The Jungle Book (Play)

Unit 3 – Play

The Jungle Book

Hey!
Ayesha, look at the little boy!
How did he befriend these wild animals?
It’s a big story.
Let’s read it.

Warm Up

Look at the pictures given below and talk about their habitat (living place, food, family, etc.)

• Picture A
• Picture B

About the Play

The Jungle Book was written by Rudyard Kipling. The book has attracted audiences of all ages for its plot, structure, and characters. Children especially enjoy this story as it deals with the early childhood of a boy in the midst of wild animals in the forest.

Characters

• Father Wolf
• Mother Wolf
• Tabaqui (the Jackal)
• Shere Khan (the Tiger)
• Man’s Cub (Mowgli)
• Wolf’s Cubs
• Narrator

Scene I

The scene opens in the Seeonee Hills. It’s seven o’clock, a sunny evening, in the middle of the jungle. The Moon is yet to rise and with no stars to brighten the sky, utter darkness surrounds the forest.

Father Wolf wakes up from his day’s rest, releases and spreads out his paws one after the other to make himself ready for the hunt. Mother Wolf, with her big grey nose, drops her four tumbling, squealing cubs into the mouth of the cave where they all live.

Father Wolf:
Augrh! It is time to hunt again.
(Moves down to spring downhill, where he notices a little shadow with a bushy tail at the entrance and whines.)

Tabaqui:
Good Luck go with you, O chief of the Wolves. And good luck and strong white teeth go with noble children that they may never forget the hungry in this world.

Father Wolf:
(In a stiff tone)
Enter, then, and look, but there is no food here.

Tabaqui:
For a wolf it may not be enough, but for so mean a person as myself a dry bone is a good feast. All thanks for this good meal.
(Licking his lips. Looks at the Father and Mother Wolf who seem to be uncomfortable.)
How beautiful are the noble children! How large are their eyes! And so young too!
(Sits still, rejoicing in the mischief that he had made. In a spiteful tone he says)
Shere Khan, the Big one has shifted his hunting grounds. He has told me that he will hunt among these hills for the next moon.

Narrator:
Shere Khan was the tiger who lived near the Waingunga River, twenty miles away.

Father Wolf:
(Angrily)
He has no right to come here! By the law of the Jungle he has no right to change his quarters without due warning. If he comes here, he will frighten every head of game within ten miles and I – I have to kill for two, these days.

Mother Wolf:
(Quietly)
His mother did not call him Lungri (the Lame One) for nothing. He has been lame in one foot from his birth. That is why he has only killed cattle. Now the villagers of the Waingunga are angry with him, and he has come here to make our villagers angry. They will scour the jungle for him when he is far away, and we and our children must run when the grass is set on fire. Indeed, we are grateful to Shere Khan!

Tabaqui:
(Quietly)
I go. You can hear Shere Khan below in the forest.

Scene II

Father Wolf listened and below in the valley that ran down a little river he heard the dry, angry, whine of a tiger who has caught nothing and does not care if all the jungle knows it.

Father Wolf:
The fool! To begin a night’s work with that noise! Does he think that our bucks are like his fast Waingunga bullocks?

Mother Wolf:
Hush! It is neither bullock nor he hunts tonight. It is Man.

Narrator:
The whine had changed to a sort of humming purr that seemed to come from every quarter of the compass. It was the noise that bewilders woodcutters and gypsies sleeping in the open, and makes them run sometimes into the very mouth of the tiger.

Father Wolf:
Man! (Showing all his white teeth.) Hah! Are there not enough beetles and Man, and on our ground too!

Scene III

Narrator:
The law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is that Man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of men on elephants with guns and rockets and torches. Then everybody in the jungle suffers. The reason the beasts give among themselves is that, Man is the weakest and the most defenceless of all living things, and it is true – that Man-eaters become mangy and lose their teeth. The purr grew louder, and ended in the full-throated howl.

Shere Khan:
Aaarrh!

Narrator:
Then there was a howl – an untigerish howl – from Shere Khan.

Father Wolf:
He has missed.

Mother Wolf:
What is it?
(Runs out a few paces and hears Shere Khan muttering and mumbling as he tumbles about in the scrub.)
The fool has had no more sense than to jump at a woodcutter’s campfire, and has burned his feet.
(With a grunt)
Tabaqui is with him.

