Summary: The Fly
In this poem, the speaker imagines how everything, even those things
that look small to us, would look enormous to a tiny fly. Many of these
things may even frighten the little creature. For example, a rose petal
would look like a featherbed and its thorn like a spear. The fly would
be able to see itself in a dewdrop. A golden hair would look as strong
as a wire, and a yellow mustard-seed as bright and big as a coal of fire.
A loaf of bread would look as tall as a high hill to the fly. A black-andyellow wasp would be as frightening as a leopard. And just as a
shepherd can see every sheep clearly, a fly would be able to see every
particle of salt clearly.
This poem draws attention to scale and how the same thing can look
different to different creatures, depending on their size. It does this by
beginning with a general statement and then giving specific examples
to support that statement. The poet has used similes and metaphors (a
loaf of bread, a lofty hill) to explain how different things look like to
the fly. Things that are so small to us that we hardly notice them,
would look big and bright to the fly. A wasp, which we can easily brush
away, would look frightening to the tiny creature. On the other hand,
things that are too small for us to see clearly would be prominent to
the fly, like grains of salt. The poem is also rich in visual imagery, as
the readers are led on to imagine a rose as a feather-bed, mustard
seeds as coals of fire and so on. This way, the poem paints a picture of
how the world must look to a creature which is very different from us.
It encourages us to think whether things would also sound or smell
differently to different creatures. Each stanza of the poem follows an
a-b-c-b rhyme pattern.
POEM THE FLY
A. 1. a. A rosebud would look like a bed to a fly because the fly is very small and things that are small
to us look large to it. The rosebud would look like a feather bed because it is soft and velvety.
b. The thorn of the rose would look like a spear or a long, thin weapon to the fly.
2. The fly can see itself in any dewdrop as a dewdrop would be big enough to act as a mirror for
the fly.
3. a. Mustard seeds would look like coals of fire to the tiny fly.
b. As the fly is tiny, even a small mustard seed would look as big as a piece of coal to it. And
because mustard seeds are yellow-orange in colour, they would look like coals of fire.
4. A loaf of bread would look like ‘a lofty hill’ to the fly. The speaker uses the word ‘lofty’ to explain
how tall the loaf would look to the tiny fly.
5. A fly would be afraid of a wasp because a wasp may be bigger than the fly. A wasp can sting, so the
fly may be afraid that the wasp would hurt it.
6. Both salt and lambkins are white in colour. Although specks of salt are very small, they would look
large enough to a tiny fly. So the fly would be able to see them as clearly as a shepherd can see
lambkins.
B. Free response.
C. 1. lion 2. bee 3. mouse 4. lamb 5. bird
THE FLY POEM
A. Answer in brief.
Why do little things appear big to the fly?
Ans: The fly is very small and as a small insect it can fly everywhere and see everything. As it is small,
its sight is such that things that are small to all of us appear enormous to its eyesight.
B. Answer in detail.
How would the little fly react to the things it sees as they all look enormous?
Ans: The speaker has brought out different imagery to show how things that look small or normal
to us would look different to the eyes of a fly. Anything that looks enormous or huge would frighten
a person. Similarly the fly would get scared of seeing certain things like the thorn which would look
like a spear, or a small grain of mustard-seed would look dangerous like coals of fire or a wasp which
would look like a cruel leopard. Only the specks of salt would appear to the fly like a small lamb would
appear to a shepherd.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. A rosebud like a feather bed,
Its prickle like a spear;
a. What is the contrast mentioned in the lines?
b. To what do the above lines apply?
c. What message does the poem convey?
Ans: a. A rose is as soft as a feather while its prickle is as sharp as a spear.
b. The above lines apply to a tiny fly.
c. The poem says that each of god’s creatures looks at the world from its own unusual
viewpoint
2. A dewdrop like a looking-glass,
A hair like golden wire.
a. Why is a dew drop compared to a mirror?
b. Why is the hair golden in colour?
c. What is the figure of speech used in the above lines?
Ans: a. A dew drop is compared to a mirror because it also shines like a mirror and reflects light.
b. Perhaps the speaker is talking about blond hair. Hence he says, to the fly, the hair looks
like golden wire.
c. The figure of speech used in the above line is a simile.
D. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
How do you think the objects that are mentioned in the poem would look like to a large animal like
an elephant? Write a poem using your imagination.
Ans: [Free response]
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