THE ANT AND THE CRICKET BY AESOP'S FABLES - 10TH ENGLISH POEM EXPLANATION & SUMMARY FOR GENERAL ENGLISH TNPSC GROUP 2 - 2A 2022 PRELIMINARY EXAM WITH MODEL QUESTIONS PDF#Blog-45
Mar 24, 2022, By Careericons
In this article, we have complied with very important information on the "The Ant and the Cricket Poem Written by Aesop's fables" for the current TNPSC Group 2, 2A 2022 Preliminary Examination. Get complete study material for all General English syllabus wise with subject topics which help to clear this preliminary exam 2022.
- Important Poem Lines in The Ant and The Cricket ,
- Line By Line Simple Explanation & Summary of the poem - The Ant and The Cricket, &
- Where to study information for all other poems.
TNPSC Group-II / IIA Services 2022 New Revised Syllabus (Objective Type Examination)
General English Syllabus-wise Study Materials
SSLC Standard For Preliminary Exam
Before going to the poem, check the prelims syllabus carefully and understand the importance of this poem. Where this poem comes under the "Part - B" of the General English of Revised New Syllabus of TNPSC G2 & 2A Services Examination 2022. Also, check the below links which will be useful for your upcoming examination.
Click Here → To Download TNPSC Group 2 & 2A 2022 - Official Notification PDF** Link
The importance of reading this poem "The Ant and the Cricket" written by "Aesop's fables" is clearly described in the revised new syllabus as shown below,
- This poem comes under the "Part-B" of the General English New Revised Syllabus.
- It's also noticed separately in the "List of Poems". Where it consists of 25 poems & this poem is listed as number 4.
General English Syllabus-Wise Study Materials which includes, Part - B (Poetry)
- Figures of Speech for The Ant and the Cricket (Alliteration – Simile – Metaphor – Personification – Onomatopoeia – Anaphora – Rhyme Scheme – Rhyming Words – Repetition, etc.)
- Poetry Appreciation for The Ant and the Cricket
- Important Lines for The Ant and the Cricket
Let us discuss & read the poem The Ant and the Cricket written by Aesop's fables (Which is also a peom in Unit - 4 of 10th standard of Tamil Nadu Samacheer Books) in detail with all examples of model questions asked in the previous TNPSC examinations.
"The Ant and the Cricket - Adapted from Aesop's fables"
Poem Lines, Line by Line Explanation & Symmary
10th, Unit-4 (NEW BOOK)
A fable is a traditional story that teaches us a moral lesson. Usually the characters in the fables are animals. This poem 'The Ant and the Cricket' teaches us the importance of hard work and planning.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through 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 cricket, “of me?”
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.
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 anything 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.”
“For all nature looked gay”.
“ You sang, Sir, you say?
Go then”, says the ant, “and dance the winter away”.
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.
- Adapted from Aesop's fables
Line By Line Part-wise Simple explanation for the poem,
"The Ant and the Cricket"
Introduction:
The Ant and the Cricket is a fable written in the form of a poem by Greek writer Aesop. A fable is a short story in which animals behave like humans and convey a message.
The poem The Ant and the Cricket is a story of two insects – a cricket (a grasshopper-like insect) and an ant. The cricket is silly that does not care about the future and keeps enjoying the summer season rather than collecting food or making a shelter for itself.
On the other hand, the ant is wise. Instead of wasting time it gathers food for itself and makes shelter.
Explanation for the Part-1:
The poet says that there was a silly (who lacks sense or wisdom) young cricket (a grasshopper-like insect) who was accustomed to singing (i.e. he used to enjoy) during the spring and summer seasons.
Gay means happy and enjoyable. The poet calls spring and summer seasons gay because they are full of life. There is greenery everywhere. Food and water are in abundance (in large numbers).
However soon, those months of rejoicing and joy passed away and winter came. Now the cricket was in trouble. He began to complain when he found that his cupboard was empty at his home. There was not even a crumb (a small fragment of bread) i.e. there was nothing to eat.
There was snow on the ground and he could not see even one flower or a leaf on the tree. Seeing this he becomes sad and exclaims, "Oh! what will become of me?".
Explanation for the Part-2:
The cricket had not eaten anything and was starving with hunger. It mustered its courage and set off to seek the help of a miserly (tiny) ant (to provide it with a mouthful of grain i.e. food and shelter from the rain). There was famine (unavailability of food), chilling cold and perhaps raining which made the cricket wet and shiver a lot while traveling.
It wished (requested) the ant to lend it some food and shelter and promised to repay by the next day or else it will die because of chilling cold, hunger and sorrow of not doing anything.
Explanation for the Part-3:
Hearing to the cricket, the ant answers that it considers itself to be his (cricket's) servant as well as a friend. However, the ants never borrow anything from others nor lend anything.
Saying this the ant asks the cricket why did it (the cricket) not gather anything when the weather was warm; during spring and summer (i.e. when it was the appropriate time).
Hearing to the ant, the cricket replies that its heart was so light i.e. it was quite happy and did not care about the future. The cricket further says that it kept singing day and night i.e. all the time as all nature looked gay i.e. everything looked happy and joyful.
He thought that the beauty of spring and summer, as well as the abundance of food and shelter, will always remain there. He never cared about the future.
Explanation for the Part-4:
Listening to the cricket, the ant tells him that he was singing and enjoying during the spring and summer, now he should do the same and the winter will go away.
Saying this, the ant hastily lifted the wicket i.e. quickly ended the conversation and pushed the poor cricket out of the door.
In the last two lines, the poet says that folks i.e. people call the story of ant and cricket a fable (i.e. an untrue story).
