The Ant and The Cricket Summary and Explanation Class 8 English Honeydew
Introduction:
Welcome to the article “The Ant and the Cricket Summary and Explanation Class 8 English Honeydew.” at Education Mantras. The summary and explanation of the poem “The Ant and the Cricket” that is mentioned in the NCERT textbook of English Honeydew in Class 8. This beautiful creation reflects the idea of punctuality and discipline. This poem conveys the message that one should be ready for the difficult time. This poem is called a fable because personification of insects is shown in the poem. In this poem, the poet, while talking about humans, says that some lazy crickets have four legs and some have two legs.
Table of Contents
The Ant and The Cricket Poem Word Meanings
In this article, we discuss the word meanings of the poem “The Ant and the Cricket” along with the summary and explanation. These word meanings assist out learners to understand the poem better. When the learners read the poem, they need to understand the new words that are mentioned in it.Â
1. gay summer (noun): hot summer
2. Silly (adjective): foolish
3. accustomed to (phrasal verb): familiar with somethingÂ
4. crumb (noun): piece of something
5. Starvation (noun): having no food for a long time
6. famine (noun): lack of food
7. dripping (verb): falling of liquid drop by drop
8. borrow (verb): to take something
9. Quoth (verb): said or told
10. hastily (adverb): something to be done in a hurry
11. fable (noun): taleÂ
The Ant and The Cricket Poem Summary
This poem, The Ant and the Cricket, is adapted from Aesop’s Fables. This poem conveys the moral of saving for the future. In the first stanza, the poet wants to say that there was a silly young cricket who accustomed to sing through the month of hot summer and the spring season. When the winter season came, there was no food available in this house. All the cupboards in his house remained empty. He didn’t even have a piece to eat. There was snow spread on the ground all around. Neither flowers nor leaves were visible nearby. On this cricket thought that he didn’t know what would happen to him.
In the second stanza, the cricket says that hunger and famine made cricket bold. Everything around seemed wet, and everything seemed to tremble with cold. After this, the cricket started going towards the ant in a desperate manner. To stay alive, he asked the ant for shelter from the rain and a mouthful of grains. He expressed his wish to Ant to lend him food and shelter, and he would return it tomorrow. Cricket felt that if the ant didn’t help him, he would die of starvation and sorrow. Ant replied that they ants never borrow nor lend. Then the ant asked if he didn’t collect anything for himself when the days were warm. He said he didn’t collect anything. His heart was very light; he kept singing day and night for gay nature on hot days. On this, the ant told the cricket that he kept dancing throughout the winter.
As soon as the cricket heard the ant’s words, he picked up his wicket and walked out of the door. People call it a fable, but the poet guarantees its truth. Pointing to humans, he says that some crickets have four legs and some have two legs.
The Ant and The Cricket Poem Explanation
In this article, the explanation of the poem “The Ant and The Cricket” along with the summary of the poem given in the text of English Honeydew in Class 8. The Learners of Class 8 English Honeydew can understand the explanation of the poem stanza-wise. This explanation is beneficial for the learners to get the idea of this amusing creation.
Poem Stanza 1
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Begin 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?”
Explanation
In this stanza, the poet tells us about a silly young cricket who is fond of singing. He keeps on singing from the warm months of summer to the spring season. When winter comes he looks at the cupboards in his house and does not find even a piece of grain to eat. Seeing all these conditions he starts complaining. There is not a single flower or even a single leaf visible on the snow covered ground.
Poem Stanza 2
At last by starvation and famine bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to miserly ant,
Too 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.
Explanation
In this stanza, the poet wants to say that Cricket had become very hungry and bold. Everything was wet everywhere and all are trembling with cold. The cricket went to the miserly ant. To survive from the rain and cold, he asked the ant for shelter and a mouthful of grain. He said that he just wants to borrow all this for today and he’ll return it himself tomorrow. He felt that if this didn’t happen he would definitely die of hunger and sorrow.
Poem Stanza 3
Says the ant to the cricket “I’m your servant and friend,
But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend.
But tell me, dear cricket, did you lay nothing by
When the weather was warm?”
Quoth the cricket,”Not I!
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“You sang Sir you say?
Go then,” says the ant, “and dance the winter away.”
Explanation
In this stanza the ant tells the cricket that he never never lends nor borrow the money. He asked the cricket why he did collect anything during the warm days. The cricket replied that he was feeling very good at that time and he kept singing songs day and night because the whole nature seemed quite happy to him. Then the ant joked and said that he should keep dancing in the winter.
Poem Stanza 4
Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
Folks call this a fable, I’ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.
Explanation
In this stanza, the poet says that the ant hurriedly picked up the wicket and let the poor cricket go out of the door. People call it a fable but the poet proves it to be true by saying that some crickets have two legs and some have four legs.
Central Idea of the Poem
The themes of responsibility, preparation, and the damage that results from carelessness are at the heart of the ant and the cricket. The poet uses the ant and the cricket as examples to show sorrow can result from laziness and a lack of preparation. The ant is symbol of work and reservations, representing the importance of saving for rainy days, whereas the cricket shows people who live in the present without considering the future.
Students are calmly but effectively taught by the poem of the value of self-control and planning. It suggests that while having fun is important, we also need to balance it with planning and hard effort to prevent problems.
Conclusion
In the conclusion of this article,”The Ant and The Cricket Summary and Explanation Class 8 English Honeydew“, we have discussed about the summary and explanation of the poem given in the textbook of English Honeydew in Class 8. This poem conveys the message of discipline and regularity. This summary helps the learners to understand the concept of the poem. Education Mantras is one the best platform make growth in your learning. Stay glued with us to make your learning easy and progressive.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the summary of the story "The Ant and The Cricket"?
The poem “The Ant and The Cricket” tells us the difference between two different types of creatures, one of those is a cricket. He keeps singing in the spring days. He decides to got to an ant for help. He asks ant to borrow some grains and shelter but ant refuses him saying that she neither lends nor borrows.
What is the theme of the poem the ant and the cricket poem?
The theme of the poem “The Ant and The Cricket” is that if someone wastes his time wandering here and there, then later he has to repent a lot. Through this poem the poet tells that the cricket keeps singing songs in the spring season and regrets the lack of food in winter.
What is the moral of the ant and the cricket poem?
The moral of this poem is that if work is done with planning, hard work, time saving and consistency, it will prove beneficial in bad times. Like an ant works hard for itself all the time and lives well in its opposite time.