The Wasp And The Bee

About the poem
The wasp and the bee is a poem written by Jane Taylor. In the poem the poet says that
one must be good natured as the bee to be loved by everyone. People don’t like the wasp
in spite of its good looks as it has a very bad tempered. A person who is snappish and
petulant is not loved by anyone.

The Wasp and the Bee
Jane Taylor
A wasp met a bee that was just buzzing by,
And he said, “My dear cousin, can you tell me why
You are loved so much better by people than I?
“Why, my back is as bright and yellow as gold,
And my shape is most elegant, too, to behold;
Yet nobody likes me for that, I am told.”
Says the bee: “My dear cousin, it’s all very true,
But indeed they would love me no better than you,
If I were half as much mischief to do.
“You have a fine shape, and a delicate wing,
And then you are handsome, but then there’s one thing
Which they cannot put up with, and that is your sting.
“Now I put it at once to your own common sense,
If you are not so ready at taking offence
As to sting them on every trifling pretence.
‘Though my dress is so homely and plain, as you see,
And I have a small sting, they’re not angry with me,
Because I’m a busy and good-natured bee.”

wasp An insect having a slender body and
narrow black and yellow waist with an
ovipositor specialized in stinging and in the
the female a stinger
cousin A relative related by descent
trifling An insignificant matter of very little
pretence Make believe or feigning
sting To prick with a sharp pointed venom
importance
bearing organ as being stung by a wasp or
bee

Paraphrase
“The wasp and the bee”
A wasp met its cousin bee and asked why it is
loved more than itself.
A wasp met a bee that was just
buzzing by,
And he said, “My dear cousin, can
you tell me why
You are loved so much better by
people than I?
“Why, my back is as bright and
yellow as gold,
And my shape is most elegant,
too, to behold;
Yet nobody likes me for that, I am
told.”
It says that its back is bright and yellow as gold
and its shape is so elegant to look at. Inspite of
being so beautiful nobody ever likes it that is
what others say.
Says the bee: “My dear cousin,
it’s all very true,
But indeed they would love me no
better than you,
If I were half as much mischief to
do.
To this question the bee replies that all that the
wasp said was very right and true. But the people
will love the bee more than the wasp. If not for
the reason that the bee does not cause as much
trouble and pain as the wasp, the bee is no better
than the wasp.
“You have a fine shape, and a
delicate wing,
And then you are handsome, but
then there’s one thing
Which they cannot put up with,
and that is your sting.
 The wasp has a fine shape and a delicate
wing and it is a good looker too. But still the
people cannot bear the pain of its sting.
“Now I put it at once to your own
common sense,
If you are not so ready at taking
offence
As to sting them on every trifling
pretence.
The bee says to the wasp to apply some common
sense. If the wasp doesn’t flair up at people and
sting them on every minor or playful insult then
things would have been much different.
‘Though my dress is so homely
and plain, as you see,
And I have a small sting, they’re
not angry with me,
Because I’m a busy and good-
natured bee.”
Even though the bee’s dress is very ordinary
and homely but its sting is minor. The people
are not angry with it as it is a good natured busy
bee, minding its own business without bothering
anyone.

Critical Analysis
“The wasp and the bee” is a poem written by Jane Taylor. The author uses vivid
imageries that beautify the poem. The poem begins with the wasp asking the bee why
the bee is more loved by the people. It says that it is more elegant, slender, shapely
body with bright yellow back. In spite of being so attractive the people still prefer
the bee. The bee replies that all that the wasp said is true and that the bee is no better
than the wasp except for the reason that it is good natured. The wasp is snappish and
therefore nobody likes it.
The poet has used an apt example of the character of the wasp and bee to describe
people who are hot tempered and even tempered. The comparisons of the wasp and
the bee are easy to understand. The wasp’s dangerous sting is compared to a snappish
person and the bee’s small sting to a good natured person. The poet also distinguishes
between their physical appearances. The wasp is more elegant and attractive while
the bee is ordinary. The poet uses this description to show that even good looks of the
wasp did not help it to be liked by others because of its bad nature.
The poem’s theme is deep, philosophical and educates children with moral principles.
The poet has created an ideal poem through which children can learn good values.
She has painted the poem with bright and colorful word pictures which the children
enjoy reading. The poet succeeds to drive home the thought that good natured people
are always appreciated.

Poetic devices
Rhyme scheme
There is aaabbb rhyme scheme in the poem.
Imageries
Imagery is a figure of speech in which a mental or sensational image is created in the
mind through adjectives and nouns. It is a mental representation of sight, sound, taste and
smell.
Example
Visual Imagery
bright and yellow
fine shape
a delicate wing,
Elegant
Auditory imagery
Buzzing
Kinesthetic imagery
Sting
Consonance
Consonance is a figure of speech in which there is a repetition of an initial consonant
sound.
Example
A wasp met a bee that was just buzzing by,
And he said, “My dear cousin, can you tell me why
“Why, my back is as bright and yellow as gold,
If I were half as much mischief to do.
And then you are handsome, but then there’s one thing
“Now I put it at once to your own common sense,
And I have a small sting, they’re not angry with me,
Because I’m a busy and good-natured bee.”
Simile –
A simile is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things using as
or like.
Example
“Why, my back is as bright and yellow as gold,
Here the simile as is used.