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The Seven Ravens by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm: Summary | Question and Answers | Major English Class 11
The Seven Ravens
MAIN SUMMARY
The Seven Ravens by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A man and his wife had seven sons but not a single daughter. Both of them were sad. But God heard their pain, and a daughter was born in their family. But the child was very small, thin and weak. They thought that she might not survive. So, the father asked one of the sons to get the water so that he could baptise the child. But all his sons ran to get the water because each of them wanted to get the water for their sister. They all loved their sister, probably very much. In a competition to see who would be the first to fetch water, the seven brothers started snatching the pitcher from each other. As a result, the pitcher fell into the well from their hands. Everyone became sad, and no one dared to go home without water.
After waiting for so long, the father became impatient and became very angry at his sons. He thought that they had gone off to play instead of fetching water. Being angry with his sons, he cursed all of them, saying that they would all be ravens. These words had just been spoken when he heard the sound of wings flapping in the air above his head, and black ravens decorated with coal began to fly over the house. Both the father and mother became sad.
The father's only source of happiness was his daughter, who grew stronger and more beautiful day by day. The girl was not told the reality behind her seven brothers. But one day, she heard some people talking about her and her 'raven-turned-brothers'. She asked her parents whether it was true or not. His parents told her the whole incident. She then decided to bring her seven brothers back. She took a ring, a loaf of bread, a jug of water, and a little stool and left her house without telling anyone.
She went quite further and reached the end of the earth, where the sun was very close and very hot. She ran away from there as quickly as possible and reached the moon's place, where it was very cold. She ran away from there and reached the morning stars. The stars seemed friendly. The morning star helped her by giving her the key to open the iceberg in which her brothers were locked. She wrapped the key in her handkerchief and walked towards the iceberg.
When she reached the entrance of the iceberg, she opened her handkerchief, but it was empty. She unfortunately lost the keys on the way. She thought for a while and decided to use her fingers instead of the keys. She put her finger in the keyhole, which caused great pain, but the door opened. As soon as the door opened, a dwarf came and asked her the reason for coming there. She told him everything about herself and her seven brothers. The dwarf asked her to wait until the ravens returned. The dwarf prepared food for seven ravens and served them on the table. Sister ate a few pieces from each plate and drank a little dry from each cup. And in the last cup, she dropped the ring that she had brought from home.
After some time, the seven ravens came inside and started eating. They found that someone had eaten their food. The seventh crow found the ring in the cup and showed it to the others. He soon realised that the ring belonged to his father. The eldest brother said, 'If only our sister comes here, we should be free.' Hearing his wish, the sister came forward and stood in front of them. At that very moment, the seven ravens were freed from the spell and became seven handsome young men. Being quite happy, they kissed and hugged each other and started off to their parents and their home in great happiness.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Seven Ravens by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
1. Who drops the pitcher into the well in 'The Seven Ravens'?
Answer:
In 'The Seven Ravens', the seven brothers drop the pitcher into the well.
2. Why does the father curse his sons to turn them into ravens?
Answer:
The father curses his sons to turn them into ravens because he thinks that they have gone off to play and are not returning home with the water that he demands for baptism.
3. What helps the girl in her search for her brothers in 'The Seven Ravens'?
Answer:
The morning star helps the girl in her search for her brothers. The morning star helps her by providing her with a key to unlock the glass mountain in which her brothers are trapped.
4. How does the girl open the lock of the iceberg when she loses the key?
Answer:
When she loses the key, the girl opens the lock of the iceberg with her little finger.
5. Who helps the girl when she enters the iceberg in 'The Seven Ravens'?
Answer:
A dwarf helps the girl when she enters the iceberg in 'The Seven Ravens'.
6. What does the girl put in the last cup of the food and drink of the seven ravens?
Answer:
The girl puts the ring in the last cup of food and drink of the seven ravens. She has brought the ring from her home.
7. What makes the seven ravens angry when they return home in 'The Seven Ravens'?
Answer:
The seven ravens get angry when they notice that somebody has consumed some of their food and drink.
