The Snake And The Mirror

Good morning, dear students! Welcome to today's English lesson. I'm so happy to see you all here, ready to learn something new and interesting. Today, we are going to study Chapter 5 from your Beehive textbook, which is titled "The Snake and the Mirror." This is a fascinating story written by a famous Malayalam author named Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, and it has been translated into English by V. Abdulla. So let's begin our journey into this wonderful piece of literature.

Now, students, before we start reading the story, let me tell you a little bit about what makes this chapter special. The chapter actually has two parts - the main story "The Snake and the Mirror" and a poem called "A Legend of the Northland." We will be studying both of these in detail. But first, let's focus on the story.

The story begins with a doctor who is sitting with some people and discussing snakes. He asks a very interesting question - whether anyone has ever had a snake coil around any part of their body, specifically a full-blooded cobra. This immediately catches everyone's attention, doesn't it? And then he goes on to tell them his own experience.

So students, let's understand what happened on that hot summer night. The doctor had just finished his meal at a restaurant and returned to his room. This was a small rented room in a house that was not electrified - can you imagine that? In those days, electricity was not common everywhere. He was a young doctor who had just set up his medical practice, so his earnings were very meagre, which means very small or insufficient. He had only about sixty rupees in his suitcase, some shirts and dhotis, and one solitary black coat which he was wearing at that time.

Now, students, notice how the author describes the room. It was an outer room with one wall facing the open yard. It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables - gables are the triangular upper parts of a wall below a sloping roof. There was no ceiling, and there was regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. Isn't that interesting? The doctor and rats were sharing the room! This sets up the atmosphere for us, doesn't it?

The doctor took off his black coat, white shirt, and not-so-white vest - notice how he describes his vest as "not-so-white" - this shows us that he had a sense of humour even then. He hung them up and opened the two windows to let in some air. Then he made his bed and lay down, but he could not sleep. He got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but the wind god seemed to have taken time off - meaning there was no wind at all. It was very hot.

Now, students, this is where the story becomes really interesting. The doctor went back into the room and sat down on the chair. He opened a box beneath the table and took out a book called the Materia Medica - this is a book that contains information about medicines and their properties. On the table stood a lamp and a large mirror, with a small comb lying beside the mirror.

And then something very human happens - he feels tempted to look into the mirror. The author tells us that in those days, the doctor was a great admirer of beauty and believed in making himself look handsome. He was unmarried and was a doctor, and he felt he had to make his presence felt. So he picked up the comb and ran it through his hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.

Now, students, this is where we see the first of the sounds from above. The author says "Again I heard that sound from above." This sound was the familiar sound of rats moving around in the beam. But the doctor didn't pay much attention to it, did he? He was too busy looking at himself in the mirror!

Then the doctor took a close look at his face in the mirror and made an important decision - he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. He was, after all, a bachelor and a doctor! Then he looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile, he thought. And then he made another earth-shaking decision - he would always keep that attractive smile on his face to look more handsome. Again, he reminded himself that he was a bachelor and a doctor!

Students, here we can see the doctor's vanity and his obsession with his appearance. He keeps thinking about how handsome he looks, how he needs to maintain his looks because he is a bachelor and a doctor. This is quite humorous, isn't it?

Then he got up and paced up and down the room. Another lovely thought struck him - he would marry. He would get married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice. And here comes the funny part - she had to be fat! Why? For a valid reason, he thought. If he made some silly mistake and needed to run away, she should not be able to run after him and catch him! Can you imagine such a reason? This shows us how self-centered and somewhat cowardly the doctor is. He is already thinking about ways to escape if something goes wrong!

With such thoughts in his mind, he resumed his seat in the chair in front of the table. There were no more sounds from above. Suddenly, there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground - surely nothing to worry about. Even so, he thought he would turn around and take a look.

And then, students, the most terrifying moment of the story happens! No sooner had he turned than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulder. The snake's landing on him and his turning were simultaneous - they happened at exactly the same time!

Now, students, let's understand what happened next. The doctor didn't jump. He didn't tremble. He didn't cry out. There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along his shoulder and coiled around his left arm above the elbow. The hood was spread out - this means it was a cobra, students, with its characteristic hood - and its head was hardly three or four inches from his face!

The author says it would not be correct to say merely that he sat there holding his breath. He was turned to stone. But his mind was very active. The door opened into darkness. The room was surrounded by darkness. In the light of the lamp, he sat there like a stone image in the flesh.

Now, students, this is such a powerful description, isn't it? His body was frozen with fear, but his mind was working frantically. He felt the great presence of the creator of this world and this universe. He thought about God. Suppose he said something and God did not like it? He tried in his imagination to write in bright letters outside his little heart the words, 'O God'.

