"Chicken on poles" by M. Prishvin: summary and idea of the story

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Children get acquainted with the work of M. M. Prishvin already in the primary grades. Short but very interesting stories are always filled with deep meaning. These words fully apply to the work "Chicken on poles".

The article offers a summary of the story, as well as variations on how the main idea might be defined.

Unusual babies

The Queen of Spades, a black mother hen, was given four goose eggs. She did not notice anything, and in due time, yellow goslings hatched from them. And although they squeaked in a completely different way than chickens, the hen treated all her children the same way.

Following spring, summer came, dandelions faded. The geese grew noticeably taller and, with their outstretched necks, seemed almost taller than their mother. But they continued to follow her everywhere. True, sometimes it was possible to observe such a picture: the Queen of Spades began to row the ground with her paw and touted the goslings with might and main, and they beat their beaks against dandelions and let fluffs throughwind. She cackles, sometimes she drives the dog away, and the strange children keep on nibbling on the grass. But she will only stop and look at them thoughtfully…

And thunder struck

This is where the second part of the story can begin, when the Queen of Spades finally had an idea. It happened on a June day, when the sun suddenly faded, lightning flashed, and all living creatures ran under the canopy. The goslings climbed under the wings of their mother, and she carefully hugged them and warmed them with her warmth. Pretty common picture. The most interesting thing happened next. The rain ended rather quickly, the sun shone again, and the birds began to chirp merrily. The goslings wanted to get out from under the shed, and, despite the warnings of their mother, they got up on their legs and went free. And on their necks, as if on four pillars, sat … an alarmed mother chicken.

From that time on, the Queen of Spades no longer took care of the goslings, but only occasionally looked at them from the side. She probably understood everything. Or maybe she didn’t want to be mother chicken on the poles again?

What is the story about?

The works of M. Prishvin are not accidentally included in the school curriculum. Thanks to them, it is possible to convey to students very important ideas that resonate with the realities of everyday life. For example, here is how you can determine the main idea of the story "Chicken on Poles" (a similar task is often given to primary school students who keep a "Reader's Diary"):

1. Black Hen is a real mother who loves her children for who they really are. Andtries to teach them everything that she knows how, even if it is not at all easy. Truly right are people who believe that motherly love is the brightest feeling on earth.
2. Life around us is very interesting, and you need to be very careful to notice all the surprises that it brings us. And also to distinguish true from false, no matter how bitter it is to do.
3. Children can always hide under the "wing" of their mother: after all, she will definitely understand and help.
4. "Not the mother who gave birth, but the one who nursed" - this is the proverb that comes to mind after reading the story "The Chicken on the Poles". It is hard to believe that the mother hen could not tell the difference between goslings and chickens. Another thing is important: for her they were the same as they were born in the same nest.

We hope this article will be useful in compiling a "Reader's diary" or in preparing your children for the lesson. We only recommend that you do not limit yourself to reading a brief retelling, but read M. Prishvin's wonderful work "The Chicken on the Poles" on your own.