Class 9th Eng. Poem -5 THE LEGEND OF THE NORTHLAND NCERT/CBSE Based Question and answer, Theme Message Literary devices

Poem -5

The Legend of The Northland by Phoebe Cary 

        

Detailed Summary of the Poem 

In Northland there lived a little woman in a cottage. She was baking delicious cakes in the evening. Saint Peter during his sojourn (a temporary stay, visit) around the world reached her door. He was very tired and hungry as he had been preaching and had not eaten any food. He asked her for a piece of cake. She was an  unkind and close-fisted woman. She therefore tried to bake a small cake to give away. But each time she baked, she felt the cake was too big to give away. Ultimately, she tried to bake a paper thin cake, which also turned big in her estimation. She began to wonder how the cakes that were meant for others seemed big to her. and those that were meant for her to eat seemed very small. The final cake was also put on the shelf. She refused to part with the cakes. This angered the saint, who was hungry and faint. He told nor she deserve to live in a house and have that she did not deserve to be a human being non did for the she would have to build her own house and would have to bore holes in hard dry wood, to acquire the scanty food that Third requires to survive. All of a sudden, a woodpecker flew off from the top of the house. The little woman was turned to a woodpecker, noticed by every school boy as she keeps pecking at the wood in search of food.

Textual Questions and answers

Q1. Which country or countries do you think "the Northland" refers to?

Ans. The Northland refers to the Earth's north polar region which is snow-covered and extremely cold. It includes countries like Poland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, etc.

Q2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction?

Ans. Saint Peter was hungry and tired as he had been travelling all day. He reached the little woman's cottage and asked her for one of the many cakes she was baking. The lady made a small cake for him but then she thought it was too large to give away in charity. She was not ready to part with even the thinnest cake She put away all her cakes on the shelf and didn't give the saint any.

Q3. How did Saint Peter punish the selfish woman?

Ans. Saint Peter cursed the woman that she would be turned into a woodpecker as she was too selfish to live in the human form. She didn't deserve to enjoy the comforts of human life so she would bore the dry and hard trunk of trees laboriously for food

Q4. How does the woodpecker get her food?

Ans. The woodpecker gets her food by boring the hard and dry trunk of trees.

Q5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?

Ans. No, the old lady would not have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was. She would not have behaved selfishly and would have tried to please him. With the hope of getting blessings, she would have given Saint Peter not one but many of her cakes

Q6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?

Ans. No, this is not a true story. It is a folk tale that has been passed from one generation to other.

The most important part of the poem is when Saint Peter curses the greedy woman to be turned into a woodpecker. It conveys a strong message that one must not be greedy and lays emphasis on the values of kindness, charity and generosity.

Q7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?

Ans. A legend is a historical story that may or may not be true. It is passed on from one generation to other. This poem is called a legend because it is narrated to children to teach them moral values. The poet also doesn't believe it to be true.

Q8. Write the story of 'A Legend of the Northland' in about ten lines?

Ans. Once Saint Peter was wandering around the world to preach the word of God. He reached the cottage of a little woman who was baking cakes. Being hungry and tired from travelling, he asked the woman for a single cake. The woman made a little cake for him but thought it was too large to be given in charity. She baked another cake, smaller than the previous one, but this one too seemed to be equally big. She then baked another cake which was as thin as a wafer but she was too selfish to part with even that. Saint Peter became very angry and cursed the woman to be converted into a bird. Immediately, she was turned into a woodpecker and flew out of the chimney and till this day, she lives in the woods, boring the trunks of trees for food.

Extract Questions and Answers

Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe the landscape of Northland as described in the poem?

Ans. The Northland is situated near North Pole. In this land of snow and ice, the days are very short while the nights are too long. People harness the swift reindeer to sledges to travel in the snow. Children are packed with clothes of fur to protect them from the cold. In these clothes, they look like cubs of bears.

Q2. What tale is popular in Northland?

Ans. In Northland, the story of Saint Peter and little woman is very popular. It is an old story but it is doubtful whether it is true. However, the story is passed on from one generation to another to teach moral values to children.

Q3. Why was Saint Peter tired and hungry?

Ans. Saint Peter was one of the apostles of Jesus Christ who had come down to earth to preach the word of God. For this purpose, he often had to cover long distances. Besides, he also had to observe fasts. Hence, he was tired and hungry.

Q4. What happened to the cake every time the old lady tried to bake it?

Ans. The old lady was too greedy to give away anything. When Saint Peter asked the woman for a single cake, she made three cakes for him, the third being thinnest yet she found each of them to be too big to be given away.

Q5. What happened to the little woman when Saint Peter cursed her?

Ans. When Saint Peter cursed the lady, she turned into a bird and flew through the chimney. She became a woodpecker and had a red cap on her head while her body was turned black due to the flames inside the chimney. In addition to that, she was bound to live in the forest and work laboriously to get food.

Q6. Why does the poet tell a story which she does not believe to be true?

Ans. The poet wants to tell the tale of Saint Peter and the little woman although she herself doesn't believe in the authenticity of the story because it conveys a strong message that one must not be greedy and lays emphasis on the values of kindness, charity and generosity. The greedy little woman who didn't want to give even the thinnest cake to the hungry Saint was cursed and punished due to her selfishness.

Q7. Why do the children in Northland look funny?

Ans. The children in the Northland look funny due to the clothes of fur that they wear to protect themselves from the cold weather. In those furry clothes, children look like the cubs of bears.

Q8.What did the little woman feel about the cakes when she ate them herself?

Ans. The little woman was greedy, selfish and miserly. She felt that the cakes which she had made were very small for her to be eaten, but the same cakes appeared to be too large to be given away in charity.

Q9. Describe the appropriateness of the title 'A Legend of the Northland'.

Ans. The title of the poem suggests that the poem is about a legend from the Northland. The authenticity of the tale is unknown but it is passed on from one generation to other for the moral values it emphasises upon. Also, the title contains the name of the setting where the actions take place. Therefore, the title is apt as it introduces the readers to the theme setting of the story.

Q10. Discuss the theme on which the poem is based.

Ans. The poem is based on the theme that greed is an evil trait. Greedy people do not deserve to enjoy the comforts of life and end up being punished. Similarly, the greedy little woman who didn't want to give even the thinnest cake to hungry Saint Peter was cursed and punished due to her selfishness.

Q12. What message does the poet want to deliver to the readers?

Ans. The poet conveys a strong message that one must not be greedy and emphasises on the values of kindness, charity and generosity. Greed is an evil trait which always gets punished. Also, one has to achieve the luxuries of life like food, shelter and warmth through good conduct.

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