Working with the poem
The cricket says, "Oh! what will become of me?" When does he say it, and why?
The cricket says, "Oh! what will become of me?" in winter when he has no food left. His cupboard is bare, there is snow everywhere, and he can find neither a crumb to eat nor any leaf or flower. He is worried because the cold has set in and he has nothing to eat, so he fears he will starve to death.
(i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (Shakespeare).
(ii) What is your opinion of the ant's principles?
- The lines in the poem that mean the same are: "But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend."
- The ant’s principles are very sensible. She teaches us to work hard during good times and save for difficult days ahead. If we follow this habit, we will never have to borrow from others or feel helpless in bad times.
The ant tells the cricket to "dance the winter away". Do you think the word 'dance' is appropriate here? If so, why?
Yes, the word ‘dance’ is quite appropriate here. The ant uses it in a sarcastic way. She is reminding the cricket that he spent all summer singing and dancing instead of storing food. Now in winter, when he is hungry and shivering, he can go on dancing and singing to keep himself warm and happy, just as he did in summer, instead of troubling her for food.
(i) Which lines in the poem express the poet's comment? Read them aloud.
(ii) Write the comment in your own words.
- The lines that express the poet’s comment are: "Folks call this a fable. I'll warrant it true."
- In these lines the poet says that although people call this story a fable, he believes it is true. The story shows two opposite ways of living. The cricket enjoyed singing and dancing all summer without saving anything, so he suffered in winter. The ant worked steadily in summer and stored food, so she was comfortable in winter. The poet wants to tell us that we should work hard and save for the future instead of wasting time only in fun.