8. How do the seven ravens recognise their sister when she comes to save them?
Answer:
When she comes to save them, the seven ravens recognise their sister by noticing the ring that belongs to their parents.
9. What happens to the seven ravens when they are restored back into their human forms?
Answer:
When the seven ravens are restored back into their human forms, they kiss and hug each other and start off to their parents in great happiness.
10. What is the main theme of 'The Seven Ravens'?
Answer:
The main themes of 'The Seven Ravens' are love and sacrifice. The story portrays the dedication and patience of a sister towards her brothers.
EXPLORING THE TEXT
1. Why do you think the father said, "I wish the youngsters were all turned into revens?" Was it an expression of desperation, excitement, or anger? Give reasons.
Answer:
I think the father spoke this expression, "I wish the youngsters were all turned into ravens," in anger. He became quite impatient with his one and only daughter. He had a fear for his daughter's survival. He wanted to baptise his daughter. When his seven sons didn't come back home in time with water, he became quite impatient and cursed them in anger.
2. What made the girl make a strong commitment to finding her brothers?
Answer:
Her parents could no longer hide the secret, but they said that it was Heaven's fate and that her birth was merely an innocent cause. However, this tormented the girl's conscience every day, and she became convinced that she had to rescue her brothers.
3. How was the girl able to rescue her brothers from the iceberg?
Answer:
The girl was able to rescue her brothers from the iceberg by facing many hardships and challenges. When she left home, she walked quite further and reached the end of the world. She visited the sun, the moon, and the stars. Eventually, she cut her finger to break the iceberg. When she entered the iceberg, she dropped the ring she had brought from home into the cup. At the same time, the seven ravens, freed from the spell, became seven handsome young men; thus, the girl was able to rescue her brother from the iceberg by overcoming the above difficulties.
4. What role does the dwarf play in the story?
Answer:
The dwarf took the girl to the ravens' dinner, where he set seven plates for each. Then, she ate a little from each plate and placed a ring, that she brought with her, in the last bowl. The dwarf told her that the ravens were flying back. He asked her to hide behind the door. When the ravens wanted to get rid of her, she appeared, and everything became fine. In this way, the dwarf helped her.
1. How was the girl at his birth?
Answer:
The girl was very sick and small in size. At her birth, she was actually not a normal baby.
2. Why did the father send his sons to get water?
Answer:
The father sent his sons to get water because the newborn baby had to be given an emergency baptism. They were in a hurry because she was very sick at the time of her birth. The father thought that if she were given an emergency baptism, her health might be improved.
3. Why did the sons run together when the father sent one of them?
Answer:
When the father sent one of them, they ran together because each of them wanted to get the water for their sister. They competed with each other in the matter of fetching water. They all loved their sister very much.
4. Why did not the boys bring water?
Answer:
The boys did not bring water because their pitcher had fallen into the well while they were dipping it to collect water. In fact, they competed with each other to be the first to take water home for their sister's baptism. As a result, their pitcher was lost, and they could not fetch water.
5. What was the curse of the parents on their sons, and why?
Answer:
The curse of the parents on their sons was that they would turn into ravens because they thought that their sons might have forgotten what they were sent for. The parents cursed them because they were afraid of their daughter's death without baptism.
6. What happened to the seven sons of the man?
Answer:
The seven sons of the man turned into ravens. When the man got angry and cursed them for their late arrival, his seven sons immediately turned into seven ravens. He could not take his curse back. Therefore, the seven sons kept flying as black ravens.
7. Why did the parents want to keep the secret of their sons' misfortunes from the girl?
Answer:
The parents wanted to keep the secret of their son's misfortune from the girl because they did not want to make her sad. They thought that if she knew the reason, she would blame herself for the condition of her seven brothers. So, they kept everything secret to make her happy.
8. What did the girl do to get her brother back?
Answer:
The girl walked a long distance from her home, carrying some essential things that she might need on the way. She went till the end of the world. She visited the world of the sun. She visited the moon. She visited the stars again and got some kind help. In the end, she cuts her finger to break the mountain of glass. She got the help of a dwarf. She did all these things to get his brothers back.
