The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Summary

The tale of custard the dragon is a ballad. It is a humorous poem about a cowardly dragon named custard. Custard is a pet of Belinda, a little girl who lives in a little white house with her pets. She had a black kitten named ink, a grey mouse named blink, a yellow dog mustard and a cowardly dragon custard. The poet says that all of them are very brave except the dragon. Others were described as brave and are compared with animals like bear, tiger or lion but the dragon is very timid. He always demands a safe place for himself. All the other characters make fun of him. But one night they are surprised by the entry of a pirate in the house. All of them get frightened and start hiding here and there. But to everyone’s surprise, the dragon not only tackles him but also eats him up. As all of them are saved by custard, they thank him. But at the end, they realize that they used to make fun of the dragon because of his being timid. So, all of them suddenly start saying that they are braver and could have handled the situation in a much better way. Here the poet has tried to say that sometimes a timid person is the actual hero in the toughest situations of life.

Comprehension Questions Answer the following questions in 30-40 words: 

1. What did everyone do when the pirate came? 

When the pirate came, Belinda cried for help and became pale with fear. Mustard ran away with a terrified cry and Ink trickled to the bottom of the house while Blink disappeared in his mouse hole. Custard jumped in front of the Pirate to fight him. 

2. Describe the bravery of everyone in the house. 

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were brave enough to chase lions away. Mustard’s bravery was like a tiger’s rage. It was only Custard, who was a coward, everyone else was very brave. 

3. Where did Belinda live and with whom? 

Belinda lived in a little white house with her four pets and a wagon. She had a black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard and a coward dragon named Custard. 

4. How did Custard face the pirate differently than Belinda and her pets? 

While Belinda herself was terrified on seeing the pirate, her other pets also behaved quite cowardly. While they fled away in fear, Custard faced the pirate-like a hero. He attacked the pirate with his tall tail. He pounced upon the pirate as a robin pounces upon an insect. He swallowed the pirate within no time. 

5. How is ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ a ballad? 

A ballad is a poem that tells a story. The theme of a ballad is an adventure, bravery, romance, etc. Then it is highly musical due to its rhyme scheme. This poem has these qualities. But it is a parody of a ballad. The poet shows these qualities in a humorous way.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. The dragon, Custard was considered a coward. The humble dragon proved his bravery in adversity. Analyse that certain qualities like bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. Express your views with reference to the poem. 

Custard’s humbleness won every reader’s heart as he showed true bravery and did not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Everyone boasted of their bravery but when they faced real danger, it was only Custard, who had the courage to face it. And he proved his bravery by not running away and facing the pirate. Qualities like bravery and courage can only be tested when someone is actually put in a dangerous situation. Therefore, these qualities are situational as it becomes clear from Custard’s example. Custard looked for comfort all the time but this did not mean that he was a coward.

2. Do you think that one should be made fun of because of their preferences in life? Explain in the context of Custard, the dragon. 

It is not right to make fun of anyone on the basis of their lifestyle and their choices. Custard, the dragon, always wanted comfort and safety for him and therefore always cried for a nice safe cage. Belinda and other pets of the house-made fun of him because they thought that he was a coward. Custard proved that just because he likes to be safe, he is not a coward. In fact, he was the only one, who had the courage to face the pirate. 

Questions from the textbook. Thinking about the Text 

1. Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names. 

Following are the characters of the poem: 

i. A little girl named Belinda. 

ii. A little black kitten whose name is ink. 

iii. A little grey mouse named blink. 

iv. A dog named mustard because he is yellow in colour. 

v. A coward dragon whose name is Custard. 

2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called ‘cowardly dragon’? 

Custard cries for a safe cage because he is a coward. He is called cowardly dragon because other characters are defined to be very brave in the following manner: i. Belinda is described to be as brave as a barrel full of bears. ii. Ink and blink can chase lions down the stairs. iii. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in rage. 

3. Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful...‛ Why? 

Belinda tickled him unmerciful because custard the dragon was a coward. He always demanded a safe cage. That is why everyone made fun of him. 

4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example ‚Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon‛ — the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem? 

The poet has used many poetic devices to enhance the beauty of the poem. Like, to create rhyme with ‘Belinda’, he used the word ‘winda’ instead of ‘window’. Other such rhyming words are ‘household’ used with ‘mouseholed’ and ‘wagon’ with ‘dragon’. Not only this, but he also uses poetic device of repetition, for example, the word ‘little’ is used many times to describe her house and her pets. There is also the use of poetic device of repetition of the line ‚And her realio, trulio little pet dragon‛ in many stanzas. 

5. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon. 

