The Frog and the Nightingale Summary in English by Vikram Seth

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The Frog and the Nightingale Summary in English by Vikram Seth

The Frog and the Nightingale Summary in English

Once upon a time there was a presumptuous frog who lived in a place called Bingle Bog. This frog croaked from night to morning in his unpleasant voice. Though the other creatures did not like his voice, they had no choice but to listen to him as all complaints, pleas and protests fell on deaf ears.

Then one night a nightingale came to the Bog. She sang her melodious song and all the creatures of the Bog listened to her, mesmerised. They asked her to sing again and again. The nightingale continued to sing because she was unused to such applause.

The next night when the nightingale was about to sing, the possessive frog told her that he owned the tree she sang on. He claimed to be a music critic with a noted baritone. Impressed by the frog’s credentials, and unsure of her own ability, the nightingale asked the frog to comment upon her song.

The arrogant frog told her that she lacked training and offered to teach her for a fee. The nightingale, excited and pleased, began training under the frog. He began to charge an admission fee from those who came to hear the nightingale. The frog made her practise in all kinds of weather for long hours.

Soon the nightingale’s voice began to lose its melodious quality. The creatures of the Bog lost interest in her. The bird became more and more sorrowful as her popularity decreased. The frog rebuked her sharply, adding to her misery. When the frog told her to puff up her lungs and sing, the bird tried to follow his advice, puffed up her lungs, burst a vein and died.

The frog once again became the unrivalled singer of the Bog.

The Frog and the Nightingale Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
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
Answer:
(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
Answer:
(b) admiration

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
Answer:
(c) wanted to become a professional singer

Question 2.
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
Answer:
(2) she had been performing all night

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
Answer:
(2) it had become mechanical

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
Answer:
(2) she was now used to the appreciation she got

Question 3.
Answer the following questions briefly.

a. How did the creatures of Bingle bog react to the nightingale’s singing?
Answer:
The creatures hated his voice, they threw sticks and stones at him, insulted him, complained about him but he continued to sing undeterred.

b. Which are the different ways in which the frog asserts his importance?
Answer:
The frog claims to be the owner of the sumac tree on which the nightingale was perched.

He showed off his prowess as a singer by boasting about his splendid baritone for which he was acknowledged in Bingle Bog. He also claimed knowledge of music and said he was a critic with the Bog Trumpet.

c. Why is the frog’s joy both sweet and bitter?
Answer:
The frog’s joy was sweet as he was earning a lot of money by charging the nightingale for training and it was bitter as the creatures who hated his voice and threw sticks and stones at him when he sang, paid to listen to the nightingale’s song.

d. Why was the frog angry?
Answer:
As the creatures of the Bog lost interest in the nightingale’s song, the ticket money began to dip. Morose and depressed, the bird refused to sing, but the angry frog told her to puff out her lungs and sing louder.

e. How did the frog become the unrivalled king of the bog again?
Answer:
When the nightingale tried to puff out her lungs and sing louder, she burst a vein, and died. Once again, the frog sang in the Bog without any competition.