Father Wolf:
Something is coming uphill.
(Twitching one ear)
Get ready!

Narrator:
The bushes rustled a little in the forest and Father Wolf dropped with his haunches under him, ready for his leap. Then, if you had been watching, you would have seen the most wonderful thing in the world – the wolf checked in mid-spring. He made his bound before he saw what it was he was jumping at, and then tried to stop himself. The result was that he shot up straight into the air for four or five feet, landing almost where he left ground.

Father Wolf:
Man! (Snaps) A Man’s cub. Look!

Narrator:
Directly in front of him, holding on by a low branch, stood a naked baby who could just walk – as soft and as dimpled a little atom as ever came to a wolf’s cave at night. He looked up into Father Wolf’s face and laughed.

Mother Wolf:
Is that a Man’s cub? I have never seen one. Bring it here.

Narrator:
A wolf accustomed to moving his own cubs can if necessary, eat an egg without breaking it, and though Father Wolf’s jaws closed right on the child’s back not a tooth even scratched the skin as he laid it down among the cubs.

Mother Wolf:
(In a soft tone)
How little! How naked, and – how bold!

Narrator:
The baby was pushing his way between the cubs to get close to the warm hide.

Mother Wolf:
So this is a Man’s cub. Now, was there a wolf that could boast of a Man’s cub among her children?

Father Wolf:
I have heard now and again of such a thing, but never in our Pack or in my time. But see, he looks up and is not afraid.

Narrator:
The moonlight was blocked out of the mouth of the cave, for Shere Khan’s great square head and shoulders were thrust into the entrance. Tabaqui behind him, was squeaking.

Tabaqui:
My Lord, my Lord, it went in here!

Father Wolf:
Shere Khan does us great honour, (angrily) what does he need?

Shere Khan:
My quarry. A Man’s cub went this way. Its parents have run off. Give it to me.

Narrator:
Shere Khan had jumped at a woodcutter’s campfire, as Father Wolf had said, and was furious from the pain of his burned feet. But Father Wolf knew that the mouth of the cave was too narrow for a tiger to come in by. Even where he was, Shere Khan’s shoulders and forepaws were cramped for want of room as a Man’s cub would be if he tried to fight in a barrel.

Father Wolf:
The Wolves are a free people. They take orders from the Head of the Pack, and not from any striped cattle-killer. The Man’s cub is ours – to hunt if we choose.

Shere Khan:
What talk is this of choosing? It is I, Shere Khan, who speaks!

Narrator:
The tiger’s roar filled the cave with thunder. Mother Wolf shook herself clear of the cubs and sprang forward, her eyes, like two green moons in the darkness, facing the blazing eyes of Shere Khan.

Mother Wolf:
And it is I, Raksha, ‘The Demon’, who answers. The Man’s cub is mine. He shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack; and in the end, he shall hunt you!

Narrator:
Father Wolf looked on amazed. He had almost forgotten the days when he won Mother Wolf in a fair fight from five other wolves, when she ran in the Pack and was not called 'The Demon' for compliment’s sake. Shere Khan might have faced Father Wolf, but he could not stand up against Mother Wolf, for he knew that where he was she had all the advantage of the ground, and would fight to the death. So backed out of the cave mouth growling, and when he was clear he shouted.

Shere Khan:
Each dog barks in his own yard! We will see what the Pack will say to this fostering of man-cubs. The man-cub is mine and will come to me in the end!

Scene IV

Mother Wolf threw herself down panting among the cubs, and Father Wolf said to her gravely.

Father Wolf:
Shere Khan speaks this much truth. The cub must be shown to the Pack. Will you still keep him, Mother?

Mother Wolf:
Keep him! (She gasps) He came naked, by night, alone and very hungry; yet he was not afraid! Look, he has pushed one of my babes to one side already. And that lame butcher would have killed him and would have run off to the Waingunga while the villagers here hunted through all our lairs in revenge! Keep him? Assuredly I will keep him. Lie still, little frog. O you Mowgli – for Mowgli the Frog I will call you – the time will come when you will hunt Shere Khan as he has hunted you.

