CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 18: On the Grasshopper and Cricket NCERT Solutions

A poem is an artistic creation that combines speech and song, characterized by its rhythm and metaphorical language. The careful arrangement of words enhances its beauty and depth. Reading a poem aloud with emotion allows listeners to connect with the composer's passion and feelings. The rhyming elements within a poem help to unify the poet's diverse ideas and imaginative visions. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, a poem is defined as a piece of writing where words are selected for their auditory appeal and the imagery they evoke, rather than solely for their literal meanings. These words are structured into distinct lines, typically following a recurring rhythm, and often concluding with rhyming words.

'The poetry of earth' is presented in the poem not as words, but as the continuous music and rhythm produced by natural sounds, specifically the songs of grasshoppers and crickets across different seasons. This natural music maintains its appeal regardless of seasonal changes. Even during the challenging periods of summer's intense heat and winter's biting cold, the earth's song persists. In summer, the grasshopper's lively hopping and singing exemplify this. Similarly, during the quiet and dark winter nights, the persistent, shrill song of the cricket continues to represent the enduring music of the earth.

1. The line that matches the statement 'The grasshopper's happiness never comes to an end' is: "In summer luxury — he has never done With his delights,"
2. The line that matches the statement 'The cricket's song has a warmth that never decreases' is: "The cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever,"

The word in stanza 2 that carries an opposite meaning to 'the frost' is 'grassy'. 'Frost' typically implies a cold, bare, and potentially bleak condition, often associated with freezing temperatures. In contrast, 'grassy' suggests life, greenness, and a vibrant, living environment, directly opposing the sense of coldness and dormancy that frost represents.

The poetry of earth continues throughout the year, cycling through two main seasons: summer and winter. In the summer season, the representative voice is that of the grasshopper, whose song and activity fill the warm air. During the winter season, the representative voice is that of the cricket, whose persistent song provides a sense of warmth and continuity even in the cold.