The dragon has big sharp teeth and spikes on top. This means its skin is pointed on the top. On the lower part, it has scales which are bony plates meant to protect the skin. His mouth has been compared to a fireplace because it is assumed that dragons can release fire from the mouth. Even his nose is compared to a chimney which is used to pass out the smoke. His feet are like a sharp knife i.e. a dagger. 

6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem? 

Rhyme scheme of the second and third stanza is aabb. 

7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem? 

Following are the words used to give us a picture or image: 

i. Mouth like a fireplace 

ii. Chimney for nose 

iii. Barrel full of bears 

iv. Brave as a tiger in the rage 

v. He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm 

8. Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer. 

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted poem. All the characters have names which rhyme with each other. They all are defined to be very brave except the dragon. But in reality, the dragon proves to be the real hero. When they are attacked by the pirate, the dragon gulps him. Though all the other characters were not brave enough to handle the pirate but still they define themselves as more powerful than the dragon after the incident is handled by the dragon alone.

Practice Questions

Q1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(a) Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed. 

i. How did everyone react on seeing the pirate?
a. Belinda became pale with fear.
b. Mustard attacked the pirate fiercely.
c. Custard went inside his cage.
d. Blink bit the pirate’s hands. 

ii. Why did everyone cry for help? 

a. Because they were fighting the pirates without any arms. 

b. Because they were surrounded by pirates. 

c. Because they were scared of Custard the dragon. 

d. Because they were scared of the pirate. 

iii. What did the pirate have? 

a. stone 

b. rope 

c. pistol 

d. catapult 

iv. Give the antonym of ‘bottom’.
a. edge
b. top
c. side
d. depth

(b)     Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,

          And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
          Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
          But Custard cried for a nice safe cage. 

i. Who was Mustard?
a. tiger
b. dog
c. mouse
d. rat 

ii. How brave was Mustard?
a. as brave as a barrel full of bears
b. as brave as a dragon
c. as brave as a tiger in a rage
d. as brave as a warrior 

iii. What did Custard want?
a. a nice safe cage 

b. a nice royal palace 

c. a little white house 

d. a fireplace in his cage 

iv. Find a word from the extract which means ‘ran after.’
a. barrel
b. brave
c. chased
d. rage 

Q2 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. 

(a) What did Custard look like? 

Custard looked really dangerous with spikes on his top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace and nose like a chimney. His toes looked like daggers. 

(b) Why did Belinda and her pets prove ungrateful to Custard who killed the pirate? 

Belinda and her pets showed a temporary appreciation of Custard’s heroic feat. Belinda embraced him and other pets danced around him. But they again started indulging in self-patting and self-praise. They showed their ungratefulness by undermining and not acknowledging Custard heroic fight with the pirate. 

(c) Describe the appearance of the pirate. 

The pirate looked quite dreadful and dominating. He carried a pistol in his left as well as in right hand. He held a shining dagger in his mouth. His beard was black and one of his legs was of wood. It seemed that his intentions were terrible. 

(d) Why did Belinda tickle Custard mercilessly? Why was he teased as `Percival’?

 Belinda had a very poor opinion of Custard. She considered him a coward and always taunted and tickled him for being so. All other pets, Ink, Blink and Mustard mocked at Custard’s timidity and lack of courage. Tauntingly, they called him Percival, who was a brave knight of King Arthur.

Q3 Answer the following questions in 100 -120 words.

(a) Evaluate Ogden Nash’s ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ as a ballad. What message does the poet give to the readers in this poem?
Ballads are stories told in verse. Generally, ballads are tales of adventures and heroism. In the poem, the poet does present the encounter of Custard and the pirate in the typical spirit of a ballad. The four-line stanzas have the rhyme scheme: aabb throughout the poem.
Ogden Nash gives a subtle message to the readers through the fate of Custard, the dragon. In this world of deceit, self-confidence, self-dependence and self-respect are essentials to earn your rightful place among your peers. The mere presence of physical strength is not enough. The more important point is that you must be conscious of your strength. You must be fully aware of the fact that many others who are far inferior in strength and power should have no right to taunt and ridicule you. 

(b) Describe the fight between the dragon and the pirate. In spite of being so powerful and displaying rare bravery, why is Custard called a coward?
The dragon had big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath but everyone boasted about their bravery and called him a coward. But when the pirate entered, all were scared and ran away except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him. All of them later felt obliged to Custard for saving their lives.
No doubt, Custard has a lot of physical strength. However, Custard had very low self-esteem which is why he kept demanding for a nice safe cage. It is because of this demand; he was called a coward by the other pets.