Note:
The story does not end here. It continues with many more episodes such as the acceptance of Mowgli by the Pack of Wolves, the friendship between Bagheera and Mowgli, Mowgli’s adventurous trips in the jungle with Baloo (the bear), the fight between Mowgli and the Monkey’s gang, etc. Eventually Mowgli is forced to leave the jungle and he goes to live in the village. Later, he decides to return to the jungle and live there.

Listening

Listen to your teacher read a description of the character from the story. Identify the character based on your understanding and write the name in the space provided. Number the characters in sequence as they appear in the story.
(Listening text is on page 131)

Speaking

Imagine you are Mowgli. Which animal would you befriend? What kind of adventure would you like in the forest? Make use of the hints below to talk about it.

Hi, I’m Mowgli. The only human being living in the jungle.
I have been raised by a pack of wolves, in an Indian forest.
I go and hunt with my friends for food.
My close buddy is a ______.
His/Her name is _____.
He/She guides and accompanies me ___.
We enjoy loitering in the jungle by ____.
The jungle where we live is ____.
On the whole, I am __________.

Reading

Read Scene I of the play carefully and answer the questions below.

1. List the characters that appear in the scene. What human characteristics do they exhibit?
2. The scene is set inside a thick forest and it is nearing dusk. Relate this time frame with the behaviour of the animals in the forest.
3. Did Tabaqui receive a warm welcome from the pack of wolves? How do you know?
4. Tabaqui acts as ______ to the pack of wolves.
   a) a guard b) a friend c) a messenger d) an enemy
5. Whom does Mother Wolf talk about? How does she describe him?
6. Who is about to go on a hunt? Do the wolves panic on his arrival? Explain.
7. Match the following.

Sl.No.	Character	Trait
a.	Father Wolf	the chief of the Wolves
b.	Tabaqui	begs for meat and thanks for the meal/warns the wolves about the arrival of Shere Khan
c.	Mother Wolf	with a grey nose…feeds her four cubs
d.	Shere Khan	the big one from Waingunga River with a lame foot

Writing

Imagine a conversation among your friends about the four characters in the play – Tabaqui, Shere Khan, Mother Wolf, and Father Wolf. Use the hints to write it.

• The characters' entry in the play.
• Compare and contrast their character traits.
• The reaction of the characters on seeing the man cub.

Grammar

Let’s Recall

I. Read the situation given. Write the response of the subject in a sentence. Tick the correct box to identify the kind of sentences.

D – Declarative	In – Interrogative	E – Exclamatory	Im – Imperative

Example:
(Vendor) while weighing the fruits
How many kilos do you want? ☑ In

1. (Children) while eating ice-cream
2. (Teacher) while noticing students talking in the classroom
3. (Waiter) while attending a new customer
4. (Student) while introducing oneself
5. (Tourist) while visiting the Taj Mahal
6. (TTR) while checking the tickets of passengers
7. (Critic) while writing a review of a book
8. (Receptionist) while attending to a guest in the hotel

II. Look at the pictures given below. Arrange the jumbled words into a sentence. Write the sequence of the sentences according to the pictures in the blanks given. Pick the adjectives from the sentences and write them below the picture.

1. order/a yummy, round and big cake/her parents
2. her/a wonderful doll/present/Madhu’s friends/with
3. which falls on Sunday/for her birthday celebration/Madhu/her close friends/invites
4. welcome/she and her parents/with a broad smile/their/guests
5. enjoyed the day/felt/happy and/Madhu and her parents
6. the house with colourful balloons/her parents/decorate/and attractive cartoon
7. pink/Madhu/frock/wears/on her/birthday/a long.

Sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

III. Frame as many sentences as possible from the substitution table given below.

| I/We/You/They | hate/prefer/like/love/enjoy/wish/dislike/prefers | playing/watching/coaching | football/volleyball/hockey/kabaddi/cricket/tennis/basketball/kho-kho/badminton | daily/every day/usually/rarely/often/occasionally/sometimes/generally |

Example:
I enjoy playing badminton and carrom daily.

