughtily introduced himself as the owner of the tree. He also said that he had long been known for his splendid baritone. He also said that he wrote songs also for the Bog Trumpet. The nightingale asked how the frog liked her song. He called it not bad but too long. He added that the technique of the song was fine.

Nightingale praises him.

The nightingale felt flattered that such a great critic of art had discussed her art of singing. The frog however, added that she would remain a beginner without his proper training. She called him the Mozart in disguise and offered herself to be trained by him.

Training starts.

Fired by art and adulation the nightingale sang so sweetly that animals from miles flocked there. Soon she became famous. Animals from long distances came to listen to the nightingale's magical sound. The frog cleverly charged the fee for admission and earned a lot from her song. His "training" was to make the nightingale sing non-stop and to kill her.

Frog makes the nightingale sing more and more.

The next morning it began to rain. The frog asked the nightingale to sing in the name of ‘training’. But she said that she could not sing in such a weather. However, the frog flattered her like a sly creature and she sang for six hours. At last her voice became hoarse and began shaking. At night, her throat revived. When she sang, many birds and animals crowded again to hear her sing.

Nightingale's audience

Among the birds there were many titled ones, such as the Owl of Sandwich, the Duck of Kent, Mallarad and Mi lady Trent, Martin Cardinal Mephisto and the Coot of Monte Cristo came to listen to her. Ladies wearing tiaras also came. They twittered in the interval. The frog was both happy and bitter.

Effect of continuous song on the nightingale

The frog continued ‘training’ the nightingale by asking her to practise longer. Day after day, the nightingale grew more weak and pale due to exertion. This had a bad effect on her voice. The birds and animals did not find any sweetness in her song. They stopped coming there.

Rebuke by the frog

The frog got angry and asked the nightingale to puff her lungs to follow the fashion of the stage. He also said that she still owed him sixty shillings. The nightingale sang weeping but died due to the burst of a vein.

How frog escapes the charge of killing the nightingale.

The frog called her stupid and said that she was prone to influence. He told that he had tried to teach her. But she was a stupid creature. She was nervous and tense also. He also added that she should have known that the song must be one's own like that of his. He was, again, the undisputed king of the Bingle Bog. He 'sang' confidently in the Bingle Bog.

What does the frog think of himself 7

The throy shoes bie thinking shout himself in talking to the nightingale. He so day and night in finale Dog No me liber lot croaking but he can't be stopped by fore pression. He, thenfiore, is the undisputed king of Bingle Bog na be introduces himacit to the glingale He boats that he is a great musicten. The calls hom Mosar, gr But the reality is that he is hated by all except the nightingale

Deserthe the meeting between the frog and the nightingale,

Ans. The frog lived in Bingle Bog. No creature living there liked him. One day s nightingale came there. Her song was welcomed by all. The frog introduced himalte owsar of the sumae tree. He said that he was a grost musician. He wrote songe also. When the nightingale naked his opinion shout her song, he told her that it lacked cortain force. Ис offered his services to train her in singing. The nightingale called him Mozart out of modesty

Describe how birds and animals heard the nightingale sing. Ans. When the nightingale sang birds and animale clapped and praised her because d

the sweet song. Animals from miles around came to hear her. They came wearing their titles The frog counted them and charged fees

4. Why does the post call various animals and birds with human titles?

Ans. The poet ralls various birds and animals with human titles like Owl of Bandwids, Duck of Kant, Coot of Monte cristo with a satire and taunt. These come with various titles to hear the nightingale sing. The poet aims at creating laughter and has a dig on the rids aristocracy

5. Describe the role of the audience and how it affects the fate of the nightingale.

Ans. The audience in the poem are the creatures living in Bingle Bog. These creature are sick of the frog's croaking but he can't be stopped by words or stones. The nightingale rejoices the audience by her sweet and melodious song. They pay money to hear it. But the frog wants to kill her. He forces her to sing non-stop as her song becomes dull and uninspiring. The audience gets thinner. Thus the audience withdraws when the frog kills the nightingale indirectly.

How did the frog use the nightingale and earn money?

Ans. The frog devised a plan to finish the nightingale. He went to her and praised her song. But he told her that she lacked a certain force. He would train her to get it. So he started Training the nightingale. Due to her sweet voice, all the birds and animals of Bingle Bog came to hear her. He started charging the money for that. In this way he earned much money. To make more and more money, the frog continued reminding her that she still owed him sixty shillings.

