POEM 2: THE SPIDER AND THE FLY by Mary Howitt

POEM 2:   THE SPIDER AND THE FLY by Mary Howitt    (Summary)

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

·       INTRODUCTION

·       INVITATION TO PARLOUR

·       LITTLE BED

·       SPIDER’S PANTRY

·       SPIDER’S FLATTER

·       THE SPIDER’S CONFIDENCE

·       SAD END OF THE FLY

·       CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:  “The Spider and the Fly” is a poem by the poet Mary Howitt.  The poem is written in the form of a dialogue between a cunning ‘Spider’ and an immature and innocent ‘Fly’.  The Spider which is hungry seduces the Fly by using false and flattering words to fall a prey to its hunger.  The Fly is cautious in the beginning.  Later it falls a prey to the Spider.  The poem is a warning to the children as well as to all who are tempted by evil things in this world.

INVITATION TO PARLOUR:   In the first stanza the spider invites the fly to its parlour.  The spider tempts the fly by saying that its little parlour is the prettiest one.  The parlour has a winding stair.  The spider told the fly that it would show many curious things that are there in the parlour.  The fly understood the trick played by the spider and refused saying that whoever went up the winding stair could never come down again.

LITTLE BED:  The spider persuaded the fly by inviting it to sleep on its little bed.  The spider said that the fly must be tired after flying so high and it might need rest.  It said that pretty curtains surrounded the bed and the sheets on the bed were fine and thin.  The fly could rest a while and it could be comfortably tucked in by the spider.  The fly exclaimed that it would not accept the invitation.  It added that it had often heard that those who slept upon the spider’s bed would never wake up again. 

SPIDER’S PANTRY:  The spider told the fly that it wanted to prove its warm affection it had for the fly.  It invited the fly to visit its store to choose from a number of good things to eat.  The fly replied that it did not wish to see the pantry. 

SPIDER’S FLATTERY:  The spider spoke sweet and attractive words about the fly.  It said that the fly was clever and wise.   The fly looked handsome and it had delicate wings and brilliant eyes.  The spider invited the fly to step into its parlour for a moment to look into the looking-glass it had in the parlour’s shelf.  The fly did not heed to the spider and left the place that it would come again on some other day.

THE SPIDER’S CONFIDENCE:  The spider was confident that the fly would soon visit its den.  So it wove a delicate web cunningly in a little corner.  It set its table ready so that it can eat the fly when it came back again.  The spider came to the door of its web and sang happily to attract the fly.  It sang that the fly looked beautiful with its pearl and silver wings.  The fly had a crest upon its head with its green and purple dress.  The spider told the fly that its eyes looked dull as lead whereas the fly’s eyes looked bright like diamond.

SAD END OF THE FLY:  The fly which was careful in the beginning failed in overcoming the temptation.  It got tempted by the flattery of the spider.  The fly flew nearer to the spider’s web and gave a chance for the spider to catch it. The poor foolish fly thought only about its brilliant eyes, its green  and purple colour and its crested head and went very near to the web.  The cunning spider jumped and caught the fly.  It dragged the fly into its winding stair and miserable den.  The fly did not come out again.

CONCLUSION:  The poet warns the children as well as others not to fall a prey to flattering words.  We should not heed to an evil counsellor.  We should learn a lesson from this tale and understand that there are people like the spider and we may fall a prey to them like the poor fly.