The Parrot In The Cage - Four Levels and Question Answers | Lekhanath Poudyal | Mero solution

            THE PARROT IN THE CAGE
                        - Lekhanath Poudyal (1885-1996)
                 - Translated by Laxmi Prasad Devkota

1.LITERAL COMPREHENSION :
This poem "The Parrot In The Cage" was written by Lekhanath poudyal and later translated by Laxmi Prasad Devkota in which the parrot laments his life inside the cage sharing his story of pain and separation from his family.The poem starts with a very strange metaphor – the parrot is compared as a twice-born child. The parrot used to have a free and wandering life in the forest, which was its first life. Now, the parrot is trapped inside the cage and is forced to live like a prisoner.  The parrot recalls how he used to fly  and wander around the jungle eating fruits. But now he is encaged in the cage. He is deprived of cool water, shades and delicious fruits. All those things have vanished and they are like dream. His parents may be weeping to beat their breast because he is separated from them. He doesn’t find any way to escape from the cage because he sees only enemies around the cage.He has tried to break the cage and fly away but his beak is blunt now. His feet and wings are cramped and he as felt a sense of defeat.

He is given third class rice and less water. Even when his throat is dry, he is compelled to prate(speak). If he refuses to prate, his master threatens him to beat . He is forced to respond to the callers. He curses the god for giving his the power of speech because it is the reason for his grief. Finally, the parrot tells how the human race is hostile and how there is exploitation of one’s talent. The parrot explains the human being as their enemies . He also said cruel to the human beings.He strongly prays to god not to give anyone the life of parrot until the human beings are exist on the earth.
2.INTERPRETATION :
This poem may be exposing the selfish motive of human beings who do not think about animal rights.It may mean to make us alert about emotions , sentiments , and desires of animals.Since this poem was written during Rana regime .It can be interpreted as a voice of nepali people for freedom , justice and rights against the tyrannical Rana rules.In the poem, the parrot represents the whole suppressed people of the Rana regime and its master represents the Rana regime.
3.CRITICAL THINKING :
This beautiful poem presents the pathetic condition of a parrot exposing human meanness. if we think from humanitarian perspective keeping parrot in the cage for our entertainment is a cruel act. However we can argue in some points . Do parrots really mourn this ? Can they think rationally and feel like the speaker of the poem? Do they have such analytical power like that of human beings?
4.ASSIMILATION :
After reading this poem, Parrot in the cage , I came to know that how cruel the Rana was.I have determined that I will always stand for the freedom of human beings.Thus ,I request all human being not to capture any birds in the cage for their entertainment .
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SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERS :

Q1. The parrot in the cage is an example of human- animal relationship that exposes the cruelty and human injustice of dominates over animals .Now based on your textual reading and analysis evaluate the following question .

i) Who is the speaker of the poem ? Why does he call himself " a twice-born child "

ANSWER : The parrot is the speaker of the poem. he calls himself "a twice born child" because the parrot used to have a free and wandering life in the forest which was his first life. Now the parrot is trapped inside the cage and is forced to live like a Prisoner, which is his second life.

ii) Explain how the parent-child relationship becomes significant in the poem .

ANSWER : In the poem 'The Parrot In The Cage', the parrot misses his parents. he remembered his past life. which was very free in the jungle. In the poem, he shares his sad story which touches our heart. he does not feel peace and rest in the cage. He worries  that his old sick parents might be crying for him bitting their breast. if he was with his parents, he had not to bondage in the cage .he gets taken care from his parents. he could get delicious food whatever he wanted. a also could get enough water to fulfill his thirsty.

iii)What is the present plight of the speaker ?

Or , What is the present difficulty of the speaker ?
ANSWER : The present plight of the speaker is that parrot ,the speaker of the poem is encaged in the cage by human beings because he can speak like human .He has to spend whole day in the narrow cage.In his desire to get out of the cage , he tries to break the bars of the iron cage but his attempts fail.His hard beak has become blunted and his feet wings have got cracked. He prepares death but instantly realizes that is not easy to die as well.He is given limited amount of low quality food .He is not given water even he goes dry.People threaten him to beat when he refuses to speak .

Q2. How do you evaluate human sensibility towards the non-human in the poem ?

ANSWER : The poem "parrot in the cage" explains the selfish motive of human beings who do not think about animal rights .they use the animals for their entertainment .they don't care about the animals what there desires. in the poem The parrot is encaged in the cage by human beings. for this reason ,the parrot explains the human beings as their enemies . He also said cruel to the human beings  because they threaten the parrot to beat him when he refuses to speak

Q3.How does the speaker move between concepts of freedom and bondage in the poem ?

ANSWER : The speaker of the poem moves between concept of freedom and bondage in the sense that for him bondage is the cage in which the parrot has been trapped . he has been trapped in the cage for the entertainment of the people despite his willingness. he complains God for giving him of parrot's life. his power of producing human sound is the real cause of his misery.
And the freedom is that he tries to go out from the cage but could not be able to do so. he wants to be freedom. he has to spend whole day in the narrow cage. In his desire to get out of the cage, he tries to break the bars of the iron cage but his attempts fail. His hard beak has become blunted and his feet wings have got cracked. He is given limited amount of low quality food .he is not given water even when he goes dry. people threaten him to beat when he refuses to speak.

Q4.What have you learned from this poem specially through the speaker's judgement upon the human being in the last stanza?

ANSWER : After reading this poem I realized that what parrot thinks about human beings whe we keep the parrot in the cage. they blames human beings for keeping far from their parents. he finds all human beings as his enemies. he explains human beings as the cruel persons who have not any kind of love for the parrots. Thus, I realized that we should not dominate over animals. we should not keep away from their parents because they have also feelings emotions and love towards their parents . when the parrot appeals to God not to give any one of parrot's life untill human beings exist in the earth, I realized that how we have given them torture by keeping in the case far from their parents . so we should not do that activities which have negative impacts on the parrot's life.