Character Sketch of 'The Saint Peter'from the poem 'A Legend of the Northland'
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Answer:
Saint Peter
Saint Peter was a great saint who did exemplary work in the spread of Christianity. He was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. In the poem ‘Legend of Northland’ one of his earthly life incidents has been portrayed, which has become a legend. He was living a strict ascetic life for heavenly pursuits. He fasted, prayed and preached a lot; and for subsistence he depended upon alms. Once tired after travelling, he reached a cottage where the owner was baking cakes; feeling hungry as he was he asked for a cake. The owner was a greedy kind of woman; she was too possessive about her cakes to be given them in alms. Saint Peter read her greed and grew angry. He cursed her to become a woodpecker, and the woman immediately transformed.
Answer:
The poem is a legend about an old lady who angered Saint Peter because of her greed. The story goes’ on like this. One day, Saint Peter was preaching around the world and reached the door of a cottage where this woman lived. She was making cakes and baking them on a hearth. St. Peter was fainting with hunger. He asked the lady to give him a piece of cake. The cake that she was baking then appeared to be too big, so she did not give him that and instead, she baked another smaller one. That also appeared to be big so she did not give him that also. The second time she baked yet another smaller cake but found it too big to give away. In the third attempt, she took an extremely little scrap of dough and rolled it flat. She had it as thin as a wafer but was unable to part with that also. This angered St. Peter a lot. He said that she was not fit to live in human form and enjoy food and warmth. He cursed her and transformed her into a woodpecker bird who had to bore in hard, dry wood to get its scanty food. She can be seen in the trees all day boring and boring for food