if you were in the snake's place how would you felt after being deceived by Anansi which lead to your humiliation.
Chapter: anansi and the snake
Answers
Explanation:
The Snake Trying is a great chapter it includes the joy of The Snake Poem. It is well explained by Edumantra including Introduction of The Snake Trying, Message in the chapter The Snake Trying, Theme, Title, Characters of the lesson The Snake Trying, Summary in English, Summary in Hindi, Word meanings, Complete lesson in Hindi, Extracts in the chapter The Snake Trying, Long answers given in the chapter The Snake Trying, Short answers, Very short Answers, MCQs and important part in the chapter The Snake Trying and much more.

Extra Questions, Notes, Assignment and study material for Class 9th as Per CBSE Syllabus
Chapter- 9.1
THE SNAKE TRYING
By– W.W.E. Ross
Introduction of the lesson- THE SNAKE TRYING
INTRODUCTION
Most of us think snakes as fearsome symbols of death. But the poet has a different opinion about it. In his view that snakes are not harmful if they are not disturbed. They make harm to the human body only when they think him a danger for their own life. In this poem, the snake itself becomes a victim of human hardness.
(हम में से अधिकतर सांपों को मृत्यु के एक भयानक प्रतीक के रूप में लेते हैं । लेकिन इसके बारे में कवि का एक भिन्न मत है उसके विचार में यदि सांपों को तंग न किया जाए तो वे हानिकारक नहीं होते हैं । वे मानव को तभी क्षति पहुँचाते है जब उन्हें लगता है कि मानव उनके जीवन के लिए एक ख़तरा बन गया है । इस कविता में तो स्वयं सांप ही मानव की कठोरता का शिकार बन जाता है।)
INTRODUCTION (2) :
This small poem by W.W.E. Ross, written in unrhymed, free-verse with unequal lines, is the poet’s plea to human beings to treat snakes in a kind manner. Human beings generally tend to kill snakes to avoid being bitten, but the poet reveals that all snakes are not poisonous and all of them do not harm human beings.
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THEME
The poem is based on the theme of prevention of cruelty towards animals. The poet develops this thought by requesting people to maintain ecological balance and not to harm any species, in this particular case – the snakes. Since all snakes are not venomous, they are harmless and attack human beings only in self-defence. Hence they should be left on their own. They have a right to existence, too.
TITLE
The title reveals that the snake is making an effort. This title is repeated in the opening line to reinforce the ‘trying’ by the snake. It makes the reader curious and he reads the rest of the poem to learn that the snake is a victim and is ‘trying’ to save himself from someone who is chasing him in order to kill him with a stick. Thus, the title is apt as it initiates the inquisitiveness of the reader and prompts him to find out about the snake’s efforts.
LITERARY DEVICES
Transferred Epithet
A transferred epithet is an adjective that grammatically qualifies a noun other than the person or thing it is actually describing.
Examples:
to escape the pursuing stick
Here, the adjective ‘pursuing’ is used with ‘stick’. But it is not intended to show that the stick is pursuing. Actually, it is to suggest that some person with a stick in his hands is chasing the snake. Hence, the epithet (adjective) is transferred from the person to the stick.
RHYME SCHEME
As the poem is written in free verse with lines unequal in length and no metre, there is no rhyme scheme in the poem.
Poetic Devices
Imagery
The poet uses a certain description that is appealing to the senses.
Example:
He describes the beauty of the snake as small and green and the reeds as green shin reeds.
Personification
We find that the poet refers to the snake as he would refer to a human being.
Example:
He glides through the water.
O let him go.
Value Points
The snake was trying to escape the man with a stick.
With his thin long body, he runs making sudden carvings.
The poet thinks that his curves are beautiful and impressive.
To save itself from the blow of stick, he prefers to go through water.
He is harmless even to children.
He finally vanishes among the green thin reeds.
Useful Expressions
to escape the pursuing stick – The snake is trying to get away from the man who is chasing him with a stick.
into the reeds to hide – The snake runs into the reeds to escape the man.
harmless even to children – Some snakes do not bite even children.
he lay until observed – The snake lies in the hiding place until it is noticed by someone.
among the green slim reeds – When the snake is chased away by people, it vanishes into the bushes of the green thin reeds for protection.
Paraphrasing
STANZAMEANINGThe snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden carvings of thin
long body. How beautiful