There was some pain in his left arm. It was as if a thick leaden rod - no, a rod made of molten fire - was slowly but powerfully crushing his arm. The arm was beginning to be drained of all strength. What could he do?

At his slightest movement, the snake would strike him! Death lurked four inches away. Suppose it struck, what was the medicine he had to take? There were no medicines in the room. He was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. And here comes the most surprising part - he forgot his danger and smiled feebly at himself! Can you believe it? He smiled at himself even while a deadly snake was coiled around his arm!

It seemed as if God appreciated that. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection. The author says he does not claim that it was the first snake that had ever looked into a mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror. Was it admiring its own beauty? Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead? Students, this is such a humorous way to describe the snake looking at itself in the mirror, isn't it? The doctor is making fun of his own earlier vanity by comparing it to what the snake might be doing.

The doctor did not know anything for certain. What sex was this snake, male or female? He would never know. For the snake unwound itself from his arm and slowly slithered into his lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its reflection at closer quarters.

Now, students, notice the change in the doctor. He was no mere image cut in granite - he was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. Still holding his breath, he got up from the chair. He quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From there he leapt into the yard and ran for all he was worth.

Now, students, let's see what happened after the doctor finished his story. The people listening to his story heaved a sigh of relief. Someone asked, "Doctor, is your wife very fat?" The doctor said, "No, God willed otherwise. My life companion is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter." So students, you see - the doctor wanted to marry a fat woman so that she couldn't run after him if he made a mistake, but God had other plans! He married a thin, fast-running woman instead. This is one of the many ironies in the story.

Someone else asked, "Doctor, when you ran did the snake follow you?" The doctor replied that he ran and ran until he reached a friend's house. Immediately he smeared oil all over himself and took a bath. He changed into fresh clothes. The next morning at about eight-thirty, he took his friend and one or two others to his room to move his things from there. But they found they had little to carry. Some thief had removed most of his things! The room had been cleaned out! But not really - the thief had left behind one thing as a final insult!

"What was that?" the doctor was asked. The doctor said, "My vest, the dirty one. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water." Students, isn't that hilarious? A thief who stole everything but left behind a dirty vest because it was too filthy to take! This shows the author's wonderful sense of humour.

Finally, someone asked, "Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?" The doctor laughed and said he had never seen it since. It was a snake which was taken with its own beauty - meaning the snake was so busy admiring itself in the mirror that it didn't notice the doctor escaping!

Now, students, let's move on to the questions given in the textbook. We'll go through them one by one.

**Thinking about the Text - Question I**

Let's discuss question number 1. "The sound was a familiar one." What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? When and why did the sounds stop?

Students, the sound was the sound of rats moving in the beam above the room. The doctor thought it was the familiar sound of rats - he even says that the rats and he shared the room. He heard this sound three times in the story. First, when he opened the door and heard a noise from above. Second, after he looked into the mirror and smiled and made his earth-shaking decision. Third, again after he made another decision about keeping the attractive smile. The sounds stopped when the doctor sat down in the chair after his thoughts about marriage. Then suddenly there came a dull thud - the sound of the snake falling onto the chair. So the sounds stopped because the snake had come down from the beam and was no longer moving around up there.

Now, question number 2. What two "important" and "earth-shaking" decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?

Students, the first important decision was that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. The second earth-shaking decision was that he would always keep that attractive smile on his face to look more handsome. Both decisions were about his appearance and both were made when he was looking at himself in the mirror, completely absorbed in how he looked.

Now, question number 3. "I looked into the mirror and smiled," says the doctor. A little later he says, "I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself." What is the doctor's opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?

When the doctor first smiles, he thinks he has an attractive smile. He is proud of his appearance and believes he looks handsome. He is vain and self-satisfied. When he smiles again, it is a feeble smile - a weak, uncertain smile. This time, he is smiling at himself because he realizes how foolish he has been. He is a doctor but has no medicine to save himself, he is in mortal danger, and yet he is smiling! His thoughts change from vanity and self-admiration to a realization of his own foolishness and helplessness. The reason for this change is that he is now facing a life-threatening situation. The snake is coiled around his arm, and he is completely helpless. In that moment of extreme danger, he sees the irony of his earlier vanity and smiles at his own foolishness.

Now, question number II in Thinking about the Text. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous? The question gives us some hints about the contrasts between dreams and reality. Let's discuss each point.

