A grain as big as a Hens Egg class 7

A grain as big as a Hens Egg

Written by Leo Tolstoy in 1886, this parable takes us back to a time when land and what it yielded, was free for everyone. Should one live by one's own labour and be content with it, or eye what others produce?

One day some children found in a ravine, a thing shaped like a grain of corn, with a groove down the middle, but as large as a hen's egg. A traveller passing by saw the thing, bought it from the children for a penny, and taking it to town sold it to the king as a curiosity.

The king called together his wise men, and told them to find out what the thing was. The wise men pondered and could not make head or tail of it, till one day, when the thing was lying on a windowsill, a hen flew in and pecked at it till she made a hole in it, and then everyone saw that it was a grain.

The wise men went to the king, and said, "It is a grain of corn."

The king was surprised and ordered the learned men to find out when and where such corn had grown. The learned men pondered again and searched in their books, but could find nothing about it. So they returned to the king and said, "We can give you no answer. There is nothing about it in our books. You will have to ask the peasants; perhaps some of them may have heard from their fathers when and where grain grew to such a size."

So the king gave orders that a very old peasant should be brought before him; and his servants found such a man and brought him to the king. Old and bent,

ashy pale and toothless, he just managed with the help of two crutches to totter into the king's presence.

The king showed him the grain, but the old man could hardly see it. He took it, however, and felt it with his hands. The king questioned him, saying, "Can you tell us, old man, where such grain as this grew? Have you ever bought such corn, or sown such in your fields?"

The old man was so deaf that he could hardly hear what the king said, and only understood with great difficulty.

"No," he answered at last, "I never sowed nor reaped any like it in my fields, nor did I ever buy any such. When we bought corn, the grains were always as small as they are now. But you might ask my father. He may have heard where such grain grew."

So the king sent for the old man's father. He was found and brought before the king. He came walking with one crutch. The king showed him the grain, and the old peasant, who was still able to see, took a good look at it. And the king asked him, "Can you not tell us, old man, where corn like this used to

grow? Have you ever

bought any like it,

or sown any in your fields?" Though the old man was rather hard of hearing, he could still hear better than his son had done.

"No," he said, "I never sowed nor reaped any grain like this in my field. As to buying, I never bought any, for in my time money was not yet in use. Everyone grew his own corn, and when there was any need we shared with one another. I do not know where corn like this grew. Ours was larger and yielded more flour than present-day grain, but I never saw any like this. I have, however, heard my father say that in his time the grain grew larger and yielded more flour than ours. You had better ask him."

So the king sent for this old man's father, and they found him too, and brought him before the king. He entered walking easily and without crutches, his eyes were clear, his hearing good, and he spoke distinctly. The king showed him the grain, and the old grandfather looked at it and turned it about in his hand.

"It is long since I saw such a fine grain," said he, and he bit a piece off and tasted it.

"It's the very same kind," he added.

"Tell me, Grandfather," said the king, "when and where was such corn grown? Have you ever bought any like it, or sown any in your fields?"

And the old man replied, "Corn like this used to grow everywhere in my time. I lived on corn like this in my young days, and fed others on it. It was grain like this that we used to sow and reap and thresh."

And the king asked, "Tell me, Grandfather, did you buy it anywhere, or did you grow it all yourself?"

The old man smiled. "In my time," he answered, "no one ever thought of such a sin as buying or selling bread, and we knew nothing of money. Each man had enough corn of his own."

"Then tell me, Grandfather," asked the king, "where was your field, where did you grow corn like this?"

And the grandfather answered, "My field was God's earth. Wherever I ploughed, there was my field. Land was free. It was a thing no man called his own. Labour was the only thing men called their own."

"I have two more questions to ask of you," said the king. "The first is, why did the earth bear such grain then, and has ceased to do so now? And the second is, why does your grandson walk with two crutches, your son with one, and you yourself with none? Your eyes are bright, your teeth sound, and your speech clear and pleasant to the ear. How have these things come about?"

And the old man answered, "These things are so, because men have ceased to live by their own labour and have taken to depending on the labour of others. In the old times, men lived according to God's law. They had what was their own and did not covet what others had produced."


Comprehension

A. Choose the correct options as directed.

1. The king met three old peasants. Read the descriptions and tick the correct options.

a. The last peasant had strong limbs and sharp vision. He could hear well and his speech was clear.

b. The second peasant needed help to walk. He could see well but his hearing had weakened with age.

c. The first peasant had a sickly complexion and his teeth were missing. His posture was poor and he could only walk with assistance. He could barely hear or see anything.

2. What did the last peasant tell the king? Tick the suitable statements.

a. The peasants in his time would sow, reap, thresh and eat their crop.

b. Land was free, no one owned land.

e. The persons believed that they could own only their labour.

B. Answer the questions with reference to the context.

1. "We can give you no answer."

• a. Who said these words? The wise men said these words.
• b. What did they have no answer for? They had no answer for the question of when and where such corn had grown.
• c. Why did they not have an answer? They could not find anything about it in their books.

2. "It's the very same kind."

• a. Who said these words? The old grandfather said these words.
• b. What is 'it'? 'It' refers to the grain.
• c. What did the speaker compare 'it' to? The speaker compared 'it' to the grain he used to eat in his young days.

3. "It was a thing no man called his own."

• a. What is the 'thing'? The 'thing' is land.
• b. According to the speaker, whose 'thing' was it? The speaker said that land was God's thing.
• c. What could a man call his own? A man could only call his labour his own.

C. Answer these questions.

  Describe the object the children found in the ravine. The object was shaped like a grain of corn, with a groove down the middle, but it was as large as a hen's egg.

  How did the object reach the king? A traveler bought the object from the children for a penny and sold it to the king as a curiosity.

  How did the wise men discover what the object was? A hen pecked at the object and made a hole in it, revealing that it was a grain of corn.

  Why did the king want to meet a very old peasant? The wise men suggested that the king ask the peasants, as they might have heard from their fathers when and where such grain grew to such a size.

  Where had the last peasant seen corn like this? The last peasant had seen corn like this in his young days, when it grew everywhere.

  List the questions that the king asked the last peasant. How did the peasant answer the king's final two questions?

• Questions:

1.    Where did such grain as this grow?

2.    Why did the earth bear such grain then, and has ceased to do so now?

3.    Why does your grandson walk with two crutches, your son with one, and you yourself with none?

• Answers:

1.    The peasant said that corn like this used to grow everywhere in his time.

2.    The peasant attributed the change to people ceasing to live by their own labor and depending on the labor of others.

3.    The peasant said that these things had come about because men had stopped living according to God's law and had begun to covet what others had produced.

D. Think and answer.

  How do you know that the children did not understand the value of the grain they found? The children sold the grain for a penny, indicating that they did not recognize its true value or potential.

  Why do you think the last peasant considered selling and buying grain a sin? The last peasant lived in a time before money was widely used. People likely shared their crops with each other rather than buying and selling them. This practice may have been seen as a more communal and equitable way of living. Additionally, the idea of selling something as essential as food might have been considered morally wrong or exploitative.

  The first peasant used two crutches while his father used one crutch and his grandfather used none. What is the significance of this? The progression from two crutches to one, and then to none, symbolizes the decline in health and well-being over generations. This decline is likely attributed to the changes in lifestyle and societal values that occurred over time. The grandfather, who lived in a time when people lived by their own labor and shared their crops, was healthier and more independent than his son and grandson, who lived in a time of increasing inequality and dependence on others.