The Tale of Custard the Dragon Notes Class 10: The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Odgen Nash is a whimsical fantasy poem in the form of ballad that describes a cowardly dragon’s transformation into a hero. In the poem, Ogden explores how a person’s true character is revealed during challenging situations.
WORD MEANING
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Kitten—the young one of a cat; Wagon—(here) cart; Realio—really; Trulio—truly; Sharp—very active, of sharp mind; Coward—a person who lacks courage; Spikes—sharp nails; Scales—(here) layers; Underneath—below; Fireplace—hearth; Daggers—a sharp small sword; Barrel—a big box; Stairs—a set of steps leading from one floor to another; Chase—to follow someone; Cage—a place where birds and animals are kept in the zoo.
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Tickled—moved fingers on the sensitive part to make laugh; Unmerciful—without kindness; Rudely—in a rude and unconcerned manner; Percival— (here) a hero; Cowardly—one who is easily frightened; Giggled—laughed rudely; Said weeck—(here) giggled like a mouse; Rudely—in an insulting manner; Nasty—bad, unpleasant; Growled—growled in anger; Meowch—cried like a cat; Pirate—a sea-robber; Winda— window, the passage in the wall for fresh air and sunlight; Cutlass—a dagger; Meant no good—his intention was not good; Paled—her complexion faded; Fled—ran away; Terrified—in terror, afraid; Yelp—cry; Trickle—to come or go slowly; Strategically—(here) as the situation demanded; Mouseholed—entered the hole; Snorting—making the sound of an engine; Clashed—struck; Dungeon—prison; Clatter and clank—making rattling sound; Jangle—making a harsh metallic sound; Squirm—wriggle; Robin—a sparrow; Worm— insect; Gape—watched intently; Gulped—drank down; Grog—(here) wine; Flagon—a container with narrow mouth; Fired—fired bullets; Gobbled—swallowed; Every bit—completely.
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Embraced—held tightly in arms; Lick—licked with tongue; Mourned—expressed grief; Victim—prey; Glee—happiness; Gyrate—danced around, make round around in circular form; Presently—now; Flustered—became nervous; Quite—completely.
RHYME SCHEME
This poem is in the form of a light verse – a poem which uses humour to convey a message. Through the poem, the poet shows how a crisis can reveal the character of a person.
While Nash uses a four-line rhyme scheme for all stanzas, he uses six lines for stanza thirteen.
In the first stanza, the words ‘house’ and ‘mouse’ rhyme. So, do ‘wagon’ and ‘dragon’.
So, the rhyme scheme of this stanza and the majority of the poem is aabb.
SUMMARY
Belinda lived in a little white house.
She lived with a little black kitten called Ink, a grey mouse called Blink, a brave yellow dog called Mustard, and a cowardly pet dragon called Custard. She also had a little red wagon.
Custard had sharp teeth and spikes grew out of his back; his skin was covered with scales and he had long knife-like toes. He could also breathe fire. Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard, all considered themselves very brave. So, when Custard – a fierce-looking dragon – cried for a cage, they did not spare him. Belinda tickled him. Ink, Blink and Mustard rudely called him names. They all laughed at Custard the ‘cowardly dragon’. Belinda laughed so hard it shook the house. Blink giggled. Ink and Mustard rudely called Custard old.
Suddenly, they heard a sound. Belinda cried out. There was a pirate climbing in the window!
He had two pistols in his hand. Between his teeth, he held a sharp knife. He also had a black beard and a wooden leg. It was clear he was there to do them harm. Belinda cried out for help. All the animals except Custard fled.
Custard sprang up to confront the pirate. The pirate gaped at Custard and took a sip from this bottle. Then, he fired two bullets at Custard. But the bullets did not harm Custard. He simply gobbled up every bit of the pirate.
Now, Belinda hugged him. Mustard licked him affectionately.
