The Tale of Melon City Summary
The poem begins with a description about the King who ordered an arch to be built. When he rode down that arch, it hit his head and his crown fell down. It was because it was built too low. The King thought it was dishonorable and thus commanded the chief of builders to be hanged. The chief of builders put the blame on the workmen who in turn, blamed the bricks. The King orders for the execution of the mason who put the blame on the architect. The architect is brought to the Royal Court and indirectly blames the King for the wrongly constructed arch. The placid King now grows angry and demands for the wisest man in the country to be brought to the Royal Court. They brought the wisest man, who was so old that he could neither see nor walk. According to him, the arch must be hanged. When the arch is supposed to be executed, one of the ministers argue that it would be a shame to punish something that had touched their mighty King’s head. Everyone, along with the King, agreed. The crowd grew restless and the King promised them a hanging. Therefore, a noose was set-up and the one to fit it would be hanged. All were measured one by one but the only one to fit was the King. The ministers heaved a sigh of relief upon finding someone to execute. Thus, as a result of the customary choice, the next to pass the City gate would choose the new King and the next to pass it was an idiot who wanted a melon to be their King. The melon was given the throne with due ceremony and the town lived happily ever after without any interruption or interference.
Short Questions & Answers
Q1.The king, in this poem, is just and placid. Why does he then lose his temper? Does he carry his notion of justice too far?
Answer. The king was known for his calm demeanor. But that was a complete lie. He quickly lost his cool. As a just judge, he ordered that the guilty person or thing be hanged. But he was a complete moron. He took his sense of justice too far. He had thus invited his own execution.
Q2. How did the chief of builders, the workmen and the masons save their lives?
Answer. The chief of builders assigned blame to the workers. To save their lives, the workers blamed the brick makers and masons. The architect was blamed by the masons for the low arch.
Q3. How did the architect turn the tables on the king himself?
Answer.The architect was brought before the king to face trial. However, he reminded the king of the king’s own changes to the building plan. The king became tense. He stated that he would consult the state’s wisest man on the matter.
Q4. Who on the old wise man’s advice was led to the gallows? Why had the proceeding been halted?
Answer. Because of his age, the old man was regarded as wise. He advised the king to hang the arch that had thrown the king’s crown off his head.
Q5.How did the king save his own skin when the architect turned the accusing finger at him?
Answer. The architect blamed the king for making erroneous changes to the original building plan. The king had been cornered. So he declared that he would seek the wisest man in the state for advice on that tricky issue.
Q6.How did circumstances lead to the execution of the king himself?
Answer. On the advice of the wise man, the king had the arch executed. However, the arch was defended by a counselor. The people, on the other hand, were agitated. They demanded action and the death penalty. So a noose was rigged to hang someone. Only the king was tall enough to fit through the noose. As a result, the king himself had to be hanged.
Q7.What opinion do you form about the king from the story?
Answer. This story exemplifies the folly of a supposedly calm and just ruler. The king went too far in his pursuit of justice. He not only lost his own life, but he also allowed another fool, a melon, to take the throne.
Q8.What custom was enforced to get a new ruler?
Answer.The state custom of selecting a new ruler was very amusing. The first person to pass through the city gates would be chosen as the ruler of the state. The passing idiot liked melons. Soon after his suggestion, a melon was installed on the throne.
Q9.Comment on the caliber of the king, his ministers, the people and the customs of the state.
Answer. All of the characters in the story are obstinate. The king was insane and stupid. The ministers blindly followed the old custom and installed a melon on the throne. The custom of selecting the ruler was ridiculous. The people in general were bad. Even if it was their own king, they demanded a hanging. They didn’t care who the king was as long as they could live in peace.
Q10.Why have the king’s ministers been described as practical-minded men? What is ironic about the description?
Answer. The ministers were eager to appoint a new ruler. When they followed the old custom, they lacked practical wisdom. They imprisoned a fool and demanded that he name the new ruler. What a cruel irony!
long Answer Type questions
Q. Discuss ‘The Tale of Melon City’ as a humorous as well as an ironic poem with the help of examples from the poem.
Answer. The poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ is both humorous and ironic. It is amusing that the arch was built to ‘edify’ people. The city’s oldest man was thought to be the wisest, which is both ironic and humorous. It was ordered that whoever fit the gallows should die, which was again amusing. The king was then hanged because the blame fell on him, which is both hilarious and unbelievable. The selection of a melon as the new king is extremely amusing. It is highly ironic that the death penalty can be imposed for such a minor offense. The King himself was unable to make a decision. The process of selecting the new king then adds to the humor and irony.
Finally, it is demonstrated that people lived happily under a king who did not govern. The entire poem is centered on amusement and laughter.
Q.“The poem mocks the process of fair trial and proper judgment.” How far do you agree with the statement?
Answer. The poem is a harsh indictment of the kings’ age-old practices of delivering justice by word of mouth. There was a time when the King’s word was considered divine, and anything he said became law. A just and peaceful king was expected to protect the innocent while punishing the bad. However, the trial process and the ever-changing judgements make a mockery of the entire process of fair trials and considered awards. This is evident from the statements of the accused, who attempt to save their lives by blaming others for their crimes. The King’s caprice and inability to see through the thin veil of their arguments make him a laughing stock rather than a dispenser of divine justice. Hence, we agree with the above statement.