Point 1: The kind of person the doctor is versus the kind of person he wants to be. In reality, the doctor is poor - he has only sixty rupees, a few clothes, and one black coat. He is a beginner in his medical practice with meagre earnings. But the person he wants to be is focused on appearance and ambition. He wants to look handsome, he wants to be admired, he wants to make his presence felt. He thinks about growing a moustache, keeping an attractive smile, and marrying a wealthy woman doctor. This contrast between his actual circumstances and his desires creates humour.

Point 2: The person he wants to marry versus the person he actually marries. He wants to marry a fat woman doctor with plenty of money so that she cannot run after him if he makes a mistake. But in reality, he marries a thin, reedy person with the gift of a sprinter - someone who can run very fast! This is hilariously ironic.

Point 3: His thoughts when he looks into the mirror versus his thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm. When looking into the mirror, he thinks about his appearance, his attractiveness, his future marriage plans - all trivial, self-centered thoughts. When the snake is on his arm, his thoughts turn to God, to prayer, to his own mortality. He thinks about writing 'O God' on his heart. The contrast between these two sets of thoughts is both frightening and funny.

Now, students, let's move on to "Thinking about the Language" section.

**Thinking about the Language - Question I**

Here we need to say which sentences tell us about: (a) was afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was no longer afraid of the snake.

Let's go through each sentence:

1. "I was turned to stone." - This shows he was afraid of the snake. He was frozen with fear, like a stone.

2. "I was no mere image cut in granite." - This shows he was no longer afraid of the snake. After the snake left his arm and went towards the mirror, he became active again, a man of flesh and blood, not a stone image.

3. "The arm was beginning to be drained of strength." - This shows he was afraid of the snake. The pressure from the snake's coils was causing him pain and weakness.

4. "I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, 'O God'." - This shows he was afraid. In his fear, he turned to prayer and thought about God.

5. "I didn't tremble. I didn't cry out." - This shows he was afraid. The fact that he mentions he didn't do these things suggests that anyone else would have trembled and cried out. He was so shocked that he couldn't react normally.

6. "I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile." - This shows he was proud of his appearance. He thinks his smile is attractive.

7. "I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood." - This shows he was no longer afraid of the snake. After the snake moved away, he felt alive and active again.

8. "I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!" - This shows he was proud of his appearance and his status. He keeps reminding himself that he is a handsome bachelor and a doctor.

9. "The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water." - This shows he had a sense of humour. The idea that a thief would refuse to steal a dirty vest is funny.

10. "Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?" - This shows he had a sense of humour. He is making fun of his own earlier vanity by imagining the snake doing the same things.

Now, Question II: Expressions used to show fear. We need to find expressions in the story that tell us the author was frightened. Let's complete the sentences:

1. "I was turned to stone." - This is the expression that shows fear. He was frozen with fear.

2. "I sat there holding my breath." - This shows fear. He was so scared that he couldn't even breathe properly.

3. "In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh." - This shows fear. He sat motionless, like a statue, due to fear.

Now, Question III: We need to match the meanings with the words/expressions in italics. Let me explain each one:

1. "I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits." - This means very frightened. The expression "scared out of my wits" means extremely scared, so scared that you can't think properly.

2. "I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge." - This means frightened by something that happens suddenly. "Got a fright" means you were suddenly startled or shocked by something.

3. "He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him." - This means is too scared to move. "Jumped out of his skin" is an expression that means he was extremely frightened, so startled that he almost left his own body!

4. "You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that." - This means makes another feel frightened. "Gave me a fright" means you caused fear in someone else.

5. "Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end." - This means is very frightened. "Make your hair stand on end" is an expression that means something is so scary that your hair literally stands up - very frightened.

6. "Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors." - This means is too scared to move. Being "paralysed with fear" means you are so scared that you cannot move at all.

7. "The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle." - This means is too scared to move. "Not moving a muscle" means completely frozen, not even a tiny movement.

Now, Question IV: Reported questions. This is an important grammar section, students. Let me explain how to report questions.

When we change direct questions into reported speech, we need to remember a few things. If the question can be answered with 'yes' or 'no', we use 'if' or 'whether'. For other questions, we use the question word itself - why, when, where, how, which, or what.

Also, remember that in reported speech, the present tense changes to past tense, and words like here, today, tomorrow, yesterday change to there, that day, the next day, the day before, etc. And I/you change to me/him/he, etc., as necessary.

Now let's practice reporting these questions:

1. Meena asked her friend, "Do you think your teacher will come today?" Reported: Meena asked her friend if/whether he thought his teacher would come that day.

2. David asked his colleague, "Where will you go this summer?" Reported: David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.

3. He asked the little boy, "Why are you studying English?" Reported: He asked the little boy why he was studying English.

