6. Explanation of Stanza 7

Generally, we feel like helping someone only when they are truly helpless and has put in all the efforts. If the little help offered could add to the effort they have put in, it would come as an aid. But here, the ant realised that it would be taken advantage of, and the cricket brought it on himself. He, therefore, refused to help. The ant sarcastically says that the cricket can go dance the winter away if he is feeling hungry, just like how he had done in summer, showing that fun alone is not enough to lead life. He quickly closed the small opening in the door and shut the cricket out of his house. The poor cricket had no other choice but to leave the place. The ant is also very cautious, as it knows where to help and where not to.

 

 

The poet says people think of this story as a fable (an imaginary story), but he feels it could have even really happened. The moral of the story is very true, that it can happen actually in real life too. He refers to the cricket in the poem as a four-legged cricket and humans as two-legged crickets. If we are silly enough like the cricket, we will also end up starved and disappointed. We should always think ahead and save for the future. We should never think that we can get paid without hard work. Even if we get manage to, it would be of no use. We must also never think of taking advantage of a friend's offer to help. One must work for oneself and not rely on others.