The Ant and the Cricket

Introduction

The poem ‘The Ant and the Cricket’ is a fable. A fable is a traditional story that teaches us moral lessons. Animals are usually the characters of fables. This poem also teaches us an important moral lesson about being diligent like an ant. It also teaches us not to behave like a cricket.

Summary of The Ant and the Cricket

The poem narrates the story of a carefree cricket who was just interested in singing and who never thought about or took any action regarding his future, in contrast to an ant who was very genuine to his work and who thought about and took action regarding his future.

When the winter approached, cricket got into problems. It dawned on him that he had nothing to eat, and he hadn’t even bothered to construct a safe haven for himself.

He decided to seek assistance from an ant. He hoped that she would lend him some grain and that he would be able to hide out in her burrow during the stormy days. He intended to pay her back later. However, the ant did not assist the cricket. She did not hold anything back from him saying that it was a rule among ants that they did not borrow or lend money to one another. She questioned the cricket with shock as to whether or not he had put anything aside for the upcoming cold season. Which was met with an unfavourable response from the cricket. She inquired into the reason from him. He said that he was having so much fun living his life that he did not have the time or energy to save or invest anything. The ant teased him, telling him to go out and dance even in the coldest months.

Short Summary of The Ant and the Cricket in English

“The Ant and the Cricket” is a fable that tells the story of two creatures, an ant and a cricket, who have very different approaches to life. The ant works hard all summer, gathering food and storing it away for the winter months. Meanwhile, the cricket spends his days singing and playing without a care in the world.

As winter approaches, the ant has plenty of food to last him through the cold months, while the cricket is left hungry and cold. The cricket realizes too late that he should have been more diligent and prepared for the future like the ant did. He then begs the ant for help, but the ant refuses, reminding the cricket of his wasteful ways and telling him that he should have thought about the future before it was too late.

The moral of the story is clear: hard work, preparation, and foresight are important virtues to cultivate in life. The ant’s diligence and thriftiness pay off when winter comes, while the cricket’s frivolousness leads to hunger and hardship. It is a timeless lesson that applies not only to individuals but also to societies and nations as well.

Summary of The Ant and the Cricket in Urdu

“The Ant and the Cricket” ایک فیبل ہے جو دو جانوروں کی کہانی بیان کرتی ہے، ایک ٹیڑڈا اور ایک ٹڈی. ٹیڑی پورے موسم میں محنت کرتا ہے، خوراک جمع کرتا ہے اور اسے سردیوں کے لئے ذخیرہ کرتا ہے۔ دوسری طرف ٹڈی کے دن گانے گانے اور کھیلنے میں گزر جاتے ہیں بغیر کسی فکر کے.

جب ونٹر کا موسم آتا ہے، تو ٹیڑی کے پاس کافی غذا ہوتا ہے جبکہ ٹڈی بھوکے اور ٹھنڈے سے پیچھے رہ جاتا ہے۔ ٹڈی کو بعد میں یہ سمجھ آتا ہے کہ اسے بھی محنت کرنی چاہئی۔ وہ پھر ٹیڑی سے مدد کے لئے التجا کرتا ہے، لیکن ٹیڑی اس کی مدد نہیں کرتا، ٹڈی کو اپنے ضائع کاموں کی یاد دلاتے ہوئے بتاتا ہے کہ وہ بھی آنے والے دنوں کے لئے تیاری کرتے.

اس قصے کا مدرسہ واضح ہے: محنت، تیاری اور پیشگوئی زندگی میں اہم خصوصیات ہیں۔ ونٹر آنے پر ٹیڑی کی محنت اور بخشش کام آگئی جبکہ ٹڈی کی بے فکری نے اسے نقصان پہنچایا. یہ ایک بے حد اہم سبق ہے جو صرف افراد کے لئے نہیں بلکہ کسی بھی معاشرے یا قوم کے لئے بھی درست ہے.