7. How did the frog kill the nightingale without being blamed?

Ans. The frog compelled the nightingale to sing non-stop in the name of training. He forced her to sing even though it was not a good and favourable weather and her throat was not clear. He gave her no rest also. So due to exhaustion the nightingale burst her vein and died.

8. How does the frog comment on the death of the nightingale?

Ans. The frog, no doubt, kills the nightingale without any blame on him. Very cleverly he declares that he tried to teach the nightingale but she was a stupid creature. She was too nervous and too tense. She should have known that one's song must be of one's own.

9. Describe the intention of the poet behind the poem.

Ans. The intention of the poet behind The Frog and the Nightingale' is clear. It is how the clever and crafty politicians or sly people cause harm to the innocent and remain in absolute power. They are evil, cruel and heartless. They have no human feelings for others. Obviously, the poet demonstrates this idea through the characters of the frog and the nightingale symbolically.

10. How are the frog and the nightingale symbolical?

Ans. The poem acts two ways. At surface level it is a simple story of the frog and the nightingale. The frog lives in Bingle Bog and croaks to himself boring the other creatures. One day a nightingale comes, sings and becomes an instant celebrity. But the frog kills her on her own in a clever and crafty manner. At a deeper level it is the story of a crafty, cruel and scheming being and how he kills the innocent and simple-hearted being. The frog proves himself that scheming crook.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

TYPE I-TEXTUAL

1. Describe how the frog indirectly causes the death of the nightingale.

Ans. The frog is the undisputed king of Bingle Bog. He croaks to himself and no one listens to him. All birds and animals hate him. The nightingale comes to this Bog and threatens the sovereignty of the frog. So the frog plans to remove the nightingale in a clever manner. He goes to her and praises her song. However, he says that her song lacked some force. It could be improved further if she is given training. The nightingale feels flattered. She offers herself to be trained by the frog. The frog makes her sing and sing and earns money. He both praises and encourages her to achieve his goal of killing her in the name of 'training. He also reminds her that she owes him sixty shillings even though he has earned a lot due to her. He makes her sing so much that she dies due to the burst of her vein. Thus he acts so shrewdly that he can't be blamed for the nightingale's death.

2. What is your impression of the frog in the poem "The Frog and the Nightingale'? Ans. The poet has given the frog some evil qualities. He symbolises a shrewd, crafty and deceptive villain. He understands that his sovereignty in Bingle Bog is threatened by the nightingale. He goes to the nightingale and introduces himself as a great scholar, a writer and a master trainer in music. The simple-hearted nightingale is easily impressed by him. She calls him a Mozart out of humility and simple-heartedness. She does whatever the frog asks her to do. The frog 'trains' her in the name of polishing her singing quality. But in that he cleverly earns money. Then in a very shrewd manner, he kills her without any trace of guilt on his part. In the end he only declares that the nightingale was a stupid creature. She must have known that one's song is only one's own. Thus he can't be blamed for her death though he is the main culprit.

3. Write your impression about the nightingale in the poem.

Or

Draw a character sketch of the nightingale.

Ans. As against the frog, the nightingale is a simple-hearted, innocent and unsuspecting creature. She is a symbol of innocence and stands for all innocent and simple-hearted persons. She personifies the real human qualities and has no ill-will against anybody. Also she doesn't suspect anyone of evil. She respects all and thinks that all are like her. That's why, she is easily deceived by the sly and wily frog. She symbolises all these qualities in her behaviour towards the frog. The frog is a villain and only the people having qualities like him can understand him. That's why, the nightingale fails to understand him and becomes a victim of his wily nature. She gets 'training' to give more pleasure to her audience. But she doesn't suspect that the frog intends to kill her. So she easily gives in and follows his commandment in the name of training. She asks for some relief but the frog doesn't grant it. She doesn't resist and dies like a martyr to the cause of humanism.

 4. Write a note on the personality of the frog.

Or

What is your impression about the frog as given in the poem ?

Ans. The frog in the poem is not a frog but symbolises all the qualities of a real and true villain. The first trait of the frog's personality is his arrogance. All creatures in Bingle Bog hate his singing. The frog can be silenced neither by prayer nor by bricks. He is haughty and is a very cold and calculating creature. He haughtily stresses that his croaking is pleasant to all creatures of the Bingle Bog, though it is not.

The frog is a proud creature. He shows his pride when he calls the nightingale's song 'Not too bad'. He is boastful when he tells the nightingale "But with me you'll be a winner." The frog is greedy also. He compels the nightingale to sing even in the rain. This is for collecting more money and killing her. Finally, the frog is cruel also. It is his cruelty that kills the nightingale in the end without leaving any blame on him.

N. B. The Golden Notes