The Tale of Custard the Dragon

 

 

Frederic Ogden Nash

The poem revolves around the theme that one should not judge a book by its cover: Custard is always mocked for being cowardly, whereas the others are quite brave. However, when a pirate breaks into Belinda's house, she, Ink, Blink and Mustard- are all very frightened.

Summary

Frederic Ogden Nash is an American poet, who is famous for his light verse. He was famous as the producer of humorous poetry. He wrote this poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon” in the style of a ballad means a song that tells a story. Ballads narrate the tales of courage or heroism. Such a humorous ballad is ending with a parody. Belinda lived in a little white house, with her four pets a black kitten, a grey mouse, a yellow dog, and a little dragon and a red wagon too. Name of the little black kitten was Ink, the little grey mouse was Blink, and the little yellow dog was Mustard. Bu, the dragon was a coward, and Belinda called him Custard. Custard dragon was having big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath. His mouth was similar to a fireplace, and nose was as a chimney. Also, he had daggers on his toes. Belinda believed herself as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were able to chase lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as an angry tiger. On the other hand, Custard always acted as the weakest one. Belinda always tickled Custard ruthlessly. Other pets sarcastically called him Percival means a knight of King Arthur’s court who sought Holy Grail. Whenever Custard wanted a safe cage for him, Belinda and Blink giggled to their heart’s content. Not only this, Ink and Mustard asked him how old he was that he was scared of every little thing. Once, they encountered a pirate with guns in both hands and a knife between his teeth. Seeing pirate Belinda started crying for help. Then all the animals hid. Only Custard fought with the pirate and ate him up in his single bite. As Custard saved everyone, all thanked him. But in the end, they realized that they used to make fun of the dragon as he was timid. So, all of them suddenly started saying that they are braver than him and hence could have handled the situation in a much better way.

 

Critical Analysis

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Analysis by Ogden Nash Nash is well known for his children’s poetry, and “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is one such poem. It is like a fairy tale, in fact. The story itself is very simple, as fairy tales generally are. But its moral is an important one – that we must never judge anyone without getting to know them well. As many scholars have said, fairy tales are used as a vehicle for teaching children how to survive in this world. That is why, in fairy tales, the little girl is told never to venture into the forest alone, and when she does, she faces such heinous characters as the big, bad wolf. In Nash’s poem, we find fantastical creatures like the dragon, as well as everyday creatures like the cat, the dog and the mouse. All these characters are personified. In the story, Belinda and her smaller pets are very courageous. This is an admirable quality, of course, but when the time comes to deal with an actual danger such as the pirate, their courage is all but lost. The generally meek and cowardly dragon named Custard is the one who saves the day. Even though his longing for a safe cage has been mocked all through the poem, the moment that Custard sees the pirate, he sheds all his cowardice and gobbles the pirate up at one go. In the end, Custard emerges as a Braveheart. On the other hand, the pirate who had been full of bravado crumbles upon seeing Custard charge at him. Hence, both Custard and the pirate are not what they seem. This is the lesson that Nash is trying to teach – not to judge any book by its cover. At some point or the other, the true colours of any person will shine through, whether those colours are good or bad. He uses the vehicle of a fanciful tale to teach this lesson.

 

Thinking about the Poem

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

Ans: The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate. Character Pet name Kitten Ink Mouse Blink Dog Mustard Dragon Custard

 

2. Why did Custard cry for a nice, safe cage? Why is the dragon called a “cowardly dragon”?

Ans: Custard cried for a nice, safe cage because it was a coward. It is called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because everybody else in the house was brave. Belinda was as brave as a barrel of bears. Ink and Blink are described as so brave that they could chase lions down the stairs and Mustard was as brave as a tiger in rage. Compared to them, Custard cried asking for a nice and safe cage, which is why it is called a coward.

 

3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful...” Why?

Ans: Belinda tickled the dragon unmercifully because it was very scared and cried for a safe cage. They all laughed at it as it was a coward.

 

 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?

Ans: In the entire poem, the poet has made extensive use of similes. Apart from simile, another poetic device that has been used is repetition. For example, the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in the first stanza to emphasize how everything from the house to Belinda to her pets were all little. Also, in the seventh stanza, the poet has made use of incorrect spelling as a poetic device to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem. He has chosen to write ‘winda’ instead of ‘window’ as ‘winda’ rhymes with ‘Belinda’, whereas ‘window’ does not. He has also used alliteration in the poem. For example, in the tenth stanza, ‘Custard’ has ‘clashed’ his tail with a ‘clatter’ and a ‘clank’. Similarly, in stanza eleven, the pirate ‘gaped’ at the dragon and ‘gulped’ some ‘grog’.

 

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

Ans: The rhyme scheme of each stanza of this poem 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?

Ans: Some such images used in the poem are ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at a worm’, etc.

 

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

Ans: The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted poem. It is almost a parody. The names of the pets of Belinda are all rhyming and funny. Belinda has been compared to a barrel full of bears. The kitten and mouse, both little, could chase lions down the stairs. The little yellow dog was as brave as a tiger, while the dragon was a coward and they all teased him. However, when the pirate came to their little house, all of them were engulfed in fear and had hid themselves. Ironically, the ‘cowardly’ dragon came to their rescue and jumped snorting like an engine. It clashed its tail and charged at the pirate like a robin at a worm and ate him up. Even as everybody became happy to see the bravery of the dragon, they again came back to glorifying themselves that they could have been twice or thrice braver than the dragon. Finally, at the end of the poem, the situation again came back to the other pets being brave and the dragon being the coward.

 

Message

Incidentally, the poem gives the message that 'barking dogs seldom bite'. Those who boast of their bravery are rarely brave. All the brave was scared and ran away at the sight of the pirate except Custard who said he was a coward but proved to be the bravest.

Useful Links