Summary The Ant and the Cricket in Hindi

“The Ant and the Cricket” एक फेबल है जो दो जानवरों की कहानी बताता है, एक टीडा और एक टिड्डी। टीडा पूरे मौसम में मेहनत करता है, खाद्य इकट्ठा करता है और उसे सर्दियों के लिए भंडारित करता है। दूसरी तरफ टिड्डी के दिन गाने गाने और खेलने में बीत जाते हैं बिना किसी चिंता के।

जब विंटर का मौसम आता है, तो टीडा के पास काफी खाद्य होता है जबकि टिड्डी भूखा और ठंडे से पीछे रह जाता है। टिड्डी को बाद में यह समझ में आता है कि उसे भी मेहनत करनी चाहिए थी। वह फिर टीडा से मदद के लिए अनुरोध करता है, लेकिन टीडा उसकी मदद नहीं करता, टिड्डी को अपने खारब कामों की याद दिलाते हुए बताता है कि वह भी आने वाले दिनों के लिए तैयारी करते रहनी चाहिए थी।

इस कहानी का सीधा संदेश है: मेहनत, तैयारी और पूर्वाभ्यास जीवन में महत्वपूर्ण गुण हैं। विंटर आने पर टीडा की मेहनत और बख्शीश करम आ गई, जबकि टिड्डी की लापरवाही ने उसे हानि पहुंचाई। यह एक अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण सीख है जो केवल व्यक्तियों के लिए ही नहीं बल्कि किसी भी समाज या राष्ट्र के लिए उचित है।

Analysis of The Ant and the Cricket

There was a naive young cricket who had the habit of singing throughout the joyful and fun-filled months of summer and spring. He was so occupied with his singing that he hardly had time to stock up on provisions for the coming winter. His lack of foresight was demonstrated by the fact that he never made any preparations for the future. As a direct consequence of this, during the winter he had a lack of food and began to bemoan it. At long end, when the weather was bitterly cold and he was nearly out of food, he sought assistance from a kind-hearted ant. He fancied that he would be able to borrow some sustenance and a place to sleep. The ant, which was completely self-sufficient, made fun of him for squandering his time singing instead of gathering food for the upcoming winter. At the end of the poem, the ant advises the cricket that, if things get difficult for him, he should give singing and dancing another shot. A lesson was learned from the slothful cricket.

In conclusion, it is possible to state that we should take responsibility for our future. We can’t just laze about and do nothing during the good times; we have to make plans to protect our future from the challenging times as well.

Moral

The moral of the story is that we need to put in more effort, both for our personal benefit and for when things go rough. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that the money you save now will become your income tomorrow.

Theme of The Ant and the Cricket

Within the context of this narrative poem, the poet explores the concepts of hard work and preparation, both of which are necessary for the survival of every living thing. The lesson that the reader should take away from the poem is contained in its final line, which states, “Some crickets have four legs and some have two.” According to the poet, the four-legged cricket took pleasure in the good times, but it never made preparations for the challenging times that life would bring. Some people in the human population take pleasure in their good times, just like the happy cricket. They never make any preparations for the future and save anything. The poet seems to be suggesting that certain two-legged bugs are actually human people. He encourages those individuals to put in hard work and make thoughtful preparations for their future. The poet believes that each of us is obligated to do the tasks that have been set before us in this life. In addition, he adds that humans were not only created to take pleasure in the joys of the here and now, but also to toil diligently for the joys of the foreseeable future. In conclusion, the poet suggests that some two-legged insects are walking around in this world called human people. He encourages people to put in long hours and make thoughtful preparations for the future.

Questions and Answers of The Ant and Cricket

Extract Based Questions

I. Read and write the extract from the poem and its question answers:

1.
Not a crumb to be found,
On the snow-covered ground,
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree

Question:
a) Give the rhyming words in the above lines.
b)Who couldn’t find a crumb on the snow-covered ground?
c)What did he do then?
d)What reply did he get?
Answer
a) The rhyming words in the above lines are: Found-Ground,  See – Tree
b) The cricket couldn’t find a crumb on the snow-covered ground.
c) He went to the ant for help.
d) He got the reply from the ant that he should go and dance the winter away because he didn’t do any work and sang all summer.

2.
My heart was so light
That I saw day and night,
In a very happy way, You sang, Sir you say?

Question:
a) When and why did the cricket sing?.
b)What is the meaning of ‘ my heat was so light’?
c)Who is the speaker of the last line?
d)Which season is being referred to in the above lines?
Answer
a) The cricket sang during the summer months because he was happy.
b) ‘My heart was so light’ meant that the cricket was cheerful and carefree.
c) The narrator of the story is the speaker of the last line.
d) Summer season is being referred to in the above lines.

