On the Grasshopper and Cricket – Class 8 English NCERT Solutions

Explore the solutions for “On the Grasshopper and Cricket,” Class 8 English NCERT. This beautiful poem by John Keats teaches us an important lesson about nature’s continuous cycle and eternal beauty. The poem shows how nature’s music never stops – when one creature rests, another begins its song. This teaches children about persistence, adaptability, and finding beauty in all seasons of life.

Summary of the Poem

The poem “On the Grasshopper and Cricket” beautifully describes how nature’s poetry continues throughout the year. In hot summer, when birds rest quietly in the shade, the grasshopper keeps singing cheerfully from hedge to hedge. When winter comes and frost silences everything, the cricket takes over with its warm, pleasant song. Through this simple observation, Keats shows that nature’s music never dies – it just changes its musicians with the seasons.

कविता का सारांश

कविता “On the Grasshopper and Cricket” प्रकृति के निरंतर संगीत का सुंदर वर्णन करती है। गर्मियों में जब पक्षी गर्मी से थककर पेड़ों की छाया में विश्राम करते हैं, तब झींगुर खेतों में एक झाड़ी से दूसरी झाड़ी तक खुशी से गाता रहता है। जब सर्दियों में पाला सब कुछ शांत कर देता है, तब झिल्ली अपने गर्म, मधुर गीत से वातावरण को जीवंत कर देती है। इस सरल टिप्पणी के माध्यम से, कीट्स दिखाते हैं कि प्रकृति का संगीत कभी नहीं मरता – यह केवल मौसम के साथ अपने गायकों को बदल देता है।

Word Meanings

Working with the Poem

1. Find in the poem lines that match the following:

(i) The grasshopper’s happiness never comes to an end.
(ii) The cricket’s song has a warmth that never decreases.

The matching lines from the poem are:

• For the grasshopper’s endless happiness: “In summer luxury — he has never done with his delights”. This line beautifully captures how the grasshopper continues to enjoy summer endlessly, jumping and singing without any pause in its joy.
• For the cricket’s warming song: “The cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever”. This line shows how the cricket’s melody brings warmth to cold winter evenings, and its comforting sound grows warmer as it continues to sing.

2. Which word in stanza 2 is opposite in meaning to ‘the frost’?

In stanza 2, the word ‘warmth’ appears as the opposite of ‘frost’. While frost represents the cold, freezing temperatures of winter that bring silence to nature, warmth suggests comfort, life, and heat. This contrast is particularly meaningful as it shows how the cricket’s song brings warmth to the cold winter evening, creating a beautiful balance in nature. The poet deliberately uses these opposing words to emphasize how life and song continue even in the coldest conditions.

3. The poetry of the earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons. Mention each with its representative voice.

The poetry of earth continues through two main seasons with different natural musicians:

• Summer: The grasshopper is the voice of summer. When the hot sun makes birds seek shelter, the grasshopper takes center stage, hopping from hedge to hedge in the meadows, singing tirelessly and enjoying the summer’s luxury.
• Winter: The cricket becomes nature’s musician in winter. When frost brings silence to the world, the cricket’s warm song emerges from near the stove, filling the quiet winter evenings with its cheerful music.

5. Discuss with your partner the following definition of a poem:

A poem is made of words arranged in a beautiful order. These words, when read aloud with feeling, have music and meaning of their own.

This definition perfectly captures the essence of poetry. Let’s understand why:

• A poem is more than just random words – it’s like a carefully arranged musical composition where each word is chosen and placed with purpose.
• When we read a poem aloud, it creates a special rhythm and music, just like a song. The words flow together in a way that regular sentences don’t.
• The meaning in poetry goes deeper than just the words’ dictionary definitions. Each word and phrase can paint pictures in our minds and stir our emotions.
• Poems often use special techniques like rhyme, rhythm, and metaphors to make their message more powerful and memorable.
• Just like music can make us feel different emotions, poems too can make us feel happy, sad, thoughtful, or inspired when read with feeling.

6. ‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made of, as suggested in the poem?

According to the poem, ‘the poetry of earth’ is made of nature’s own music and sounds:

• It comes from the cheerful songs of small creatures like the grasshopper and cricket
• It’s made up of natural sounds that continue throughout the year – the grasshopper’s chirping in summer and the cricket’s song in winter
• It includes the sounds of life that persist through different seasons – even when birds are quiet and frost brings silence
• This poetry is made of the eternal cycle of nature’s voices, where one musician (the grasshopper) passes the baton to another (the cricket)
• Most importantly, it’s composed of the never-ending symphony of nature that keeps playing regardless of the season or weather