summary of the frog and nightingale
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and moral courage in his poem - The 'Frog and the Nightingale'. Once in a bog, a frog sat under
a Sumac tree and croaked all night in a loud and unpleasant voice. The other creatures loathed
his voice but their complaints, insults and brickbats couldn't stop him from croaking stubbornly
and pompously, insensitive to the disturbance he was causing.
Then, one night a nightingale appears at the bog. Her melodious voice captures the admiring
attention of the creatures of the Bingle Bog. Ducks and herons swim towards the Sumac tree to
hear the nightingale serenade. Some lonely creature even weeps hearing her song. When she
stops, there is thunderous applause with the creatures demanding a repeat performance
Next night, when the modest bird prepares to sing, the plotting frog interrupts and posing as a
music critic, says that the technique was fine, of course, but it lacks a certain force. Unassuming
and not used to any kind of criticism, she defends herself by saying, "At least its mine".
The heartless frog convinces the nightingale that she was in need of training that only he could
provide. The nightingale, lacking in confidence and extremely gullible agrees and flatters him,
saying that he was Mozart in disguise. The frog capitalized on the nightingale's servile attitude
The nightingale soon became famous and the frog grew richer, earning money from her
concerts. Eminent personalities like the Owl (Earl) of Sandwich and Duck (Duke) of Kent attend
the concerts. The frog sat and watched with mixed feelings of happiness and bitterness. He was
happy because he was earning money, and jealous because the bird was receiving so much
attention.
Meanwhile, the frog makes the nightingale rehearse hard even when it rained and constantly
criticized and abused her, ensuring that she became broken in spirit. Fired and spent, her voice
lost its beauty and the creatures stopped coming to hear her sing. Morose and depressed, she
refused to sing, but the frog goaded her to practice. Scared and unhappy, the nightingale tried,
burst a vein, and died.
The frog, unsympathetic, dismissed her off - calling her 'stupid'. A shrewd judge of character, he
summed her up saying that the nightingale was too nervous and prone to influence, hence
bringing her own downfall. Now, the frog once more sings at night in his bog - unrivalled.
MANISHNAVIK
‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ is a story in verse. It describes how a frog exploits a nightingale to earn money. This fable shows how the bad training given by the frog causes the death of the nightingale. The moral is that one should have confidence in oneself and believe in one’s own talent. Once upon a time, a frog croaked in the Bingle Bog.
Other creatures hated his voice but they had no choice. The loud and unpleasant noise of the frog continued from the sumac tree. He croaked there from dusk to dawn. Neither stones, prayers, nor insults, or complaints could stop him from his strong determination. He was determined to express his elation through his song.
One moonlit night, a nightingale perched upon the sumac tree started singing. Other creatures in the bog clapped and admired her melodious sweet song. Being surprised at the sweet melody of the nightingale, the frog feared that he would not be heard any more. As the nightingale sang beautifully, ducks swam to her, toads, tiddlers and teals were delighted and called the song ‘divine’.
But the frog was not happy. Next night as the nightingale was ready to sing, the frog interrupted and introduced himself as the owner of the tree and said that he was known for his splendid baritone. The nightingale inquired about her song. As a critic, he replied that it was not too bad but was far too long. The technique was fine but the song lacked certain force. The nightingale was flattered that such a reputed critic had discussed her art. Being jealous, the frog took the nightingale into confidence and made an evil plan to get rid of her.
He became her trainer and made her sing excessively for long hours. He started pointing out her mistakes and drawbacks. The nightingale received a huge response. Animals from miles gathered around to listen to her sweet song, and the cunning frog took an admission fee from them. The strain of training and singing was too much for that delicate and innocent bird. She grew sad and pale and miserable.
The frog scolded her as she could not sing sweetly any more. The nightingale had to bear his scolding and exploitation. She lost the beauty of her voice. The other creatures stopped coming to hear her sing at the concerts arranged by the wicked frog.
The frog was very angry at the failure of the nightingale. He asked her to puff her lungs to follow the fashion of the stage. The nightingale puffed up, that made her vein burst and she died. The frog described her as a foolish creature. She was nervous, tense and prone to influence. The frog was victorious and sang unrivalled in the Bingle Bog.