About the Author
The poem "The Shed" is written by Frank Flynn. He is not a very famous poet, and not much is known about him. The NCERT book chose this poem because it is simple and talks about feelings that children can understand, like being curious and a little scared. It is perfect for young students to enjoy and think about.
What’s the Story About?
The poem is about a small boy who is curious and a bit scared about an old shed at the end of his garden. A shed is like a small room outside the house, often used to keep tools or old things. This shed is old, dusty, and has spider webs all over it. The boy’s brother tells him scary stories about the shed, saying a ghost lives inside and comes out at night. This makes the boy feel frightened when he looks at the shed from far away.
The shed has a dusty old window with three cracked glass panes. When the boy passes by, he feels like someone is watching him from inside. His brother says the ghost hides under the rotten floorboards and will jump out to catch him if he goes near. This makes the boy’s heart beat fast with fear.
But the boy is also very curious. He wants to know what is really inside the shed. He thinks maybe it is not a ghost but something simple, like a cat or a bird. He makes a plan to be brave one day and open the shed’s creaky door to look inside. He imagines peeping through the window or pushing the door to see the truth. The poem shows how the boy feels both scared and excited about the shed and wants to solve its mystery.
Who’s Who in the Story
- The Boy (Narrator): A young child who tells the story. He is curious but scared about the shed in his garden.
- The Brother: The boy’s older brother who teases him with scary stories about a ghost in the shed.
- The Ghost: Not a real person, but a made-up idea from the brother’s stories to scare the boy.
- The Shed: Like a character in the poem. It is old, spooky, and makes the boy feel both afraid and curious.
Themes and Moral
The poem talks about fear, curiosity, and bravery. It shows how children can be scared of things they don’t know, like dark places or strange stories. But it also shows how curiosity can push you to be brave and find out the truth. The main idea is that sometimes our fears come from stories or imagination, not real things. The moral is: Be brave and check things for yourself instead of believing scary stories.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
- Shed: A small building outside the house, used to store things like tools or old items.
- Spider webs: Sticky threads made by spiders, often found in old, dusty places.
- Cracked: Broken with lines, like glass that is not fully shattered but has splits.
- Panes: Pieces of glass in a window.
- Rotten: Old and broken, like wood that is falling apart because it is too old.
- Floorboards: Wooden planks that make the floor of a building.
- Creaky: Making a squeaky sound, like an old door that needs oil.
- Peep: To look quickly or secretly, like glancing through a small hole.
- Phrase "My heart beats fast": Feeling scared or excited, so your heart goes thump-thump quickly.
- Phrase "I’ll take a peek one day": Planning to look inside something secretly to find out what is there.