The Mountain And The Squirrel
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Poem:
"The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter
'Little prig'.
Bun replied,
'You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it is no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry:
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track.
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.' "
Summary of the Poem;
It is a fable to teach us a moral that each and everything - small or big - is equally important to form the world and as well as the universe. There are two characters in the poem. There is a mountain symbolising the bigger things. There is a squirrel which symbolise the smaller things of the world.
Once the mountain and the squirrel had a fight. The mountain considered the squirrel an annoying person who has a superior attitude. The the squirrel answered him that the mountain is undoubtedly very big but all types of things are equally important to make a year and an earth. There is no feeling of disgrace to be oneself as it is. The mountain is large and huge but it is not as active as the squirrel is. The mountain can carry forest on it and make nice squirrel track too. But it can not crack a nut as the squirrel does.
a. The mountain and the squirrel disagreed with each other. [✓]
b. The mountain was rude to the squirrel. [✓]
c. The squirrel was rude to the mountain. [x]
d. The squirrel doubted that the mountain was large. [x]
e. The squirrel praises the squirrel track that the mountain makes. [✓]
f. The squirrel believed that being small is better than being large. [x]
2. Pick out and list three pairs of opposites from the poem.
= The three pairs of opposites from the poem are - former and latter; year and sphere; large and small.
3. Read these lines and answer the following questions:
a. "The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter
'little prig'."
i) Who are the characters in these lines?
= The characters are - the mountain and the squirrel.
ii) What was the quarrel about?
= The quarrel was about the size and significance of them.
iii) Who called whom 'little prig'?
= The mountain called the squirrel 'little prig'.
b. "But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere."
i) Who says these lines and to whom?
= The Squirrel says these lines to the mountain.
ii) What makes up a year? Why does the speaker refer to a year?
= All the sorts of things and whether make up a year. As the year is contained with so many things big and small, we can not deny anything to emphasize on each and everything the speaker refers to a year.
iii) What is the 'sphere' that the speaker refers to?
= The speaker refers to the world itself.
4. The Squirrel lists two things it can do that the mountain cannot. Which are these two things?
= The two things that the Squirrel can that the mountain cannot are -
i) Squirrel can spry.
ii) It can crack a nut.
5. What does the Squirrel mean by saying "If I am not so large as you, You are not so small as I"?
= The Squirrel means to say they are two individual creation of nature with different shape-size and characteristic features. To be large or to be small is of no glory to brag about oneself.
6. ''All is well and wisely put." Who has put things wisely and well? What would happen if everyone had the same talents?
= The Almighty God, the creator of this very world, has put things wisely and well.
If everyone had the same talents, the world would have not run so smoothly as of now. Every creations of God, having different talents, can help others and substitute their needs.
7. What do you think the mountain would have said in reply to the Squirrel?
= I think the mountain would have understood and said the Squirrel not to fight anymore and they became friends forever.
8. A fable is a short story that has a moral. Is the poem a fable? Give reasons for your answer.
= Yes, the poem is a fable of its own kind as it has two animal characters. It also has moral conveyed in it. It makes us learn the significance of each and every creation of God.