IV. Read the sentences, insert appropriate articles in the blanks and circle the noun phrases.

1. Sujatha is reading ___ interesting story in the library.
2. Vishal drew ___ wonderful picture on the board yesterday.
3. Srinath and Sandhya were bored at ___ awful concert.
4. Purvaja ate ___ salad of raw vegetables for dinner.
5. Suresh was astonished to see ___ huge statue.
6. The child was playing with ___ yellow balloon.

V. Complete the dialogue by using suitable adjectives in the blanks.

Sinduja: Hi! Venkat. Hope you received the message about our school’s sports day.
Venkat: Hmmm…! Yes… I was the one to enroll my name in the ___ events.
Sinduja: So, tell me for how ___ events have you enrolled?
Venkat: I have enrolled myself only in a ___ events.
Sinduja: What are they?
Venkat: As I am tall, I have given my name for ___ jump and ___ running events.
Sinduja: That’s ___ to hear.
Venkat: What about you, Sinduja?
Sinduja: I have decided to participate in the ___ events.
Venkat: Hey!! That’s ___. Expecting the best from you.
Sinduja: Thank you so ___ Venkat. Wish you the same. Let’s rock.

Project

Read the story given below and follow the instructions to convert it into a play.

Instructions

1. Read the complete story carefully.
2. Frame a suitable title for it.
3. List the characters occurring in the story.
4. Identify the events in the story.
5. Use a narrator to introduce the scenes occurring in the story, if needed.

Story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Form your groups and enact the play in your class.

ICT Corner

Sentence Unscramble

• Framing sentences through Sentence Unscramble Game

Steps to Play the Game
1. Scan the QR or click the URL and open the game in the browser.
2. Click ‘Play’ to start the game.
3. Read the instructions given in ‘How to Play’
4. Help the rabbit collect more and more gold coins by identifying the adverbs.

Language Activity
♦ Read a piece of article or the prose piece and pick out the different types of sentences.
♦ Write a story based on the game using the sentences you have learnt.

Learning Outcomes
♦ To frame sentences
♦ To use different types of sentences

URL:
https://www.turtlediary.com/game/sentence-unscramble-first-grade.html

Texts for Listening

Unit – 3

Description of the characters from the story "The Jungle Book"

• He is violent and intensely predatory, disrespectful to the law of the jungle. The main villain in the story and the archrival of Mowgli. He is nicknamed as 'Lungri' by his own mother.
• He always feeds on crumbs from either Shere Khan or the wolves of the Seeonee Pack. He is the only friend of Shere Khan. He acts as a spy and messenger to Shere Khan.
• She is very protective of the man-cub and raises him as her own. She is always ready to die in order to protect him. She is strong and brave but when angered, she becomes the fiercest of wolf in the pack.
• He is taken away by a tiger from his village to the jungle, but fortunately he escapes and runs into a cave where a wolf family live. Mother wolf names him Mowgli the 'Little frog'. He is the main character in the story.
• He is one of Mowgli's main teachers, protects and guides Mowgli in all ways till the end of the story. He loves Mowgli a lot and the two spend much time together loitering in the jungle.

Notes

(Blank pages for student use)

Practice Practice Exercises

1. Sujatha is reading interesting story in the library.

2. Vishal drew wonderful picture on the board yesterday.

3. Srinath and Sandhya were bored at awful concert.

4. Purvaja ate salad of raw vegetables for dinner.

5. Suresh was astonished to see huge statue.

6. The child was playing with yellow balloon.

Venkat: Hmmm...! Yes... I was the one to enroll my name in the events.

Sinduja: So, tell me for how events have you enrolled?

Venkat: I have enrolled myself only in a events.

Venkat: As I am tall, I have given my name for jump and running events.

Sinduja: That's to hear.

Sinduja: I have decided to participate in the events.

Venkat: Hey!! That's . Expecting the best from you.

Sinduja: Thank you so Venkat. Wish you the same. Let's rock.

1. List the characters that appear in the scene. What human characteristics do they exhibit?

2. The scene is set inside a thick forest and it is nearing dusk. Relate this time frame with the behaviour of the animals in the forest.

3. Did Tabaqui receive a warm welcome from the pack of wolves? How do you know?

4. Tabaqui acts as to the pack of wolves.

5. Whom does Mother Wolf talk about? How does she describe him?

6. Who is about to go on a hunt? Do the wolves panic on his arrival? Explain.

7. Match the following.