Introduction to the Frog and the Nightingale
The poem Frog and The Nightingale is one of the well-known poems from the collection of Vikram Seth. He is an Indian novelist and poet, who has published six poetry books and three novels. “A Suitable Boy” is one of his most acclaimed works of literature. The Frog and the Nightingale poem has been extracted from his anthology of poems ‘Beastly tales’. The main theme of this poem is the consequences of being driven by flattery. In The Frog and The Nightingale poem, the frog seems to be exploiting the nightingale, just to earn fame and money. The frog claims to have quality, but ultimately he was a cunning capitalist that fed out of low self-esteem and vulnerable artists, leading to a disaster.
The Frog and Nightingale Poem- Summary
The poem ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ explores certain feelings of self-confidence and selfishness. An allegorical poem that talks about believing in oneself, as well as a cautionary story about chances and the dangers of being exploited.
‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ talks about a frog with an unpleasant voice. And in spite of this, the frog was full of self-confidence. He croaked all night, much to the annoyance of the other animals in the forest, who were all tired of his incessant croaking and tried insulting him whenever he started singing. The frog was adamant and didn’t heed much to their criticism. He believed his voice to be very special and was insensitive to the distress he was causing others. One day, his arrogance was shattered by the arrival of a nightingale whose melodious voice was seen as a welcome change. The other animals appreciated her melodious voice and started to reward her with thunderous applause. The frog felt threatened by the presence of the talented rival and was jealous of all the adulation she was getting. Thus, he thought of a plan to destroy her and get her out of his way. Next night as the nightingale was about to sing, the frog interrupted her by saying that he has a great knowledge in singing. Saying she lacked a certain force. Taken aback, the nightingale said ‘at least it's mine’ about her song. Not having enough confidence in her own ability, the nightingale accepted the offer of being tutored by the frog. The frog took away all the money he made through her concerts. The frog made her rehearse night and day, and even the rain didn't stop him. The frog took to abusing the nightingale in an attempt to shatter her morale, which gradually started to affect her singing. The nightingale, broken-hearted, refused to sing any longer, but the frog would not listen. Continuous coaxing caused the nightingale to fall dead.
The frog and said he tried to teach her but she was stupid and nervous to learn anything. The frog was insensitive when he said that she was very easily influenced, well aware of the fact that he was actually influencing her negatively. The frog returned and sang and annoyed the other creatures.He caused the downfall of the nightingale and finally satisfied that he no longer had to compete with someone more talented.
FAQs on The Frog and the Nightingale Summary: A Fable by Vikram Seth
1. Throw some light on the character of the frog in the poem?
The frog’s character is portrayed as entirely contrasting to that of the nightingale. The frog is known to be annoying, arrogant and scornful. He is immodest of a talent he does not have. He sings loudly in a harsh voice and disturbs all the other creatures. Even with repeated insults from the crowd, he does not stop. The frog is jealous of the nightingale's talent and popularity. He is greedy for money as he forces the poor nightingale to sing day and night without taking rest, killing her.
2. What are the positive and negative traits of the nightingale?
The nightingale has a beautiful melodious voice, as mentioned in The Frog and Nightingale poem summary. When she sings for the first time, she impresses everyone immediately. Visitors from far off places come to listen to perceive her talent. However, she is not proud of all this at all. She is apprehensive and shy. She has low self-esteem and is unaware of her own talent. By believing strongly in the frog’s judgment, she makes a huge mistake. One must always accept criticism and try to develop, but not without a vigilant self-reflection. Response to flattery makes her burst in vain in the end and die.
3. What is the moral message of the poem?
The moral of the story as given in The Frog and Nightingale explanation is that one must stick to one’s uniqueness. Reasoning and self-reflection is a virtue when it comes to judging one’s own talent. Being positively responsive to criticism is a very prestigious quality. However, one must not be instigated by flattery or it might be used against the individual. Letting others lead blindly makes oneself vulnerable in the age of capitalism. One should realize one’s precincts and capabilities and not leave oneself open for abuse. One should possess confidence in one's own talent.
4. What is electronic business?
Electronic Business is the expanded form of e-business. In this type of business, the sellers and customers transact their operations online over the internet. This is an evolving business model in this generation. Electronic or e-business have their own pros and cons that need to be analyzed before transacting any operation.
5. What is Intranet and extranet?
In business, intranet is used by the company’s employees to create a corporate life virtually over the net. They communicate, collaborate and get work done over the internet itself. While extranet, is where the customers are engaged with. The company extends to their customers or anyone, outside of their company with the use of extranet. The company uses extranet to connect with the vendors, customers or business partners.
6. Is it safe to do transactions online?
Nothing is safe in this world if it is done without any knowledge. People engaged in e-business must know the loopholes of the transaction and take adequate care that they are not stuck to the same loopholes. They should always double ensure and check the transaction.
7. What is the scope of e-business in the near future?
In the near future there is a very bright scope in this e-business. As the world pushes towards the realm of technology and promotes digitalization, it would be compulsory to engage your business in online mode as well. Also, with the recent pandemic, the noble coronavirus we see, virtual business that is the e-business has grown enormously.
8. Explain the character of the frog?
The character of the frog is absolutely the opposite of the nightingale. The frog has been portrayed as annoying, scornful and arrogant. His loud and harsh voice is disturbing for one and all. He can be said to be thick-skinned as repeated insults from everyone seemed to have no effect on him. The frog is jealous of the nightingale's sweet voice and her popularity among all the other animals.
9. Mention some traits of the nightingale?
The nightingale’s mellifluous voice won her instant popularity and she had visitors from all over who came to hear her sing. This did not make the nightingale arrogant and proud. She can be said to be shy and apprehensive though. She has low self-esteem and is not aware of her singing talent. It is important to accept criticism and then develop, but not without any self-realization. In the end, her response to flattery resulted in her bursting her vein and dying.
10. Explain the moral of the poem?
The moral of the story in the poem teaches us a few things. The story teaches us that it is important to be able to stick to one’s uniqueness, and to one’s talents. In the process of judging one’s own talent, it is important to have a sense of reasoning and an ability to assess one’s self. One should possess the quality of being positively responsive to criticism. One should not be instigated by flattery. Having self-confidence is of utmost importance.
11. Describe the main theme of the poem?
The poem’ Frog and The Nightingale' is one of the well-known poems from Vikram Seth’s collection. An Indian novelist and poet, Seth has published six books on poetry and three novels. The poem ‘ The Frog and The Nightingale’ has been taken from his anthology of poems called ‘Beastly tales’. The consequences of being driven by flattery are the main theme of the poem. In this poem, the frog seems to be exploiting a nightingale simply to be able to earn some fame and money. The frog claims to have quality, but in reality, was a cunning capitalist that fed out of low self-esteem and vulnerable artists.
12. Where can I get study notes?
English is an all-important subject and it is necessary to be able to practice some of the important questions to be able to score well. The online portal of Vedantu offers important questions along with answers and other very helpful study material on the poem ‘Frog and the Nightingale’, which have been formulated in a well structured and easy to understand manner. These study materials and solutions are all important and are very easily accessible from Vedantu.com and can be downloaded for free.