4. She asked me, "When are we going to leave?" Reported: She asked me when we were going to leave.

5. Pran asked me, "Have you finished reading the newspaper?" Reported: Pran asked me if/whether I had finished reading the newspaper.

6. Seema asked her, "How long have you lived here?" Reported: Seema asked her how long she had lived there.

7. Sheila asked the children, "Are you ready to do the work?" Reported: Sheila asked the children if/whether they were ready to do the work.

Now, students, let's move to the Speaking activity. The textbook asks you to talk about an incident when you were very scared, using some of the expressions we learned about in exercise III. You can use expressions like "scared out of my wits," "got a fright," "jumped out of my skin," "gave me a fright," "made my hair stand on end," "paralysed with fear," or "not moving a muscle." Try to describe a real incident from your life when you were very scared, using these expressions to make your story more vivid and interesting.

Now, for the Dictation section. The teacher will read the paragraph about the Indian cobra. Let me read it first so you know what to expect:

"The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras' heads. Obviously the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance."

Students, please pay attention while your teacher dictates this paragraph. Write it down carefully with appropriate punctuation marks.

Now, let's look at the Writing activities.

**Writing Question 1:** Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or parts of the story would you leave out?

Students, if we were to remove the humour from this story, we would need to leave out several parts. First, we would remove all the doctor's vanity - his thoughts about looking handsome, his decisions about growing a moustache and keeping an attractive smile. Second, we would remove his ridiculous plan to marry a fat woman so she couldn't catch him. Third, we would remove the humorous descriptions of the snake looking into the mirror and possibly wanting to use eye shadow or wear a vermilion spot. Fourth, we would remove the part about the thief who stole everything but left the dirty vest. Fifth, we would remove the ironic ending where his wife turned out to be thin and fast-running instead of fat. The story would then become a straightforward, terrifying account of a doctor who encounters a snake in his room and manages to escape. It would lose much of its charm and memorability, wouldn't it?

**Writing Question 2:** Read the description given alongside the sketch from a newspaper. Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking into a mirror. Write a paragraph about it.

Students, this is a creative writing exercise. The description says: "THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL - A monkey preens itself using a piece of mirror, in the Delhi ridge. ('To preen oneself' means to spend a lot of time making oneself look attractive, and then admiring one's appearance. The word is used in disapproval.)"

You need to imagine what the monkey is thinking as it looks into the mirror. Is it admiring its own reflection? Is it trying to fix its fur? Is it confused about what it sees? Is it proud of its appearance? Write a paragraph describing this. Try to use some of the expressions we learned about in this chapter, like "scared out of my wits" or "paralysed with fear" - but in a different context, perhaps describing how the monkey feels when it sees its reflection.

Now, students, let's look at the Translation section. This tells us that "The Snake and the Mirror" is a translation from Malayalam by V. Abdulla. The original author is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, a well-known Malayalam writer.

Then there are two translations given from a novel by the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. We need to compare them.

Translation A uses past tense narration - "When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti..." It also has longer, more complete sentences. Translation B uses present tense - "I'm in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls." It has shorter, more incomplete sentences. Translation B also has shorter sentence length overall.

Which translation do you like? Students, you can discuss this in class. Both translations convey the same meaning, but they have different styles. Translation A is more traditional and flowing, while Translation B is more immediate and conversational. Which one do you prefer?

Now, students, we come to the second part of the chapter - the poem "A Legend of the Northland" by Phoebe Cary.

This poem narrates the legend of an old lady who angered Saint Peter because of her greed. Let's read and understand this poem together.

The poem is set in the Northland, which refers to the northern countries like Scandinavia, where the days are very short in winter and the nights are long. The people there harness reindeer to sledges when it snows, and the children look like bear's cubs in their warm, furry clothes.

The story begins with Saint Peter living in the world below - meaning on Earth - and walking about preaching, just as he did. He came to the door of a cottage where a little woman was making cakes and baking them on the hearth. Being faint with fasting - because he had not eaten anything all day - he asked her from her store of cakes to give him a single one.

But students, this woman was very greedy. She made a very little cake, but when she looked at it, it seemed too large to give away. So she kneaded another, and still a smaller one. But when she turned it over, it looked as large as the first had done! Then she took a tiny scrap of dough and rolled and rolled it flat and baked it thin as a wafer - but she couldn't part with that either! She said, "My cakes that seem too small when I eat of them myself are yet too large to give away." So she put them on the shelf and refused to give Saint Peter anything.

