11.(iii) Why did the nightingale lose her natural charm in singing ? (The Frog and the Nightingale)
11.(iii) Why did the nightingale lose her natural charm in singing ? (The Frog and the Nightingale)
The nightingale lost her natural charm because she blindly submitted to the crafty frog's control. He forced her to practise endlessly, even in cold and rainy weather, and made her perform repeatedly for the crowd to earn money and fame. This constant, mechanical over-training exhausted her, destroyed her confidence and spontaneity, and turned her once-sweet song into a strained, lifeless imitation, until she finally burst a vein and died.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: for identifying the cause — the frog's exploitation / excessive training and pressure to perform.
- 21 mark: for the effect — singing became mechanical, forced and strained, losing its natural sweetness/spontaneity (loss of confidence, over-practice in bad weather, singing for money).
- 3Accept mention of her death from a burst vein as evidence of the strain.
Hint
Ask what the frog forced her to do — how did constant practice for crowds and money affect her once-sweet voice?
Quick Oral Answer
Because the scheming frog exploited her — forcing endless practice, singing in cold rain, and performing for crowds and money — which drained her confidence and spontaneity and turned her sweet, natural song into a strained, mechanical one until it killed her.
Analysis & Explanation
The nightingale's charm is destroyed by the frog's exploitative 'training', the fable's central warning.
Concept
- Her originally sweet, spontaneous song turns forced and mechanical once she submits to the frog's control.
Key points
- The frog made her practise endlessly, even in cold and rainy weather.
- He pushed her to perform repeatedly for crowds to earn money and fame for himself.
- This over-training drained her confidence and spontaneity, killing her natural charm.
Common mistakes
- परीक्षा में सावधानी: vaguely blaming "the frog" without specifying HOW (over-practice, bad weather, commercial performing) loses a mark.
Real-world
- The fable warns against surrendering one's individuality to manipulative "experts" who exploit talent for their own gain.
Common Mistakes
- 1Blaming the frog only vaguely without explaining HOW he destroyed her charm (over-training, bad weather, singing for money).
- 2Saying she simply grew tired, missing the point that she lost her natural, spontaneous style and confidence.
- 3Ignoring the theme of blind imitation and exploitation the poem is built on.
Previously Asked
Both, the poem 'The Frog And The Nightingale' and the story 'Mrs. Packtetide's Tiger, reflect themes of exploitation of others in pursuit of personal benefit. How... do each... manipulate situations to attain their personal desires and with what consequences?
Interesting Facts
Vikram Seth published this poem in his 1994 collection 'Beastly Tales from Here and There', a set of animal fables in verse.
The poem is a modern beast-fable in the tradition of Aesop and La Fontaine, using talking animals to teach a moral about self-worth.
The nightingale is famed in real poetry (Keats, Coleridge) as a symbol of natural, effortless song — Seth ironically shows that song being 'trained' to death.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of The Frog and the Nightingale?
The poem warns against blind imitation, low self-esteem and surrendering one's individuality to manipulative people. The nightingale's ruin shows how listening to a crafty exploiter instead of trusting one's own natural talent can be fatal.
How did the nightingale finally die?
Driven by the frog to sing at full stretch for the crowd, the overworked nightingale strained herself so badly that she burst a vein and died, a direct result of the frog's exploitation.