God save the Beetle

By Ruskin Bond

➔ For Reference Only-SUMMARY

In this poem, the narrator is worried about a beetle. In the first line itself, he asks for
God’s help. He wants God to give some ‘sense of direction’ to the insect, because the
insect keeps flying in through the open window. However, that is not the only problem.
The narrator’s main concern is that the beetle will drown itself in the fishbowl. The
insect has already fallen into the bowl twice. Each time he had pulled it out of the water
and left him in the garden. But the beetle keeps coming back. As the speaker is getting
ready to go to bed, he observes that the beetle has flown into his room yet again and is
swimming in the fish bowl. He informs the readers that the insect is looking quite tired.
Since the speaker is going to fall asleep soon, there is very little he can do to help the
insect. It is now up to God to make the beetle behave in a more sensible way, so that he
doesn’t disturb the goldfish or drown himself.

➔ GLOSSARY
1. sense of direction- idea of where to go
2. keeps blundering through- here, keeps entering by mistake
3. nervous- tense and worried

➔ COMPREHENSION

A. Tick the correct option

1. The beetle kept
a. bothering the poet.
b. buzzing around the goldfish bowl.
c. entering through the open window.
d. look for something to eat.

2. The poet was worried that the

a. goldfish would eat the beetle.
b. beetle would bite him.
 c. beetle would drown in the goldfish bowl.
d. beetle would harm the goldfish.

3. What had the poet done twice for the beetle?

a. Thrown it out of the window.
b. Allowed it to swim in the bowl.
c. Put it out in the garden.
d. Saved it from the goldfish.

4. The poet asked God to help the beetle because he

a. didn’t want to help the beetle himself.
b. wanted to go to bed.
c. was feeling nervous.
d. thought the beetle was clever.

B. Whom do the underlined words refer to? Write poet, God or

beetle.

1. Who keeps blundering through the open window?

➢ beetle
2. He keeps coming back.
➢ beetle
3. In five minutes’ time I must go to bed.
➢ poet
4. If you don’t get this beetle to look after himself
➢ God

C. Think and answer—Gem Reader Pg 52

Q1.What are the poet’s feelings for the beetle?

The poet feels the beetle has no sense of direction because it keeps entering
through the window. He is a caring person worried about the safety of the
goldfish and the beetle.
➔ —Propel book

1. Why does the beetle enter the room repeatedly?

Ans. The beetle enters the room repeatedly because the poet thinks that it doesn’thave
any sense of direction.

2. Suggest a way by which the poet could have kept the beetle from
entering the room.

Ans. The poet could have closed the window or covered the goldfish bowl.

3. Why is the poet worried about the beetle drowning in the goldfish bowl?
Ans. The poet is worried about the beetle drowning in the goldfish bowl as he has
to go to bed and after that there is no one to look after the beetle. Beetle looks
tired of swimming, beside this the presence of beetle has also made the fish
nervous.

EXTRA QUESTION – ANSWERS

1. Why did the poet ask the god to help the beetle?
The poet asked God to help the beetle because he wanted to sleep.

2. The poet requests the god to help the beetle. What does it tell
us about the speaker?
The poet requests the God to help the beetle tells us that the poet is a kind person

who is annoyed with the beetle, however wants to help it.

3. What according to the speaker makes the goldfish nervous?

The speaker thinks that every time the beetle falls into the goldfish bowl with a
‘plop’, it startles the goldfish and makes the goldfish nervous.
a. Read the lines and answer these questions.

And if you don’t get this beetle To

look after himself, who will?

i. Where is the beetle at this point?

Ans. The beetle is in the goldfish bowl at this point.

ii. Why does the speaker say that the beetle cannot look after
himself?
Ans. The beetle keeps itself into trouble by falling into the goldfish bowl
repeatedly. This is why the speaker says that the beetle cannot look after
himself.

iii. What else is the speaker worried about?

Ans. Besides being worried about the beetle that it may drown and die, the
speaker is worried about the goldfish as, the beetle’s presence in the bowl is
making it nervous.