Saint Peter grew angry because he was hungry and faint. He said she was far too selfish to dwell in a human form, to have both food and shelter and fire to keep her warm. He punished her by making her build her home like the birds do and get her food by boring, and boring, and boring, all day in the hard, dry wood.

Then up she went through the chimney, never speaking a word, and out of the top flew a woodpecker - for she was changed to a bird! She had a scarlet cap on her head, and that was left the same. But all the rest of her clothes were burned black as a coal in the flame. And every country schoolboy has seen her in the wood, where she lives in the trees till this very day, boring and boring for food.

Now, students, let's answer the questions about the poem.

**Thinking about the Poem - Question I**

1. Which country or countries do you think "the Northland" refers to? The Northland likely refers to the Scandinavian countries in Northern Europe, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, or Denmark, where the days are very short in winter and the nights are long.

2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction? Saint Peter asked the old lady for a single cake from her store of cakes. The lady's reaction was one of extreme greed - she kept making smaller and smaller cakes but couldn't bear to give any of them away.

3. How did he punish her? He punished her by transforming her into a woodpecker. She had to live in the trees and get her food by boring into hard, dry wood all day long.

4. How does the woodpecker get her food? The woodpecker gets her food by boring, and boring, and boring into the hard, dry wood - meaning she drills into trees with her beak to find insects to eat.

5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then? Students, this is a thought-provoking question. If she had known that it was Saint Peter, she would probably have given him a cake eagerly, hoping for a blessing or reward from a saint. She was greedy, but she might have been smart enough to recognize an opportunity for gain. However, the lesson of the story is that her selfishness was punished regardless.

6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important? This is not a true story, students. It is a legend - a traditional story from old times. The most important part is probably the moral of the story - that greed and selfishness are punished, and that we should be generous and kind to others, especially those in need.

7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend? A legend is an old traditional story, often about heroic characters or supernatural events, that has been passed down through generations. This poem is called a legend because it tells a traditional story about Saint Peter and a greedy woman, and it carries a moral lesson.

8. Write the story of 'A Legend of the Northland' in about ten sentences. Students, try to write this story in your own words, including the main events: Saint Peter visits the old woman, asks for a cake, she refuses to give any, Saint Peter gets angry and transforms her into a woodpecker, and she lives in the trees boring into wood for food.

**Thinking about the Poem - Question II**

1. Let's look at the words at the end of the second and fourth lines. We find that 'snows' rhymes with 'clothes', 'true' rhymes with 'you', and 'below' rhymes with 'know'. Find more such rhyming words.

Students, look at the poem and find rhyming words. For example: "few" and "through," "done" and "one," "flat" and "that," "warm" and "form," "word" and "bird," "wood" and "food." There are many such pairs in the poem.

2. Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own language. Tell the class these legends. This is an activity for you to do at home. Try to find legends from your own culture or language - perhaps from your grandmother or grandfather, or from books in your local library. Then share these legends with your classmates.

Now, students, we have covered the entire chapter. Let me give you a complete summary of everything we have learned today.

**Summary of the Lesson:**

Today we studied Chapter 5 from your English Beehive textbook, which consists of two parts.

The first part is the story "The Snake and the Mirror" by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, translated from Malayalam by V. Abdulla. This is a humorous story about a young doctor who encounters a cobra in his room one night. The doctor is a poor man with meagre earnings, but he is very vain about his appearance. While looking into a mirror, he makes several "important" decisions about growing a moustache and keeping an attractive smile. He even thinks about marrying a fat woman doctor so that she cannot run after him if he makes a mistake! When a snake actually lands on his shoulder, he is frozen with fear. Interestingly, the snake becomes distracted by its reflection in the mirror and moves away, allowing the doctor to escape. The story ends with several ironic twists - the doctor marries a thin, fast-running woman instead of a fat one, and when he returns to his room, he finds that a thief has stolen most of his belongings but left behind his dirty vest!

We learned about the themes of vanity, greed, cowardice, and the contrast between appearance and reality. We also learned about various expressions used to show fear, and how to report questions in indirect speech.

The second part of the chapter is the poem "A Legend of the Northland" by Phoebe Cary. This is a ballad that tells the story of a greedy old woman who refused to give Saint Peter even a small cake despite his hunger. As punishment, she was transformed into a woodpecker, forced to live in trees and bore into wood for food. This poem teaches us the moral lesson that greed and selfishness are punished, and that we should be generous to those in need.

We also learned about legends and ballads, and identified rhyming words in the poem.

Students, that concludes our lesson for today. I hope you have understood all the concepts clearly. Please go through the exercises again at home and practice writing your answers. Thank you for being such a wonderful audience. Have a great day, and see you in the next lesson!