9. How did the dwarf help the girl get the brothers back?
Answer:
The dwarf helped the girl get the brothers back by guiding her to the place where the ravens took their dinner. The dwarf placed seven plates on each. Then, she ate a little from each plate and very strategically put a ring in the last bowl she had brought with her. The dwarf told her that the ravens were flying back. He asked her to hide behind the door. When the ravens wished for their freedom from the cursed form, the girl appeared in front of them, and everything became fine. In this way, the dwarf helped her.
10. What is the role of the ring that the girl dropped in the story?
Answer:
The role of the ring that the girl dropped into the last cup in this story is very significant, as it indicates a sign of blood relations. The girl knows this is the perfect way to let the ravens know that someone from their family has come to meet them. The ring plays a very vital role in helping the ravens recognise their sister when she comes to save them.
11. Why did the girl cut her finger in this story?
Answer:
In this story, the girl cut her finger to open the mountain of glass. When she learned that her brothers were trapped inside a glass mountain, it was impossible for her to open the door of the mountain. She was provided with a chicken bone by the morning star, but she lost it on the way. She was left with no other option. Otherwise, she would never have seen her brothers. So she cut her finger to open the door of the glass mountain.
12. How did the girl come to know that she had brothers?
Answer:
The girl came to know that she had her brothers from other people. One day, she heard other people talking about her brothers. She heard them saying that she was responsible for her brothers' misfortune. This really hurt her. After that, she interrogated her parents and found out the truth.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
The Seven Ravens by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
1. Why did the father send his sons to the well?
Answer:
The father sent his sons to the well to fetch water for the baptism of their newborn daughter.
2. Why didn't the sons return home?
Answer:
The sons didn't return home because they accidentally dropped the pitcher into the well while competing to be the first to fetch water for their sister.
3. Why did the daughter secretly go out into the wide world?
Answer:
The daughter secretly went out into the wide world to rescue her brothers who had been turned into ravens by their father's curse.
4. How did the sister rescue her brothers?
Answer:
The sister rescued her brothers by traveling to the end of the earth, the moon's place, and the morning stars. She received help from the morning star, used her fingers to open the iceberg, and revealed her identity to break the spell.
Reference to the Context:
1. "I wish that those boys would all turn into ravens."
a) What does 'I' refer to?
Answer:
'I' refers to the father.
b) Who are 'those boys'?
Answer:
'Those boys' refer to the seven sons.
c) What is expressed in the statement?
Answer:
The statement expresses the father's wish for his sons to turn into ravens.
2. "My child, what are you looking for?" "I am looking for my brothers, the seven ravens."
a) Who said the first expression?
Answer:
The first expression is said by the dwarf.
b) What does 'I' refer to?
Answer:
'I' refers to the sister.
c) What does 'the seven ravens' refer to?
Answer:
'The seven ravens' refer to the sister's seven brothers.
Literary Analysis:
a. How can you describe the story as a fairy tale?
Answer:
The story can be described as a fairy tale due to its magical elements, the presence of curses and spells, the journey of the protagonist to rescue her enchanted brothers, and the eventual happy ending where the curse is broken, and the family is reunited.
Reference beyond the Text:
1. The story can be interpreted as a wish by sisters for the return of their brothers, freeing them from any kind of control. Can you relate this in relation to the wish of sisters at Bhai Tika of Tihar festival in Hindu culture?
Answer:
The story's theme of a sister's wish for the return of her brothers and their subsequent freedom can be related to the tradition of Bhai Tika in Hindu culture, where sisters pray for the well-being and longevity of their brothers. Both involve a strong bond between siblings.
2. Do you think a wish comes true? Give reasons relating to your own experience.
Answer:
Whether a wish comes true can be subjective and varies from person to person. While some may believe in the power of wishes, others may attribute outcomes to various factors. Personal experiences and beliefs shape individual perspectives on the effectiveness of wishes.
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