Working With Text

II . Write and learn the following question answers :

Question 1: The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?
Answer: The cricket responds, “Oh! What will become of me?” when he realizes winter has arrived He says this because he realizes there is no food in the house or outside.

Question 2: The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, if used sarcastically, the word “dance” is appropriate. The ant told the cricket to “dance the winter away” because when the ant asked what the cricket did in the summers and why it hadn’t stored any food for the summers, the cricket replied that it sang during the warm and sunny months of summer. As a result, in response, the ant asked the cricket to “dance” the winter away, just as it “sang” all summer and didn’t bother storing food for winters.

Question 3: Why did the cricket begin to complain?
Answer: The cricket began to complain when he discovered at home that there was no food and that winter was approaching.

Question 4: What did the cricket do in summer months?
Answer: The cricket sang in the summer months.

Question 5: Describe the condition of the cricket?
Answer: The condition of the cricket was that he didn’t have a crumb, flower or a leaf to eat on the snow-covered ground.

Question 6: Whom did the cricket ask for help? 
Answer: The cricket asked an ant for help.

Question 7: What did the cricket tell her? 
Answer: The cricket inquired of the ant whether he would protect him from rain and a mouthful of grain. Additionally, he stated that he would only borrow and would repay her the next day.

Extra Questions

1. The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why? 
Answer: When the cricket discovered that its cupboard was empty and winter had arrived, it said the given line. It couldn’t find a single crumb to eat on the snow-covered ground, and the tree was devoid of flowers or leaves. It was worried about what would happen to it because it was getting cold and, with nothing to eat, it would starve and die.

2. (i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare) 
Answer: We ants never borrow; we ants never lend.” 

(ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principles? 
Answer: The ant’s principles appear to be quite reasonable. The ants are self-sufficient, which they achieved through sheer hard work. They consume what is needed and store the rest. As a result, they are never forced to borrow. They do not want to lend for the same reasons because it may deplete their resources.

3. The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is  appropriate here? If so, why? 
Answer: Yes, the word ‘dance’ sounds pretty apt when used sarcastically in this context. During the joyful and delightful summer months, the cricket had a good time. The ant informs him that he might as well enjoy himself without food or shelter over the winter.

4. (i) Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment? Read them aloud. 
Answer: “Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true Some crickets have four legs and some have two.” 

(ii) Write the comment in your own words. 
Answer: These lines indicate that for many, this is just a fictional story with animal characters. However, the cricket’s problem makes it true, especially for humans. Humans, like crickets, forget to save for rainy days.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. When did the cricket realise a change in his circumstances? 
Answer: The cricket realised a change in his circumstances when he saw that his cupboards were empty and the winter had come. 

2. Why is the adjective ‘gay’ used to describe summer and spring? 
Answer: The adjective ‘gay’ is used to describe summer and spring because these were the warm and sunny months and food was to be found in abundance. There was no shortage of any kind. 

3. What all did the cricket seek from the ant? 
Answer: The cricket asked for shelter and a handful of grain from the ant in order to survive. 

4. The ant refuses to help the cricket because of a principle. What is that principle? 
Answer: The ants neither borrow nor lend. 

 Long Answer Questions

 1. Describe the sufferings of the cricket. 
Answer: As winter arrived, the cricket suffered greatly. He realised he was out of food. His cupboards were empty. Nature, too, had nothing to offer. The trees lacked both flowers and leaves. Under these conditions, the cricket was starving and worried that he would die if the ant refused to help.
 
2. How different are the ant and the cricket from each other? 
Answer: The ant introduced himself as the cricket’s friend. However, the two friends were diametrically opposed. The cricket was ridiculous and foolish. He didn’t work in the summer or spring, and he didn’t save anything for the winter. The ant, on the other hand, operated on principles. During the summer and spring, he worked hard to build a storehouse on which he could rely during the winter.

3. Does the poet criticise the ant for his unhelpful behaviour? 
Answer: The poet says nothing about the ant other than that it was a miserly ant, but he certainly does not glorify the cricket’s behaviour. He extends the moral of the story by using the cricket as an example. Humans should work hard and save for bad times rather than relying on others. The critique of cricket’s ways does not justify ant’s unhelpful behaviour, but it does demonstrate that ant’s way of life was superior to that of cricket.