Summary: Poem - On the Grasshopper and Cricket Notes | Study English Class 8 - Class 8

This nature poem draws attention to the musical notes of birds and insects going on forever. This music is provided by the grasshopper on hot summer noon and by the cricket in cold winter. Thus, every season has its own kind of joy and music.

On a hot summer day, the birds seek shelter in the cool shade of trees. But it is time for merry making for the grasshopper. He flies from one fence to another singing all the time. When he is weary of singing, he rests under some wild plant.

The birds remain silent and hide in winter. Also on a frosty day there is utter silence on all sides. Then suddenly the silence is broken by the song of a cricket. Its voice comes from a pile of stones. Thus, the music of the earth is endless.

To a person feeling sleepy, the cricket's sound appears to be coming from distant grassy hills.

Notes For the Teacher

• This poem is relatively difficult. The difficulty lies in its brevity of expression and complexity of thought.
• The introductory note and activities under working with the poem should be done elaborately adding additional explanatory notes/tasks, wherever necessary.
• Compare it with The Ant and the Cricket to bring out differences of style and theme clearly with examples.
• To concretise ‘the poetry of earth’ or ‘the sounds of nature’, use the poem given below, which is all about animal cries.
  Ask children to rearrange the lines taking note of the words that rhyme. The last line of each stanza begins with ‘But’.
  Cows moo.Lions roar.
  But I speak.
  Bears snore.
  Doves coo.
  Crickets creak.
  Dogs growl.Horses neigh.
  But I talk.
  Wolves howl.
  Donkeys bray.
  Parrots squawk.