Ink and Blink danced around Custard. No one cried for the dead pirate. Then, Mustard said he could have been twice as brave if he hadn’t been surprised. Ink and Blink also said they could have been thrice as brave.Custard agreed and said that everyone was braver than him.Belinda still lives in her little white house with Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard. She, Ink, Blink and Mustard still consider themselves brave. And Custard still cries for a nice safe cage.
THEME
Crisis Reveals Character fits the best for the theme of the poem ‘ The Tale of the Custard the Dragon’. The real character is revealed in the poem when the burglar enters the house.
At the beginning of the poem, Nash describes Belinda as being as ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’. He also highlights the other animals’ brave exploits. Ink, the kitten, and Blink, the mouse could ‘chase lions’, while Mustard, the dog, was as brave as a furious tiger. They considered Custard a coward as he cried for a ‘nice’ and ‘safe’ cage.
However, when the pirate threatened them, everyone except Custard fled in fear. Custard courageously faced the pirate and ‘gobbled’ or ate him up.
In this way, when confronted with a crisis, the seemingly brave characters revealed their true cowardice. On the other hand, the outwardly cowardly dragon demonstrated his bravery and heroism by defeating the pirate and rescuing everyone.
CHARACTERS
The main characters in the poem are:
1. Custard the Dragon
2. Belinda
3. Ink the Kitten
4. Blink the Mouse
5. Mustard the Dog
6. The Pirate
7. Custard
Appeared intimidating: The spikes that grew out of Custard’s back along with his sharp teeth and knife-like toes gave him an intimidating appearance.
Craved peace and safety: Custard cried out for a ‘nice’ and ‘safe’ cage where he could hide out and live his life safely and peacefully.
Heroic: Custard heroically confronted the pirate and killed him, while the other characters cried and fled in fear.
Humble: Despite saving the other characters from the pirate, Custard humbly accepted that they were all braver than him.
Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard
Insensitive: Belinda, Ink, Blink, and Mustard insensitively teased Custard when he cried for a cage. Belinda tickled him, while Ink, Blink and Mustard rudely called him names.
Cowardly: These characters revealed their cowardice when the pirate arrived. Instead of facing the pirate, Belinda cried for help, while the three animals fled the room.
The Pirate
Evil: The pirate climbed into Belinda’s house through a window instead of knocking on the door. He also carried weapons such as pistols and a knife. These actions indicate that he had evil intentions.
POETIC DEVICES
A few key literary elements in the poem are:
Ballad
The poem is in the form of a ballad – a long poem usually set to music.
Nash uses this form to narrate the tale of Custard the dragon and how he defeats a pirate.
Simile
The phrases, ‘sharp as Mustard’, ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘as brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a cage’, ‘snorting like an engine’, and ‘clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon’ are examples of simile in the poem.
Through this device, Nash creates humorous descriptions of the characters in the poem.
Repetition
The poet uses repetition at various points in the poem to create a rhythmical effect in the poem. He also uses it to build humour in the poem.
For example, the word ‘little’ has been repeated multiple times in the first two stanzas.
Onomatopoeia
The word ‘weeck’ is an example of onomatopoeia in the poem. It mimics the sound of a rat’s giggle.
Similarly, the words ‘clatter’, ‘clank’ and ‘jangling’ are examples of onomatopoeia in the poem.
Poetic License
When a poet disregards the rules of language, he uses poetic license in his works.
The words ‘realio’, ‘trulio’ and ‘weeck’ are made up words that Nash uses to impart humour to the poem. Through this, he practises poetic license.
Also, he has changed window to ‘winda’ to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Alliteration
The line ‘Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears’ is an example of alliteration in the poem.
Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, thing, and idea.
In the poem, the characters make fun of Custard by calling him ‘Percival’.
Percival was one of King Arthur’s knights who was known for running away due to lack of courage.
Thus, the characters call Custard ‘Percival’ because they consider him a coward.
Irony
In the poem, Nash has used irony to show that while Belinda and her pets considered themselves brave, they ultimately ran from the pirate.
Also, though Custard cried for a cage, in the end he bravely confronted the pirate.
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