Detailed Summary: Anansi and Five | Oxford English for Class 4 PDF Download

Key Points of the Story

• Anansi is a trickster who sometimes appears as a spider and sometimes as a man.
• He faces a problem of hunger and lacks money to feed his family.
• He discovers an angry witch named Five who has a powerful curse against her name.
• Anansi uses the curse to trick villagers and make them disappear.
• He feels guilty about his actions and seeks to undo the curse.
• The witch ultimately forgives him after he expresses his remorse.
• Anansi learns a valuable lesson about kindness and using his cleverness for good.

Detailed Summary

Once upon a time, there was a clever creature named Anansi who could look like a spider, a man, or both. Anansi was very hungry and wanted to get food for his family. He heard that his neighbor, a mean witch named Five, was making powerful magic. Anansi learned that anyone who said the word "five" would disappear forever. He decided to use this magic to trick people and take their food.

At the market, Anansi made five piles of dirt and asked people to help him count his yams. When they said "five," they vanished, and Anansi took their food. He tricked Mrs. Rabbit and Mr. Duck, eating their sweet potatoes and lunch. However, when he tried to trick Mrs. Shrew, she was too smart for him. She carefully counted without saying "five," and when Anansi got upset and forced her to say it, he disappeared instead!

Anansi learned a valuable lesson that day: being greedy and only thinking about himself can cause big problems. The story shows the importance of kindness and caring for others instead of trying to trick them for your own gain.

Theme/Message

The main theme of the story revolves around the consequences of trickery and the importance of kindness. Anansi learns that playing tricks on others can lead to hurt feelings and problems for everyone involved. It teaches us that it is better to use our cleverness to help others rather than to cause trouble.

Difficult Words

• Creature: An animal or living being.
• Anansi: A clever and playful character from African stories.
• Trickster: Someone who likes to play tricks or jokes on others.
• Scowl: A frown or angry look on your face.
• Curse: A magic spell that makes something bad happen.
• Disappear: To vanish or go away so you can no longer see something or someone.
• Peeked: Looked quickly or secretly.
• Fence: A barrier around an area to keep things in or out.
• Muttering: Talking quietly and unclearly.
• Mumbling: Speaking in a low or unclear way.
• Spell: Magic words that create magical effects.
• Sparks: Small bits of fire that fly out when something is burning or when magic happens.
• Stirring: Mixing something, like a liquid, with a stick or spoon.
• Yams: A type of vegetable that people eat.
• Pulses: Edible seeds like beans and lentils.
• Glisten: To shine brightly with a sparkling light.
• Delicacies: Special and tasty foods that are delicious.
• Charming: Being friendly and pleasant to make others like you.
• Greedy: Wanting too much of something, especially food, more than you need.
• Magical: Something that has special powers or seems like magic.
• Burst: A sudden and quick explosion or appearance.