The Tale of Custard the Dragon (Poem) Question Answer – Class 10 English

Thinking about the Poem

1. Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.

2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called "cowardly dragon"?

Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he thought of himself as timid and wanted to feel protected. Everyone else in the house boasted of being brave: Belinda was "as brave as a barrel full of bears", Ink and Blink "chased lions down the stairs" and Mustard was "as brave as a tiger in a rage". Compared with them, Custard seemed scared, so he was called a "cowardly dragon". The irony is that he alone turns out to be truly brave when the pirate attacks.

3. "Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…" Why?

Belinda tickled Custard mercilessly to tease and make fun of him. Custard was a dragon with big sharp teeth, spikes and daggers on his toes, yet he cried for a nice safe cage like a coward. Belinda found this funny, so she tickled him without mercy, while Ink, Blink and Mustard rudely called him "Percival" and they all sat laughing in the little red wagon.

4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example: "Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon" — the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?

5. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.

In stanza three the poet makes Custard look fierce and frightening. He has "big sharp teeth", spikes on top of his body and scales underneath. His mouth is "like a fireplace" and he has a "chimney for a nose", which suggests he can breathe out fire and smoke. He also has "realio, trulio daggers on his toes", meaning his claws are as sharp as daggers. This dangerous appearance makes it funny that he is the "coward" of the house.

6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?

The poem is written in rhyming couplets, so most stanzas follow the rhyme scheme aabb.

• Stanza 1: house / mouse (a a), wagon / dragon (b b) — aabb
• Stanza 2: Ink / Blink (a a), Mustard / Custard (b b) — aabb
• Stanza 4: bears / stairs (a a), rage / cage (b b) — aabb
• Stanza 13 (the six-line stanza): Mustard / flustered (a a), Blink / think (b b), agree / me (c c) — aabbcc

7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?

Some vivid images in the poem are:

• "Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose" — a dragon breathing fire and smoke.
• "And realio, trulio daggers on his toes" — sharp, dagger-like claws.
• "Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears" — a picture of great, wild strength.
• "For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda" — a sudden, frightening intruder.
• "Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, / And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright, / His beard was black, one leg was wood" — a fearsome pirate.
• "Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, / And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed" — the "brave" pets quietly slipping away and hiding.
• "But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine, / Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon" — the dragon charging into battle.
• "He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm" — Custard attacking the pirate swiftly and easily.
• "Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate / Around the dragon that ate the pirate" — the pets dancing in joy.

8. Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted, humorous poem. It is written as a ballad but is close to a parody: the hero is a "cowardly" dragon who cries for a cage, and the "brave" animals run away at the first sign of danger. Funny names like Ink, Blink, Mustard, Custard and "Percival" add to the fun. Nash uses invented words such as "realio, trulio", "winda" and "mouseholed", and comic sounds like "Weeck!" and "Meowch!". Even the fight ends comically, with Custard gobbling the pirate "every bit" and "No one mourned for his pirate victim". At the end, the pets boast again and Custard humbly agrees that everybody is braver than him. Beneath the fun lies a simple message that real courage is shown in action, not in boasting, but the tone throughout remains playful.

9. This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modern song or lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.

Yes. A well-known modern example is Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane", which tells the story of the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongly jailed for murder. Like a ballad, it has a clear story, a strong rhythm and a repeated line ("Here comes the story of the Hurricane"). In Assam, old folk ballads such as Manikonwar and Phulkonwar (sung as Manikonwar–Phulkonwar geet) also tell the stories of princes in song.

For the project, collect such songs in a scrapbook. For each song, write the title, the singer or writer, the language, a three-line summary of the story it tells and the lesson it gives.

Tip: you may also tell the story of a song you have heard at home or in school, such as a folk song your grandparents sing.

Writing

Have fun writing your ballad. Gather information (choose/decide an idea/theme), organise your materials under characters and story and then write. Revise and edit your ballad to make it entertaining. Use the following guidelines to write your ballad.

• Purpose of writing the ballad: to entertain and interest
• To whom I am writing: decide for whom you are writing
• How should I structure features?:
  • Tell a simple narrative
  • A few major characters
  • A strong rhythm and rhyme
  • May have a refrain (single or two line(s) repeated often)
  • Divide into verses

Plan — Purpose: to entertain. Readers: my classmates. Characters: Ronu the boy, Moni the brave-talking goat, and a timid little frog named Bheku. Story: a flood comes to the village; the boastful goat panics, and the timid frog saves the day. Refrain: "But Bheku the frog just croaked in fear."

The Ballad of Bheku the Frog

Ronu lived in a hut by the river so wide,
With a goat named Moni who was full of pride,
And a little green frog who lived in a jar,
Who was scared of the moon and scared of a star.
But Bheku the frog just croaked in fear.

Moni would boast, "I can butt down a tree!
No tiger or flood can frighten me!"
Ronu would laugh, "I'm a hero too,
I can swim the river and back to you!"
But Bheku the frog just croaked in fear.

One night the rains came down with a roar,
The river crept in through the kitchen door,
The water rose high, to the shelf, to the bed,
"Help! Help!" cried Ronu. "We'll drown!" he said.

Moni gave one bleat and jumped on the roof,
Shaking with fright from her horns to her hoof,
But Bheku hopped out with a croak and a cheer,
"Follow me, follow me! The high ground's near!"

He swam through the dark like a fish in a stream,
And Ronu swam after, as if in a dream,
They reached the old temple up on the hill,
Where the water was low and the night was still.

Now Moni still boasts that she's brave as can be,
And Ronu still says he can swim any sea,
They pat little Bheku and laugh, "Oh dear!"
But Bheku the frog just croaks in fear.

Tip: you may also write a ballad about a school picnic, a lost kite or a clever village boy, keeping the rhyme in couplets and adding a refrain.