English-10 Jayshree Periwal High School Handout (2021-22)

Tale of Custard The Dragon by Odgen Nash

1. Who are the characters in the poem? List them with their pet names. (knowledge)

Ans. There are six characters described in the poem. A girl named is Belinda.A black kitten. Her
pet name is Ink. There is a little grey mouse. His pet name is Blink.A little yellow dog
named Mustard. A pet dragon. He is called Custard.And there is a pirate who is killed and
swallowed by the dragon.

2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called the “ cowardly
dragon”? (understanding)

Ans. Custard, the dragon was not conscious of his strength. He was constantly worried about his
safety. It is called a “cowardly dragon” because everyone in the house was very brave such
as Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink could chase lions down the
stairs, Mustard was as brave as a raging tiger, but Custard always cried for a nice safe cage
as it feared a lot and wanted to stay safe from any danger. Outwardly, the dragon had big
sharp teeth. He had spikes on the top and scales underneath. He spat fire and his mouth
looked like a fireplace. He looked very ferocious and strong. Unfortunately, he was not
conscious of his power and strength. He swallowed the pirate but couldn’t convince
himself that he was not a coward.

3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why? (analysis)

Ans. Belinda tickled Custard, the dragon unmercifully because it was always very scared and
cried for a nice safe cage. She rubbed her fingers creating a tingling sensation that would
disturb the dragon and everyone would laugh at its cowardice. Therefore, Belinda always
mocked and tickled Custard. She taunted him for his cowardice and was quite merciless in
tickling, taunting and troubling him.

4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example: “Clashed his tail
like iron in a dungeon”—the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner,
list some more poetic devices used in the poem? (application)

Ans.

1. And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard Simile

2. Mouth like a fireplace Simile

3. Chimney for a nose Metaphor

5. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage Simile

 6. But up jumped Custard snorting like an engine Simile

7. Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon Simile

8. He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm Simile

5. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.

(understanding)

Ans. In the third stanza, the poet describes the appearance of the dragon, Custard. The custard

had big sharp teeth. He had spikes on the top of him. There were scales underneath. His

mouth spat fire and looked like a fireplace. His long nose resembled a chimney. And he had

`daggers’ on his toes.

6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem? (application)

Ans. The rhyme scheme of all the stanzas is the same. The rhyme scheme is: aa, bb

7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean.

Can you trace some images used in the poem? (application0

Ans. Writers often use words and phrases that do not exactly convey a meaning but they are

indicative of their related meanings. Such words or phrases are basically used to trigger our

imagination into thinking and visualizing them like a painting with a hidden meaning. The

poet has used some images in the poem such as: ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a

nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a

robin at a worm’, realio, truly, little pet dragon etc.

8. Describe the outward appearance of Custard, the dragon. Why did he always cry for a nice

safe cage?

Ans. Outwardly, Custard was a picture of power and strength. His teeth were big and sharp.

There were spikes on top of him. His mouth spat fire. He had a big nose that resembled a

chimney. There were daggers on his toes. However, Custard didn’t possess the strength of

character. He lacked courage. He was not the courage of his real strength and always

begged for a nice safe cage for his protection.

9. How did they react when they heard a nasty sound?

Ans. Suddenly, Belinda and her pets heard a nasty sound. They were highly surprised. Mustard

growled and Ink mewed. Belinda, herself gave a cry of disbelief. Actually, it was the sound

of a pirate climbing through the window.

10. Describe the dreadful appearance of the pirate.

Ans. The pirate looked quite dreadful and dominating. He carried a pistol in his left as well as in

right hand. He held a shining dagger in his mouth. His beard was black and one of his legs

was of wood. It seemed that his intentions were terrible.

11. How did Belinda and her pets behave when the pirate was killed?

Ans. Belinda became so happy that she embraced Custard intimately. Her pets also celebrated

the death of the pirate by dancing around Custard joyfully. However, they gave no credit to

Custard for his heroic feat. On the other hand, they indulged in self-praise and self-patting.

12. What lesson or the message does the poet seem to give to the readers?

Ans. The poet gives a definite message. Merely outer appearances and physical strength don’t

make a person brave. One should have the strength of mind and self-confidence to be really

great. The dragon, Custard, had a lot of physical strength and he swallowed the pirate. In

spite of that, he was bullied and mocked for his timidity and cowardly behaviour.

LONG QUESTION AND ANSWER

8. Evaluate Ogden Nash’s ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ as a ballad. What message does

the poet give to the readers in this poem? (analysis)

Ans. Ballads are stories told in verse. Generally, ballads are tales of adventures and heroism. In

the poem, the poet does present the encounter of Custard and the pirate in the typical spirit

of a ballad. The four-line stanzas have the rhyme scheme: aa, bb throughout the poem.

Ogden Nash gives a subtle message to the readers through the fate of Custard, the dragon.

In this world of deceit, self-confidence, self-dependence and self-respect are essentials to

earn your rightful place among your peers. The mere presence of physical strength is not
 enough. The more important point is that you must be conscious of your strength. You

must be fully aware of the fact that many others who are far inferior in strength and power

should have no right to taunt and ridicule you.

9. Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem?

Give reasons to support your answer. (analysis/reflection)

Ans. ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light-hearted and funny poem which was written

in such a way that everyone enjoys it. The poem was composed with a fixed rhyme scheme

that makes it interesting and enjoyable to read. The poet has also used wrong spelling

‘winda’ instead of ‘window’ to maintain the rhyme scheme with ‘Belinda’ in the seventh

stanza. The poet also described the features of Belinda and her pets in a humorous manner.

He compared Belinda’s bravery to a barrel full of bears, her kitten, Ink and mouse, Blink to

be so brave that they could scare a lion down the stairs and her dog, Mustard, was brave

enough like a raging tiger. On the contrary, her dragon Custard was the only one who has

been projected to be a coward who looks for a cage for itself and was made fun of often by

others for its cowardice. However, when the pirate attacked the little house and everyone

was scared, it was the same ‘cowardly’ dragon who saved everyone and jumped snorting

like an engine on the pirate. It clashed its tail and charged towards the pirate like a robin at

a worm and ate him. Although everyone made fun of the little dragon, it proved to be the

bravest of all. Hence, the poem is dramatically ironic which is funny and reflects the fun

and humorous side of the poet.

10 . This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modern song or

lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.

( Application)

Ans. A ballad is a story told in verse or poetry. A ballad is simply a narrative poem or song.

Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Ballad of East and West’, William Butler Yeats’ 'The Ballad of Moll

Magee’ and Ezra Pound’s ‘Ballads of the Goodly Fere’ are some of the famous ballads

written in verse.
11. In spite of being so powerful and displaying rare bravery in killing and swallowing the

pirate, why does the dragon Custard taunt as being a coward always asking for a nice

safe cage?

Ans. No doubt, Custard has a lot of physical strength. Even his exterior was quite formidable. He

had big sharp teeth. There were spikes on his top. There were scales underneath. His

mouth was like a fireplace always spitting fire. He proved his strength and bravery when

he encountered the terrible pirate. The pirate had two pistols and a dagger but failed to

hurt or overpower Custard. The dragon fought valiantly and swallowed the dragon within

no time. Custard is constantly ridiculed and taunted by the weaker and more cowardly pets

of Belinda. The reason was simple. Custard had no self-respect. Nor was he aware of his

great strength. He had a very low opinion of himself. He always asked for a nice safe cage

for his protection. This was the reason that he was always taunted and ridiculed as a

coward.