The Tale of Melon City Summary Class 11 English

Introduction

The Tale of Melon City is a poem-based narrative. Even though the story is implausible and ridiculous, it is funny. It makes fun of the monarch, his ministers, the wise men, and commoners. They all act erratically. Nobody uses their brains, not one of them. The poem is sarcastic in nature. The benevolent and upright monarch acted foolishly and rashly.

He had an arch gate built above the roadway so that passing motorists could see inside. He slammed his Crown against the arch. For the guilty, he mandated hanging. But he quickly changed his mind and eventually gave the order for his own execution. A monarch chooses the next leader in a dumb manner. He was requested to identify the new king. He loved melon and immediately declared the melon to be king, and was given the Crown. As long as they weren't being bothered, the populace didn't care who was in charge.

The Tale of The Melon City About The Author

Vikram Seth, an Indian poet, and author born on June 20, 1952, is the poem's author. He has produced several books as well as poetry. The Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, crossword book Award, and several other honors have been placed on his almirah in recognition of his important works, including the appropriate boy, the golden gate, and equal music.

He describes the city in this poem where the monarch ordered that the city's chief constructors be hung until they died because he believed they had constructed a low arch.

CBSE Class 11 English The Tale of Melon City Summary

There was a monarch who was respected for his justice and composure. He had announced plans for an arch that would be built across his city's major thoroughfare. People's spirits were to be lifted by it. The monarch aimed to win over his subjects. As a result, the workers immediately began construction on the arch since it was the king's instruction. The city appeared to operate under moral standards founded on enduring traditions of subordination and hierarchy.

Once the building was finished, the king rode to the roadway to examine the arch and converse with the onlookers. The king's Crown was knocked from the archway because it needed to be constructed taller. It was deemed a shame by the "just and placid" king, who also commanded the execution of the builder's leader.

The builder cried to the monarch that it was not his responsibility and that the employees were to blame as he was led to the gallows to be hung. The monarch halted the action and gave the order to hang every worker. The workmen then objected and laid the blame on the wrong-sized bricks. The king summoned the masons. It was delivered to the architect by the masons. Afterward, the king called for the architect.

The architect then revealed a startling truth. He reminded the king that he had changed the plan. When the monarch learned about this, he was horrified and had no idea what to do. He thus determined that he required legal advice and gave the order for the smartest man to be brought before the court.

On the king's instruction, the wise man was brought before the court. He was a very old man who had difficulty seeing and walking. The elderly guy came to the conclusion that the arch that had taken the Crown from the king's head was the real offender. As the arch was being carried to the scaffold, a councilman objected, saying it was improper to hang anything that had been in contact with the king's skull. The king acknowledged that this was accurate. But by this point, the mob had become agitated.

The king recognized the impatience of the populace. And he announced a hanging in order to placate them. Anybody might be executed by hanging. It just had to involve an execution. There was a prepared noose, but it was very high. In order to choose a man whose height matched that of the noose, each man was measured. Only one man, who happened to be the monarch, had the right height. As a result, the king was executed by hanging.

The fact that the ministers had been able to discover a good fit for the noose made them feel reassured. If they were unable to hang someone, they were concerned about the results. The general populace would have rebelled against the Crown. They celebrated the king's demise and declared in his honor that whoever entered the city gate next would be elected to lead their realm. Additionally, as was customary, the coronation would be observed ceremoniously.

An adult male was the second person to pass via the city gate. He was a simpleton who enjoyed melons. Melon was his go-to response to any query, and he used the same response when asked to select a ruler for the state. The melon was given a crown and respectfully escorted to the throne.

This incident occurred a long time ago. When asked why their current monarch is a melon, the citizens of the state respond that they picked him in accordance with state traditions. Surprisingly, as long as the people had the freedom to choose and were left in peace, they did not mind that their monarch was a melon. Laissez-faire ideals are widely accepted in this country.

Conclusion

We can conclude from "The Tale of The Melon City" that it serves as an ironic parable of the metaphorical foolishness of ignorance and tainted authority. It teaches us about the foolishness of ignorance and irrationality. In an effort to get revenge on the foolish individual who built the city's low arch, the king ends up dying. The king was identified as having altered the arch's design and hung himself following a series of finger-pointing contests. It shows us that when people lack moral, ethical, or reasonable principles, they end up crowning a fool or an impolite man to run the kingdom.