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How the Camel Got his Hump Summary Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1

Introduction

The story “How the Camel got his hump” by Rudyard Kipling takes us to the time when the world had just begun. At that time, the animals worked for the humans, except for one lazy animal named Camel. He always said one word, “Humph!” when anyone said anything to him. Due to his repeated chanting of the word “Humph!”, he ended up getting a hump (or humph) on his back, which he was earlier quite proud of. Now, he carries it everywhere and has even started working.  


Summary

The poem describes a story about how the camel got his hump. The poet says that at the beginning of the world, everything was new. The animals had just started to work for human beings. The story is about a camel who lived in the middle of a Howling Desert. He ate sticks and thorns and was not interested to work for anyone. Whenever anyone spoke to him, he would say ‘Humph!’.

On a Monday morning, the horse went to him. He told him to come out and sprint. But the camel, as usual, said ‘Humph!’. The horse told this to the man. After some time, a dog came to the camel and asked him to work. But again, the camel said ‘Humph!’. Later, the Ox came to him. As per his habit, the camel replied ‘Humph!’ to him too.How the Camel Got his Hump Summary Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1

The man summoned the horse, the dog, and the Ox. He asked them about the camel. All three animals told him what had happened. Even after hearing them, the man asked them to work double-time in order to compensate for the camel’s work. This made all three of them furious and angry. They decided to held a panchayat. In the panchayat, came the Djinn of All Deserts.

During the panchayat, the horse complained about the camel to the Djinn. He told him that the camel would not work and only say ‘Humph!’ all the time. The Djinn promised them that he will set the camel right.

The Djinn found the camel in the desert where he was looking at his reflection in the water. He asked the camel to work but as usual, the camel said ‘Humph!’. As soon as the camel uttered these words, he saw his beautiful back puffing up. This was very strange. The camel was very proud of his beautiful back but now it became ugly.

The Djinn explained to the camel that it was his own hump. He is only responsible for this as he did not work. The Djinn now asked the camel to work but he said he can’t work due to this hump. He told the camel that as he did not work for three days, with this hump he can now work for three days without eating or drinking. From that day, the camel has a hump but still, it has not learned to behave.

How the Camel Got his Hump Summary Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1

Message

The story is a lesson to the students and tells them not to waste their time. Anyone who is lazy and does not carry out their duties, suffers at the end.


Theme

The poet has taught everyone that from infanthood to old age, one will get a hump if they are always sitting idly.  The poem encourages action as opposed to sitting idly. Work is the only form of redemption. This is the theme of the poem. It urges the readers to not succumb to lethargy. The poem encourages us to not be content with minimal work, and we must be able to perform more than enough.  


Word Meanings

  1. Howling Desert- a desert where you hear howling noises of both animals and the wind
  2. Thorns– a stiff, sharp-pointed woody projection on the stem or other part of a plant
  3. Prickles– a short pointed outgrowth on the bark or epidermis of a plant; a small thorn 
  4. Saddle– a seat fastened on the back of a horse or other animal for riding, typically made of leather and raised at the front and rear
  5. Trot– run at moderate pace with short steps
  6. Fetch– go and then bring back (something) for someone
  7. Yoke– a wooden cross piece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull
  8. Cud– partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the mouth for further chewing
  9. Djinn: (pronounced ‘jin’ and variously spelt as ‘genie’, ‘genii’, ‘jinnee’, ‘djinni’, ‘djinny’): a spirit that has strange powers and can assume any form, human or animal
  10. Whew– used to express surprise
  11. I’ll humph him: I’ll deal with him appropriately./I’ll set him right.  
  12. Puffing up– becoming bigger
The document How the Camel Got his Hump Summary Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1 is a part of the Class 8 Course English (It so Happened) Class 8.
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FAQs on How the Camel Got his Hump Summary Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1

1. What is the story "How the Camel Got his Hump" about?
Ans. "How the Camel Got his Hump" is a story about a lazy camel who refuses to do any work for the man. As a result, the man curses the camel with a hump on his back, which ultimately teaches him the value of hard work.
2. How does the camel get his hump in the story?
Ans. In the story, the camel gets his hump when the man curses him for refusing to do any work. The man tells the camel that he will have to work for three days straight without eating or drinking, and as a result, the camel's laziness is transformed into a hump on his back.
3. How does the camel's hump affect him?
Ans. The camel's hump affects him by making it harder for him to do work. Initially, the camel enjoys showing off his hump, but soon realizes that it is a burden. The hump makes it difficult for him to bend down and reach food, and it also causes him to become tired more quickly.
4. What lesson does the camel learn from his hump?
Ans. The camel learns the importance of hard work from his hump. He realizes that laziness leads to consequences, and that it is better to work diligently than to suffer the consequences of being lazy. The camel ultimately becomes a hardworking animal after experiencing the burden of his hump.
5. What is the moral of the story "How the Camel Got his Hump"?
Ans. The moral of the story is that laziness leads to negative consequences, while hard work brings rewards. It teaches the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and the value of diligence in achieving success.
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