Chapter 8-The Tale of Melon City

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 8 – The Tale of Melon City

Author: Vikram Seth | CBSE Class 11 | NCERT Snapshots

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 8 – The Tale of Melon City is a wonderfully absurd and satirical narrative poem written by the acclaimed Indian author Vikram Seth. The poem tells the darkly comic story of a just but overly passive king whose chain of ridiculous decisions leads — through a series of hilarious misadventures — to his own execution, followed by the citizens choosing a melon as their new king. Published as part of Seth's collection "Beastly Tales from Here and There," the poem is a sharp political satire that mocks blind obedience, bureaucratic absurdity, mob mentality, and the meaninglessness of certain traditions. It is written in simple, rhyming couplets that make it deceptively easy to read — but the ideas beneath the surface are rich and thought-provoking. For CBSE Class 11 students, this poem is both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. 

Students must check out the NCERT Solutions Resources for Class 11 English, like NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English and for all subjects, NCERT solutions for class 11. Myclass24 provides complete NCERT Solutions that help students understand the poem's humour, its satirical targets, and the thematic questions it raises about governance and justice.

NCERT Solutions PDF – Chapter 8 The Tale of Melon City (Myclass24)

Chapter 8 – The Tale of Melon City: Summary, Analysis & Key Facts

Vikram Seth's "The Tale of Melon City" is the final chapter in the NCERT Snapshots textbook for Class 11, and it ends the collection on a note of gleeful, biting absurdity. Seth — best known for his mammoth novel "A Suitable Boy" and the verse novel "The Golden Gate" — shows in this short narrative poem that he is equally at home in the tradition of comic fable. The poem is written in crisp, rhyming couplets that give it the feel of a children's fairy tale, but the content is anything but childish.

The story begins with a just and placid king who orders an arch to be built over the main road of his city so that it may "edify" his citizens. When the arch is built too low and knocks the crown from the king's head as he rides beneath it, the king — mindful of his dignity — orders the chief of builders to be hanged. The builder blames the workmen; the workmen blame the architect; the architect blames the king himself for ordering specific dimensions. The king, considering it improper to hang himself, calls for the wisest man in the land to resolve the dilemma.

The wise man, ancient and nearly blind, is brought in. After much deliberation, he delivers a verdict: the arch itself is guilty and should be hanged. This verdict is accepted. An attempt is made to hang the arch, but it is naturally too tall for the gallows. At this point, the king's ministers point out that someone must be hanged today — the crowd has gathered and expectations must be met. The king, desperate for a solution, asks that the gallows be made taller to match the arch. A man in the crowd notes that the king is the only person tall enough to fit the new gallows perfectly. The king — passive and just to a fault — accepts this logic. He is hanged.

Now the kingdom needs a new king. The custom, it turns out, is to let the next person who enters the city gate choose the monarch. The next person to arrive is an idiot who has only ever known one word: "Melon." He says it. The city therefore crowns a melon as king. And the story ends with the citizens contentedly living under their melon monarch — happy because, unlike most kings, this one leaves them entirely alone.

The satire is layered and brilliant. Seth mocks a justice system that is so committed to process and precedent that it loses all common sense. He mocks a king who mistakes passivity for virtue. He mocks the mob mentality that demands someone be punished regardless of guilt. And he mocks political systems in which the citizens are often happiest when governed least. The poem is also a send-up of the "just ruler" archetype — showing that being just without being wise is as dangerous as being unjust.

Key Facts Table

| Detail | Information | Chapter | 8 – The Tale of Melon City | | Book | NCERT Snapshots (Class 11 English) | | Author | Vikram Seth | | Form | Narrative Poem (rhyming couplets) | | Source | Beastly Tales from Here and There | | Main Characters | The King, the Builder, the Architect, the Wise Man, the Idiot | | Theme | Satire, Absurdity, Governance, Mob Mentality, Justice |

The Chain of Absurd Events

| Event | Outcome | Arch built too low; knocks king's crown | King orders chief builder hanged | | Builder blames workmen | Workmen summoned | | Workmen blame architect | Architect summoned | | Architect blames king's dimensions | King calls wise man | | Wise man: "Hang the arch" | Arch too tall for gallows | | Gallows made taller; king is tallest man | King is hanged | | New king to be chosen by next arrival | Idiot says "Melon" | | Melon crowned king | Citizens live happily ever after |

For CBSE exams, a key question asks what the poem satirises. The answer spans justice, governance, and blind obedience. Another common question asks about the significance of the citizens being happy under the melon king. Myclass24's NCERT Solutions provide comprehensive, exam-ready answers that cover all these angles clearly and concisely.