DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL-BOPAL, AHMEDABAD

CLASS: X SUBJECT- ENGLISH

STUDY MATERIAL

The Tale of Custard the Dragon- Ogden Nash

Theme: The theme of the poem is that appearances are deceptive. The assessment of people
about themselves and others is not true always. This hard fact has been brought forth in the
poem through narrative in which Belinda and her pets Ink, a kitten, Blink, a grey mouse and
Mustard, a yellow dog have a poor opinion of Custard, the dragon, who is ridiculed as a
coward. However, the true characters of Belinda and all her pets prove to be contrary to their
claims when they have to face a pirate carrying two pistols and a sword. It is only Custard,
the dragon who gives a fierce fight to the pirate and the rescues the so- called brave Belinda
and her pets.
Message of the poem-
The message of the poem The Tale of Custard the Dragon is that every human on earth has
his own capabilities and the way of his living. We should never judge him and discriminate
against him because the way he looks or thinks. Moreover, who should never believe those
who boast about their abilities and appreciate themselves.

A person is judged when the trouble arises. e.g. in the poem, all the animals boast about
themselves while Custard remains coward. However, when the pirate comes, their bravery is
gone, and they run away for life. On the other hand, Custard fights the pirate bravely and kills
him. Hence, he was not coward at all. It was just the thinking of other animals who could
never discover bravery in him.

Stanza- 1-Poetic Devices:

Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon)
Repetition: use of the word ‘little’
oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings ‘ “pet dragon”
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a little …. And a
realio)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)

Stanza – 2- Poetic Devices:

simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”
Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” - “c” sound
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the little grey…
And the little yellow)
Repetition: use of word ‘little’.
Stanza- 3 Poetic Devices:
Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.
Stanza – 4 Poetic Devices:
Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated
Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel full of
bears), Mustard’s bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a
tiger in a rage)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears)
Stanza- 5 Poetic Devices:
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’
Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)
Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival
Stanza- 6- Poetic Devices:
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled, weeck)
Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage
Stanza-7-Poetic Devices
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard growled,
Meowch, cried ink)

Stanza-8-Poetic Devices:
Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”
Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate.
Stanza-9- Poetic Devices
Transferred epithet: terrified yelp
Repetition: help help

Stanza-10- Poetic Devices:

Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an engine), Clashed
his tail like irons in a dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird (like a
robin at a worm)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank, jangling)
Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in our minds.
Stanza- 11Poetic Devices
alliteration: gulped some grog “g”
Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on seeing the dragon.
Stanza-12Poetic Devices
Alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and
blink in glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)
Stanza 14- Poetic Devices
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio)
Repetition: stanza has been repeated
1. Based on the extracts given below, answer the questions that follow.
I. Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
 Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

(a) Who was Custard?

(b) What was beneath his body ?
(c) How does his nose looked like ?
(d) Which poetic device is used in the above lines ?
Answer:
(a) Custard was dragon.
(b) There were scales beneath his body.
(c) His nose looked like chimney.
(d) Simile

II. Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,

Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

(a) Who is Belinda?

(b) How did Belinda and the other pets laugh at the dragon?
(c) Which word in this extract means the same as ‘unkind’?
(d) Name the poem and the poet.
OR
(a) With whom was Belinda unmerciful?
(b) Who are Ink and Blink?
(c) Why did they make fun of the dragon?
(d) What was the colour of the wagon?

Answer:
(a) Belinda is a little girl who lived in a little white house and had a dog, a kitten, a mouse
and a dragon for a pet. She also had a red wagon.
(b) Belinda was a brave girl and so were her pets-Ink, the kitten, Blink, the mouse and
mustard, her dog. But custard, the dragon, though fierce looking was extremely timid and
cowardly and so the others ridiculed him and laughed at the dragon.
(c) ‘Unmerciful’ means unkind.
(d) The Poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is written ‘Ogden Nash’
OR
(a) Custard.
(b) Ink is a cat and Blink is a rat.
(c) They made fun of the dragon because he was very cowardly.
(d) Red

2. Answer the following in about 30 to 40 words each.

1. Describe the appearance of the dragon?

Answer: Custard, the dragon had a formidable appearance, with sharp teeth, toes like
daggers, spikes on back and scales on the belly. Its mouth was a fireplace and the nose was
always fuming like a chimney. However, in sharp contrast to the appearance its temperature
was extremely timid.
2. Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted comedy?
Give reasons to support your answer.

Answer: ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous, light-hearted poem as the
characters display behavioural attributes contrary to their appearance as well as nature. It is
extremely funny to imagine a fierce looking dragon crying for a safe cage or mouse raging
like a Hon.

3: ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe
cage’?
Answer: Custard is Belinda’s pet dragon. He cried for a nice safe cage because he was a
coward, who feared easily and looked for comfort and safety of himself.
But at the same time he proved to be brave when he faced the pirate whose entry had made
the so called brave people hide in fear.

4. How did everyone react after Custard ate the pirate?

Answer: Belinda embraced Custard because he had saved everyone by killing the pirate.
Mustard licked him to show his affection while Ink and Blink started dancing around Custard
out of happiness.

5. How did the other three pet boast of their bravery?

Answer: After Mustard, Ink and Blink fled on seeing the pirate, it was Custard, who fought
him and killed him. The other pets soon made excuses for their cowardice and said that they
would have been twice and thrice as brave as Custard.

3. Answer the following in about 50 to 60 words each.

1. ‘Bravery is spontaneous’ Explain with reference to the poem.

Answer: Custard was truly brave and did not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Custard
had the courage to face real danger, whereas everyone only boasted of their bravery. Custard
faced the pirate and killed him, and he proved it by not running away. Bravery and courage
are qualities which are, exhibited when someone actually faces a dangerous situation. Thus
these qualities are spontaneous, taking the example of custard.

4. Answer the following in about 120-150 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.

Answer: It is true that bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. Custard the
dragon, does not boast of his bravery as other pets of Belinda do. They boasted of their
bravery and made fun of the dragon’s cowardice. But when real danger came, none of them
could face the danger and hid themselves in some corner of the house.
It was only the dragon who dared to face the frightening pirate who appeared really
threatening with pistols and knife. Custard, the dragon rose to the situation, showed his real
bravery and gobbled up the pirate.
It was a dangerous situation and Custard behaved bravely in this situation. So we can say that
qualities like bravery and courage can only be tested when someone is actually put in a
dangerous situation.

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

Answer: 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 himself 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 comfort, he is not a
coward. In fact, he was the only one, who had the courage to face the pirate and gobble him
up. Others were only boastful of their bravery as they all disappeared when real need arose.
So no one should make fun of others without realising their strength.