In the Kingdom of Fools Summary Class 9 English Moments Chapter 4

Key Points of the Story

• Reversing Day and Night: The king and his minister decide to enforce an unusual rule in the Kingdom of Fools—night becomes day, and day becomes night, with everyone required to follow this reversed schedule.
• The Guru and Disciple's Arrival: A guru and his disciple visit the kingdom and notice the odd behavior of its inhabitants. The guru senses trouble and quickly leaves, but the disciple stays behind, drawn by the cheap prices.

• The Chain of Accusations: An unusual incident occurs when a thief dies after a wall collapses on him. A series of blame-shifting follows, starting with the merchant and involving several characters, each pointing fingers at the other.
• The Guru and Disciple in Danger: As events spiral, the disciple is unfairly chosen for execution after gaining weight. However, the guru returns to save him and hatches a clever plan to escape their dire situation.
• A Twist in Justice: The guru tricks the foolish king and his minister into executing themselves by convincing them of a mystical rebirth as rulers. The plan works, and the kingdom is left without leadership.
• New Rulers of the Kingdom: In the end, the people, impressed by the wisdom and cunning of the guru and his disciple, make them the new rulers of the Kingdom of Fools.

Detailed summary

• Arrival in the Kingdom of Fools: Once upon a time, a wise guru and his disciple came across a bizarre kingdom where the routine of life was reversed—people and animals worked through the night and rested during the day. Even more strangely, everything in the kingdom, from food to daily essentials, was sold for the same price: one duddu. Though the disciple was lured by the abundance of cheap food, the guru, foreseeing danger in this absurdity, warned him and quickly left the kingdom. The disciple, however, chose to stay, attracted by the novelty and low prices.

• A Curious Incident and a Chain of Blame: One day, a peculiar incident occurred. A thief broke into a wealthy merchant’s house but met an untimely end when a wall collapsed on him. The thief's brother demanded justice from the king, insisting that the merchant be held responsible for the wall’s collapse. In the ensuing investigation, the merchant blamed the bricklayer who had built the wall. The bricklayer, in turn, blamed a dancing girl for distracting him, and the blame kept shifting—from the girl to a goldsmith, and finally, back to the rich merchant's father, who had hurried the goldsmith into completing his work.
• A Foolish Trial and a Dangerous Sentence: After hearing this series of accusations, the foolish king decreed that the current merchant must be punished. However, when they attempted to execute him by impalement, they found him too thin for the stake. In their absurdity, the king ordered his men to find someone who would fit the stake, and the disciple, now well-fed from the kingdom’s cheap food, was chosen.
• The Guru's Clever Rescue: At the moment of crisis, the disciple regretted ignoring his guru's wisdom. Sensing danger, the guru returned and devised a plan to outwit the foolish king. He convinced the king that the stake was magical and that whoever was executed first would be reborn as the king, while the second would become his minister. Greedy for eternal power, the king and his minister decided to take the disciple’s place.
• A New Leadership: Following the king and minister’s execution, the kingdom was left leaderless. Impressed by the guru's wisdom and the disciple’s good fortune, the people of the kingdom offered them the throne. The guru and disciple, now the new rulers, transformed the kingdom into a place of true justice and wisdom.

Theme/ Message

Themes

• Deception and Justice: The story illustrates how cunning and deception can manipulate systems of justice. Each character in the blame chain tries to deflect responsibility, but in the end, the guru's cleverness determines the final outcome.
• Consequences of Greed: Greed drives the king and his minister to seek eternal rulership through a mystical rebirth, leading to their downfall. Their desire for power blinds them to the reality of the situation.
• Manipulation and Power Dynamics: The guru’s manipulation of the king and minister highlights how power can shift depending on who holds wisdom and cunning. The story emphasizes how easily the foolish can be deceived.
• Wisdom and Folly: The story contrasts the wisdom of the guru with the foolishness of the king and his people. It underscores how wisdom and insight can navigate even the most absurd situations, turning folly into fortune.

Message

The story serves as a parable about the importance of wisdom, foresight, and the consequences of greed. It teaches that those who lack judgment can be easily manipulated, while those with wisdom and clarity of thought can prevail, even in the most bizarre circumstances. Justice, in the story, is a fluid concept that can be manipulated, suggesting that true wisdom lies in understanding how to navigate systems of power and influence.

Glossary

1. Accuse - To say that someone has done something wrong or illegal.
2. Bailiff - A law officer who ensures that court decisions are followed.
3. Bricklayer - Someone whose job is to build things with bricks.
4. Burglar - A person who illegally enters buildings to steal things.
5. Clamour - To demand something loudly.
6. Compensate - To give someone something, usually money, for loss or damage.
7. Complicate - To make something more difficult to understand or deal with.
8. Criminal - A person who has done something against the law.
9. Decisively - Doing something in a way that shows confidence and clear choices.
10. Decree - An official order by someone in power.
11. Delight - A strong feeling of happiness.
12. Distracted - Not able to pay attention because you're thinking of something else.
13. Execution - The act of killing someone as a legal punishment.
14. Fragile - Easily broken or damaged.
15. Goldsmith - A person who makes things out of gold.
16. Guilty - Having done something wrong or illegal.
17. Highness - A title used for someone of royal rank.
18. Impaling - To stick a sharp object through something.
19. Impatient - Not willing to wait for something or someone.
20. Injustice - When things aren't fair or just.