THE LEGEND OF NORTHLAND-

THE LEGEND OF NORTHLAND-

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS

I.1. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?

 Ans. ‘The Northland’ refers to Northland country.

2. What did St. Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?

Ans. St. Peter asked the old lady for a cake from her store of cakes. The lady was very greedy. She made a small cake for him. But it seemed to her too big to be given. In the end, she made a very small and thin cake. But she did not give even that cake to St. Peter. She put it on the shelf.

3. How did Saint Peter punish the lady?

Ans. Saint Peter was hungry and tired. He demanded a cake from the lady. The lady was greedy. She did not give him any cake. lie became angry. He cursed the old lady to be changed into a bird. She changed into a woodpecker and flew out of the chimney

4. How does the woodpecker get her food?

Ans: The woodpecker has a long beak. With this beak, it keeps boring into the dry wood all day. Only then it gets its food.

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

Ans: The lady was very greedy. It is very difficult to say what she would have done if she had known the man was Saint Peter. Perhaps she would have given him a very small cake to eat.

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

Ans: It is not a true story. It is a legend meant to teach a moral. It is a legend of an old woman who was very greedy. The most important part of the poem is when the old woman is punished for being greedy, Saint Peter curses her to be changed into a bird.

Go to the Extra Questions and Notes of “The Snake and the Mirror”

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

Ans: A legend is an old story handed from generation to generation. This story may or may not be true. The poetess herself says, “I don’t believe it’s true.” It is a legend from Northland. It teaches a moral lesson that one must not be greedy.

8. Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten lines.

Ans:  It is the story of the time when Saint Peter lived on the earth. One day he was walking about in Northland. He had kept a fast on that day. So he was weak and tired. He reached the door of a little cottage. He saw that a woman was making cakes. He requested the woman to give him a cake. She was very greedy. She did not want to give big cakes to Saint Peter. So she made a small cake for him. But she thought that it was also very big. Then she made a smaller cake for him. But she thought it was of the same size as before. So she made a very small and thin cake for him. But as she was greedy, she did not give even this cake to him. She placed it on the shelf. Saint Peter became very angry. He gave a curse to the lady to have come to a bird.

II (i) Let’s look at words at the end of second and fourth lines, viz., snows’ and ‘clothes’, ‘true and ‘you’, `below’ and ‘know’. We find that ‘snows’ rhymes with ‘clothes’, ‘true’ rhymes with `You’ and `below’ rhymes with `know’.

Find more such rhymes words.

(ii) Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own language. Tell the class these legends.

Ans: Self Attempt