The poem begins with a description about the King who ordered an arch to be built. When he rode down that arch, it hit his head and his crown fell down. It was because it was built too low. The King thought it was dishonorable and thus commanded the chief of builders to be hanged. The chief of builders put the blame on the workmen who in turn, blamed the bricks. The King orders for the execution of the mason who put the blame on the architect. The architect is brought to the Royal Court and indirectly blames the King for the wrongly constructed arch. The placid King now grows angry and demands for the wisest man in the country to be brought to the Royal Court. They brought the wisest man, who was so old that he could neither see nor walk. According to him, the arch must be hanged. When the arch is supposed to be executed, one of the ministers argue that it would be a shame to punish something that had touched their mighty King’s head. Everyone, along with the King, agreed. The crowd grew restless and the King promised them a hanging. Therefore, a noose was set-up and the one to fit it would be hanged. All were measured one by one but the only one to fit was the King. The ministers heaved a sigh of relief upon finding someone to execute. Thus, as a result of the customary choice, the next to pass the City gate would choose the new King and the next to pass it was an idiot who wanted a melon to be their King. The melon was given the throne with due ceremony and the town lived happily ever after without any interruption or interference.
Short Questions & Answers
Q1.The king, in this poem, is just and placid. Why does he then lose his temper? Does he carry his notion of justice too far?
Answer. The king was known for his calm demeanor. But that was a complete lie. He quickly lost his cool. As a just judge, he ordered that the guilty person or thing be hanged. But he was a complete moron. He took his sense of justice too far. He had thus invited his own execution.
Q2. How did the chief of builders, the workmen and the masons save their lives?
Answer. The chief of builders assigned blame to the workers. To save their lives, the workers blamed the brick makers and masons. The architect was blamed by the masons for the low arch.
Q3. How did the architect turn the tables on the king himself?
Answer.The architect was brought before the king to face trial. However, he reminded the king of the king’s own changes to the building plan. The king became tense. He stated that he would consult the state’s wisest man on the matter.
Q4. Who on the old wise man’s advice was led to the gallows? Why had the proceeding been halted?
Answer. Because of his age, the old man was regarded as wise. He advised the king to hang the arch that had thrown the king’s crown off his head.
Q5.How did the king save his own skin when the architect turned the accusing finger at him?
Answer. The architect blamed the king for making erroneous changes to the original building plan. The king had been cornered. So he declared that he would seek the wisest man in the state for advice on that tricky issue.
Q6.How did circumstances lead to the execution of the king himself?
Answer. On the advice of the wise man, the king had the arch executed. However, the arch was defended by a counselor. The people, on the other hand, were agitated. They demanded action and the death penalty. So a noose was rigged to hang someone. Only the king was tall enough to fit through the noose. As a result, the king himself had to be hanged.
Q7.What opinion do you form about the king from the story?
Answer. This story exemplifies the folly of a supposedly calm and just ruler. The king went too far in his pursuit of justice. He not only lost his own life, but he also allowed another fool, a melon, to take the throne.
Q8.What custom was enforced to get a new ruler?
Answer.The state custom of selecting a new ruler was very amusing. The first person to pass through the city gates would be chosen as the ruler of the state. The passing idiot liked melons. Soon after his suggestion, a melon was installed on the throne.
Q9.Comment on the caliber of the king, his ministers, the people and the customs of the state.
Answer. All of the characters in the story are obstinate. The king was insane and stupid. The ministers blindly followed the old custom and installed a melon on the throne. The custom of selecting the ruler was ridiculous. The people in general were bad. Even if it was their own king, they demanded a hanging. They didn’t care who the king was as long as they could live in peace.
Q10.Why have the king’s ministers been described as practical-minded men? What is ironic about the description?
Answer. The ministers were eager to appoint a new ruler. When they followed the old custom, they lacked practical wisdom. They imprisoned a fool and demanded that he name the new ruler. What a cruel irony!
long Answer Type questions
Q. Discuss ‘The Tale of Melon City’ as a humorous as well as an ironic poem with the help of examples from the poem.
Answer. The poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ is both humorous and ironic. It is amusing that the arch was built to ‘edify’ people. The city’s oldest man was thought to be the wisest, which is both ironic and humorous. It was ordered that whoever fit the gallows should die, which was again amusing. The king was then hanged because the blame fell on him, which is both hilarious and unbelievable. The selection of a melon as the new king is extremely amusing. It is highly ironic that the death penalty can be imposed for such a minor offense. The King himself was unable to make a decision. The process of selecting the new king then adds to the humor and irony.
Finally, it is demonstrated that people lived happily under a king who did not govern. The entire poem is centered on amusement and laughter.
Q.“The poem mocks the process of fair trial and proper judgment.” How far do you agree with the statement?
Answer. The poem is a harsh indictment of the kings’ age-old practices of delivering justice by word of mouth. There was a time when the King’s word was considered divine, and anything he said became law. A just and peaceful king was expected to protect the innocent while punishing the bad. However, the trial process and the ever-changing judgements make a mockery of the entire process of fair trials and considered awards. This is evident from the statements of the accused, who attempt to save their lives by blaming others for their crimes. The King’s caprice and inability to see through the thin veil of their arguments make him a laughing stock rather than a dispenser of divine justice. Hence, we agree with the above statement.
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