7.2 The Crocodile

The Crocodile

How doth the little crocodile

Improve his shining tail,

And pour the water of the Nile

On every golden scale!

How cheerful he seems to grin,

How neatly spreads his claws,

And welcomes little fishes in,

With gently smiling jaws!

– Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was an English writer. His most famous book is ‘Alice in Wonderland’. This poem appears in it.

Glossary

doth – an expression of old English for ‘does’

improve – to become better than before

cheerful – happy

gently – softly, mildly

Summary of the Poem

‘The Crocodile’ by Lewis Carroll tells, very briefly, of a crocodile who sneakily attracts fish and then swallows them with a big smile. This poem takes the reader through some of the attributes one particular crocodile displays. Deception and cunning are among these. He smiles cheerfully, basks in the sun, washes his scales, and opens his claws as if welcoming fish to his arms.

Do You Know?

The Madras Crocodile Bank is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world. It is a shelter for native wildlife and a secure nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles. It is located at East Coast Road, Kovalam in Chennai.

1. Choose the rhyming words from the box and write them in the correct blanks.
file , din , caws , nail , while , paws , mail , thin

1. claws, jaws, __________ , __________
2. grin, in, __________ , __________
3. crocodile, Nile, __________ , __________
4. tail, scale, __________ , __________

Answers:
1. caws, paws 2. din, thin
3. file, while 4. nail, mail

2. Read these lines and answer the questions given below.
1. How cheerful he seems to grin
Who does ‘he’ refer to?

2. And pour the water of the Nile
What does the Nile refer to? Where is it?

3. And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
Who welcomes the fish? Why?
Which line tells you that the crocodile is hungry?

Answers:
1. He refers to the crocodile.
2. The Nile is the longest river in the world. It flows in Northeastern Africa, covering eleven countries, including Egypt.
3. The Crocodile welcomes the fish. It welcomes the fish as they would become its food. The line ‘when you can smell the grass from your garden seat’ tells us The second line “with gently smiling jaws”

3. Answer the following questions.
1. What is the poem about?
2. How does the crocodile’s tail look?
3. What does ‘improve his tail’ mean?
4. How does he spread his claws?
5. Why does he welcome little fishes?
6. Which line talks about the crocodile’s mouth and his shape?

Answers:
1. The poem is about a crocodile.
2. The tail looks shining.
3. To become better than before.
4. He spreads his claws neatly.
5. He is hungry and he feeds on them. So he welcomes them.
6. The last line with gently smiling jaws.