(POEMS) Chapter-9 The Spider And The Fly (Important Questions)

Question - 1

  Briefly mention the ways in which the spider tries to entice the fly in Mary Howitt's poem "The Spider and the Fly".

 Answer :-   In Mary Howitt's poem "The Spider And The Fly" the spider invites the fly to come into his parlour and tries to convince her by saying that it is not only the prettiest parlour but it is filled with "many pretty things". The fly replies that it's no good inviting her because she knows full well that anybody who goes in, never comes out.

                    The spider tries to lure the fly enticingly by saying that she may come in his chamber and take rest on his comfortable little bed. The fly's reply is that those who sleep on his bed never wake again. The spider now takes flattery. He calls the fly his friend and tries to assure the fly that he feels a warm affection for her. He tries to tempt her with the offer of nice food from his pantry whereupon she blatantly refuses. The spider then begins flattering the fly by calling her sweet, witty and wise. He goes to the extent of extolling and admiring her beautiful wings and brilliant eyes. He tells her obsequiously to look upon her in his mirror. The naive, innocent and gullible fly feels flattered. She thanks him for appreciating her and says she will call on him another day.

     
Question -2 

  What makes the fly lose its ground and end being trapped in the spider's net?

   Answer :-   In his beast fable "The Spider and the fly", the poet shows how the innocent and gullible can be won over by the wily and wicked predators abound in society.
             
                       In this poem the poor fly was carried away by the flattering words of the cunning spider. The repeated flattery of the spider made her unaware of the impending danger coming into her life. She was far away from the world of reality and falls heading into the illusory world of fantasy. While she was engrossed in thinking of her crested head, her brilliant eyes , her green and purple hue the spider was biding his time to drag her up into his "dismal den". The innocent fly seemed to be drawn to the trap quite unwittingly - the trap as set by the spider. The fly - "a poor foolish thing" became a victim of flattery at the cost of her life.

(THE TEMPEST) - Significance of Caliban in Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

Significance Of Caliban

    Caliban is a unique creation of Shakespeare's fecund poetical imagination. He belongs to the world of the of poet's flight of fancy. All the characters in The Tempest belong to the world of reality save and except Ariel and Caliban. Of course the character of Caliban is a perfect foil to that of Ariel. If Ariel is of the air airy, Caliban is of the earth earthy.

    Caliban is presented to us as the son of Sycorax, a witch- a deformed slave a demi- devil. He has been wonderfully conceived as the embodiment of all that is gross and earthy- "a sort of creature of the earth". The complexity of the character befuddles our mind. According to Prof. Wilson "Caliban is Shakespeare's portrait of the missing link between brute and man". Though Caliban has no direct connection with the action of the play he is integral to the purpose of the play.

     Caliban is Shakespeare's "noble savage". A complex character Caliban combines in him all the features of a monster, a slave and savage. The portrait of Caliban with his loyality to the drunkard , his adoration of valour, his love of natural beauty, and a feeling for music and poetry and the simple cunning and savagery of his attempts at revenge and escape - all this shows a sympathetic understanding of uncivilized man.

     In the depiction of Caliban, Shakespeare has given his humorous criticism of the theory of noble savage. In the point of fact, Caliban is the representative of the disinherited natives. His hatred of Prospero, his adoration of Stephano as a god, are the things to which every colonizer of the day testified. All these are contrary to the theory of the virtues of the 'noble savage'. Caliban's words are remarkably relevant. "You taught me language; and my profit on it is, I know how to curse". If Prospero represents the light of civilization, Caliban represents its darkness. After Caliban is taught to use language he is moulded in the image of the colonizer.  On a symbolic plane Caliban is Nature. He is opposed to Nurture.

     In the play "The Tempest Caliban has played the three parts - the monster, the slave, the colonized to perfection.