CBSE Class 10 Answered

Hi Kriya

Both the poems ‘The Spider and the Fly’ and ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ have a similar message. The underlying theme in both the poems is that the naïve can be exploited or harmed by the cunning. In ‘The Spider and the Fly’, the cunning spider tried every trick in the book to ensnare the fly. The fly was initially immune to the syrupy sweet words of the spider as he invited her to step into his “parlour”. In the end, the vain fly fell for his flattery and was captured by the spider. In ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’, the frog exploited the innocent nightingale and cashed in on her talent. He not only broke her down physically by making her sing in the rain, he also crushed her spirit and her morale. He destroyed her inside out. Ultimately, she, like the poor fly who met her end in the spider’s web, succumbed to the treachery of the frog.