Chapter Overview
'The Ant and the Cricket' is a fable that imparts an important lesson on hard work and planning. The story features two characters: an ant, who works diligently to gather food for the winter, and a cricket, who enjoys the present and neglects to prepare for the future. As winter approaches, the cricket finds itself in a dire situation, cold and hungry, while the ant is well-prepared for the season. When the cricket seeks help from the ant, the ant refuses, teaching the cricket the value of hard work and preparation.
Important Keywords
- Hard Work: The effort put into something; a central theme in the poem, as the ant exemplifies hard work and planning.
- Planning: The act of preparing for the future; represented by the ant's foresight in storing food for winter.
- Laziness: The lack of effort, exemplified by the cricket, who does not prepare for the future.
- Consequences: The results or outcomes of actions, which in this case, teach a lesson about the results of laziness.
- Winter: A symbol of hardship, representing the tough times that come when one has not prepared properly.
- Fable: A short story that typically involves animals and teaches a moral lesson. The poem is a fable.