Dad and the Cat and the Tree Summary Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 7

Introduction

This poem tells the story of a humorous encounter. One early morning, a cat attempted to climb a tree but failed and became trapped. The family's father assumed responsibility for assisting the cat in descending. His wife warns him not to fall, but he is too self-assured and disregards her.

Summary

This morning a cat got

Stuck in our tree.

Dad said, “Right, just

Leave it to me.” 

Explanation of the Poem –  The incident took place in the morning when a cat got stuck in the tree present in the poet’s house. The poet’s dad saw the cat who was in trouble and told the other members of the family to leave the task of rescuing the cat to him. He meant to say that he would surely get the cat to safety.

The tree was wobbly,

The tree was tall.

Mum said, “For goodness’

Sake don’t fall!”

Explanation of the Poem –  The poet in this stanza describes the tree. The tree was tall and wobbly, meaning that it was risky for a middle-aged man like the father to climb it. That is why the mother is introduced in this stanza. As a caretaker of the family, she will naturally be worried for her husband’s safety. She said the phrase ‘for goodness’ sake’ which clearly indicated that she was protesting or she was against the idea of her husband climbing an unsteady tree. She asks him to be careful and to not fall off.

“Fall?” scoffed Dad,

 “A climber like me?

Child’s play, this is!

You wait and see.” 

Explanation of the Poem –  When the father heard her wife’s warning, he scoffed and gave a light-hearted reply. He told her that a climber like him would never fall off a wobbly tree. In other words, we can say that he was trying to show his family that he was brave and nothing could hurt. He wanted to see them be proud of him. He said that climbing a tall, wobbly tree was a child’s play, and he told them to wait and see how heroically he rescues the cat.

He got out the ladder

From the garden shed.

It slipped. He landed

In the flower bed. 

Explanation of the Poem –  In this stanza, dad brings out the ladder from the garden shed. He placed it and climbed it. However, the ladder wasn’t placed properly. When he climbed it, the ladder slipped and he fell. He landed right on the flower bed of the garden.

“Never mind,” said Dad,

Brushing the dirt

Off his hair and his face

And his trousers and his shirt,

Explanation of the Poem –  Dad didn’t let this failure demotivate. He said never mind as he removed the dirt off his hair and face and clothes. This meant that he was getting ready for a second attempt.

“We’ll try Plan B.

Stand Out of the way!”

Mum said, “Don’t fall

Again, O.K.?”

Explanation of the Poem –  Dad said that he would try Plan B. He told everyone to stand out of the way so that nothing could stop him or hinder his plan. The mother, who became more anxious due to the fall, pleaded with him to not fall again.

“Fall again?” said Dad.

“Funny joke!”

Then he swung himself up

On a branch. It broke.

Explanation of the Poem –  Dad replied that him falling again was a joke, meaning that it would be impossible. He then tried to save the cat for the second time. He swung himself up on a branch. However, the branch was too weak to support his weight, which is why it broke and he fell again.

Dad landed wallop

Back on the deck.

Mum said, “Stop it,

You’ll break your neck!” 

Explanation of the Poem –  He now landed heavily on the ground. The mother, who was first just worried, is now shocked and scared for the father’s life. She expresses this by telling the father to stop climbing the tree or he’ll break his neck.

“Rubbish!” said Dad.

“Now we’ll try Plan C.

Easy as winking

To a climber like me!” 

Explanation of the Poem –  The father didn’t pay much attention to his wife. Instead, he said that she was saying rubbish things and that climbing a tree was as easy as winking to a great climber like him. He means to say that he was such a great climber that he could easily climb a wobbly tree just he could easily wink.

Then he climbed up high

On the garden wall.

Guess what?

He didn’t fall! 

Explanation of the Poem –  The father then goes on to try out his Plan C, which is his third attempt to rescue the cat. He climbed up the tall garden wall and climbed till he reached the top of the wall. The poet here introduces a twist here – we were expecting the father to fall from the garden wall, but he didn’t. What the poet tries to tell is that when we are determined to do something even though we fail a lot of times, we tend to succeed because we learn from our mistakes. The father tried his best to learn from his mistakes and chose the best possible way to save the cat. That is why he didn’t fall.

He gave a great leap

And he landed flat

In the crook of the tree-trunk —

Right on the cat! 

Explanation of the Poem –  The father then gave a great leap towards the tree. Then, he landed in a horizontal position on the bend of the tree-trunk, on which the cat was sitting. He thus landed right on top of the cat he wanted to rescue.

The cat gave a yell

And sprang to the ground,

Pleased as Punch to be

Safe and sound. 

Explanation of the Poem –  When the father landed onto the cat, the cat yelled as it was surprised and hurt by the father’s weight. It then jumped rapidly towards the ground. It was now not stuck from the tree. The cat was feeling very pleased as it was on the ground safe and sound.

So it’s smiling and smirking,

Smug as can be,

But poor old Dad’s

Still Stuck Up The Tree! 

Explanation of the Poem –  trouble now. It is feeling great satisfaction to see the hero being stuck up the tree. The cat is laughing at the father while being on the ground, whereas the father is now in trouble because he is the one who is stuck up the tree.

Theme/Message

The theme of this poem can be interpreted as the humorous exploration of overconfidence and the consequences of not heeding warnings or being adequately prepared. It showcases the folly of underestimating challenges and overestimating one's abilities, leading to comical mishaps and the need for alternative solutions. Additionally, the poem emphasizes the importance of listening to advice and being cautious, as well as the irony of the situation where despite the protagonist's attempts to rescue the cat, he ends up being the one in need of rescue.

List of Difficult Words With Meanings

dad: informal way of saying father

leave it to me: you can count on me, I’ll be responsible for it

smirking: smiling while evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness

smug: having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements.

sprang: move or jump suddenly or rapidly upwards or forwards.

pleased as Punch: very pleased

safe and sound: unhurt

leap: jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force.

flat: in or to a horizontal position.

crook: bend