The poem The Frog and the Nightingale by Vikram Seth gives an important lesson that every person must understand his/her own abilities and talents and not be fooled by a critic who may not have the best intentions. One must develop self-confidence and belief in one’s own potential.

The Nightingale, in spite of being a very good singer, lacks confidence in itself and falls prey to the greedy and jealous frog who first exploits its skills by charging it for training and then ultimately becomes the reason for its death. Had the nightingale believed in itself, the situation would have been different.

People nowadays fail to recognise their talents and also lack confidence in themselves. Hence, they fail in their lives though they have talent.

Read the summary of The Frog and the Nightingale here.