However, he thinks that the story is quite true because there are many crickets with four legs as well as with two i.e. there are insects like cricket who do not care about the future and also humans (crickets with two legs here refer to humans) who do not care about their future and repent when the time is gone.
The Ant and the Cricket Peom Summary
Introduction: The poem, ‘The Ant and the Cricket’ is about a careless cricket and a hardworking ant. We all know that ants are hardworking creatures. The cricket, on the other hand, was a lazy being which sang day and night and made no efforts to plan for the future.
Irresponsible Cricket:
There was a cricket who loved singing. The poet says the cricket is young and silly because he sang all through summer and spring with no worries in the world. But when winter arrived, he began to complain. He found that his cupboard was empty and not a piece of bread was there to eat. He neither found a leaf, nor a flower. Everything was covered with snow. Therefore, the cricket cried as he perceived his bad future.
Cricket asks for help from the ant:
Finally, deprived of hunger and starvation, being all wet and cold, the cricket journeyed to the house of a stingy ant. He wanted to know if the ant would lend him a shelter from the rain and a mouthful of grain. He promised that he would repay the ant as soon as he could. He was sure to die of hunger and pain if he didn't do it.
Cricket's careless reply to ant's questions:
The ant said to the cricket that he is his servant and friend. However, ants never borrow nor lend. He asked the cricket why he did not store even a single grain of food when the weather was warm. To such a stimulating question, the cricket carelessly replied that he sang day and night as his heart was light and happy and hence never thought of storing food. The ant disapproved the cricket's reply and told him to go and dance the winter away.
The Ant's final reply and the state of Cricket:
Thus, completing the conversation, the ant quickly closed the door and turned the poor little cricket out of the house. People call this a legend, but, the poet says that he assures it is true that some crickets have four legs and some crickets have two.
Conclusion:
The poet endorsed the idea of hard work. Hard work fetches fortune. The lazy nature of the Cricket was the reason behind his misfortune. Therefore one has to think ahead and work for safety and comfort. Dependence may not help every time.
Also, read our other articles provided for your preparation.
- About the author - Aesop's fables,
- Model MCQs on Author Aesop's fables,
- Important Poem Lines in The Ant and the Cricket,
- Line By Line Simple Explanation & Summary of the poem - The Ant and the Cricket,
- Detailed answers all book back questions for poem - The Ant and the Cricket,
- Glossary of the poem - The Ant and the Cricket,
- Figures of speech used in the poem - The Ant and the Cricket,
- Rhyme Scheme used in poem - The Ant and the Cricket,
- Rhyming Words used in poem - The Secret of the Machines, &
- Where to study information for all other poems.
LIST OF POEMS & WHERE TO STUDY OF General English TNPSC GROUP 2 & 2A 2022 FOR PRELIMS EXAM |
|||
| SI. NO | Name of the Poem | Name of the Author | Where to Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Life | Henry Van Dyke | 10th, Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 2 | I am Every Woman | Rakhi Nariani Shirke | 10th, Unit-3 (NEW BOOK) |
| 3 | The Secret of the Machines | Rudyard Kipling | 10th, Unit-5 (NEW BOOK) |
| 4 | The Ant and The Cricket | Adapted from Aesop's fables | 10th, Unit-4 (NEW BOOK) |
| 5 | No Men are Foreign | James Falconer Kirkup | 10th, Unit-6 (NEW BOOK) |
| 6 | The House on Elm Street | Nadia Bush | 10th, Unit-7 (NEW BOOK) |
| 7 | Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening | Robert Frost | 9th, Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 8 | A Poison Tree | William Blake | 9th, Unit-2 (NEW BOOK) |
| 9 | On Killing a Tree | Gieve Patel | 9th, Unit-3 (NEW BOOK) |
| 10 | The Spider and the Fly | Mary Botham Howitt | 9th, Unit-4 (NEW BOOK) |
| 11 | The River | Caroline Ann Bowles | 9th, Unit-5 (NEW BOOK) |
| 12 | The Comet | Norman Littleford | 9th, Unit-6 (NEW BOOK) |
| 13 | The Stick-together Families | Edgar Albert Guest | 9th, Unit-7 (NEW BOOK) |
| 14 | Special Hero | Christina M. Kerschen | 8th, Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 15 | Making Life Worth While | George Elliot | 8th, Unit-3 (NEW BOOK) |
| 16 | A Thing of Beauty | John Keats | 8th, Unit-4 (NEW BOOK) |
| 17 | Lessons in Life | Brigette Bryant & Daniel Ho | 8th, Unit-6 (NEW BOOK) |
| 18 | My Computer Needs a Break | Shanthini Govindan | 8th, Unit-7 (NEW BOOK) |
| 19 | Your Space | David Bates | 7th, Term-I Unit-3 (NEW BOOK) |
| 20 | Sea Fever | John Masefield | 7th, Term-III Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 21 | Courage | Edgar Albert Guest | 7th, Term-III Unit-2 (NEW BOOK) |
| 22 | Team Work | Edgar Albert Guest | 6th, Term-II Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 23 | From a Railway Carriage | Robert Louis Stevenson | 6th, Term-II Unit-2 (NEW BOOK) |
| 24 | Indian Seasons | Nisha Dyrene | 6th, Term-III Unit-1 (NEW BOOK) |
| 25 | A Tragic Story | William Makepeace Thackeray | 6th, Term-III Unit-2 (NEW BOOK) |
Click Here → To Download TNPSC Group 2 & 2A 2022 - Official Notification PDF** Link
Refer: Read all TNPSC Group 2 & 2A subjects with study materials, Live MCQ test & quiz for all syllabus wise topics.
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