The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Poet’s Information

Frederic Ogden Nash (1902-1971) is the American poet who wrote The Tale of Custard the
Dragon. Nash was known for his humorous poetry and light verse. He won the Sarah
Josepha Hale Award in 1964.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a humorous ballad about a girl named Belinda and her
four pets, including a cowardly dragon named Custard. The poem is written in the style of a
ballad, which is a song that tells a story

Thinking about the poem

Question 1.

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

Answer:

The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little girl, and her pets: a little black kitten, a little
grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.

Question 2.

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

Answer:

Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was a coward and was scared very easily. It is
called “cowardly dragon” because everyone else in the house is very brave while the dragon
is the only one, who fears a lot and looks for a nice safe cage for himself. Belinda is as brave
as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink can chase lions and Mustard is as brave as an angry
tiger.

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

Answer:

Tickling always works on people, who are a little softer. So, Belinda tickled the dragon
unmerciful as it worked a lot on him. Despite being a dragon, a tickling could disturb him
and this showed his cowardice on which everyone laughed.

Question 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?

Answer:

In the poem, ‘The tale of Custard, the Dragon’, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices.
Following are the devices used.

1. Simile: mouth like a fireplace

2. Repetition: the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in stanza 1.

Question 5.

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

Answer:

Do it yourself.

Question 6.

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

Answer:

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aabb’

Question 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?
Answer:

Writers always use such phrases and words that do not tell us directly about what they
mean but always gives us an indication of the meaning. Such words or phrases are used to
trigger our own imagination in painting the picture that they mean. Use of such images in
the poem is the following: ‘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.

Question 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.

Answer:

‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light and funny poem meant to be enjoyed by
everyone. The way the poem has been written with a fix rhyme scheme, makes it very easy
and enjoyable to read. The poet has even used wrong spelling to maintain the rhyme
scheme. The features of Belinda and her pets described in the poem make it quite funny.
Belinda’s bravery has been compared to a barrel full of bears, a liquid substance. All the
tiny creatures such as the kitten and the mouse have been shown so brave that they can
scare a lion and the dog’s bravery is like a tiger’s rage. The biggest of them all, the dragon is
the only one, who has been shown as a coward and soft being, who looks for a cage for
himself, which is very ironic, hence making the poem funny.

Additional Questions
Short Answer type Questions

1. Why did Belinda tickle Custard mercilessly? Why was he teased as `Percival’?

Ans. 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.

2. How did they react when they heard a nasty sound?

Ans. Suddenly, Belinda and her pets heard a nasty sound. They were highly surprised.
Mustard growled and Ink mewed. Belinda, herself gave a cry of disbelief. Actually, it was
the sound of a pirate climbing through the window.

3. Describe the dreadful appearance of the pirate.

Ans. 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.

4. How did Belinda and her pets react to seeing the pirate?

Ans. Belinda and her pets were completely terrified of seeing the pirate. Belinda became
pale with fear. She started crying for help. The dog Mustard fled with a terrified yelp. Ink hid
and Blink saved himself by entering a hole.

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

Ans. 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.

Long Answer type Questions

1. Why do you think Custard, the dragon, was called a coward? How was Custard able
to save all his house-mates from the pirate? What values should Belinda have
possessed so that Custard too could have been among her favourites?

Ans. The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage so he was
called a cowardly dragon. Later, when the pirate entered the house with pistols in his left
and right hand, everyone was scared and ran away and disappeared, except Custard who
faced him boldly-attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of
him. Belinda should have been nice to him. She should have made him feel comfortable
and safe in the house instead of laughing and making fun of him with other pets. Belinda
should have been protective towards him.
 2. Describe the fight between the dragon and the pirate.

Ans. The dragon had big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath but
everyone laughed at him as he always cried for a safe cage whereas everyone boasted
about their bravery. But when the pirate entered, all were scared and ran away and
disappeared 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.

3. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why the dragon is called ‘cowardly
dragon’? How did he prove everyone wrong?

Ans. The Custard every time cried for a nice safe cage because he thought that the little
white house in which he lived with Belinda and her other friends was not safe.

The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage so he was called a
dragon. Later when the pirate entered the house everyone was scared and ran and
disappeared, except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard 1118
forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him.

Q4. In spite of being so powerful and displaying rare bravery of killing and swallowing the
pirate, why does the dragon Custard taunt as being a coward always asking for a nice safe
cage?

Ans. No doubt, Custard has a lot of physical strength. Even his exterior was quite
formidable. He had big sharp teeth. There were spikes on his top. There were scales
underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace always spitting fire. He proved his strength and
bravery when he encountered the terrible pirate. The pirate had two pistols and a dagger
but failed to hurt or overpower Custard. The dragon fought valiantly and swallowed the
dragon within no time. Custard is constantly ridiculed and taunted by the weaker and more
cowardly pets of Belinda. The reason was simple. The custard had no self-respect. Nor was
he aware of his great strength. He had a very low opinion of himself. He always asked for a
nice safe cage for his protection. This was the reason that he was always taunted and
ridiculed as a coward.