Unit 5: Princess September

Yes, the eight sisters of the princess were unkind and cruel. They were jealous when they saw that Princess September’s little pet could sing so beautifully, which their parrots couldn’t. Therefore, they even offered their pocket-money to their young sister to buy her a green and yellow parrot. They advised her to keep the little bird in a cage so that he could never leave her. Princess September adhered to their advice and kept her little pet in a golden cage. They convinced her to believe that if the bird tried to come out of the cage, she should not allow him and that he would get used to staying inside it. Further, they also told her to be firm even if he died in the cage due to its stubbornness. They even mocked her by saying that she should never set the bird free as he would never return to sing sweet and melodious songs for her.

(ii) value of freedom – This is the most important idea of the entire story. It is known to all that freedom is the birthright of every living creature, and nobody should be denied it. Likewise, in the story, when the little bird is denied freedom, he loses his charm and always remains sad in captivity. He stopped eating and singing too. This indicates that the beauty of life lies in being free and not being in captivity. Hence, in a closed environment, any living creature tends to lose its charm and creativity.