This imaginary story conveys the message that one learns by taking courage and not by sitting idle. A young seagull is fed lovingly by his parents. But when the time comes for him to fly, he feels himself afraid. At last, his mother hits upon a plan by persuading him with food in her beak. And the seagull finally learns how to fly.
Important Questions and Answers
Q. What happened when the young seagull dived at the fish picked up by his mother?
Ans. When the young sea gull dived at the fish, he fell outwards and downwards with a scream. His monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. Soon his wings spread outwards and he could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air.
Q. How did the seagull feel when his belly touched the green sea?
Ans. When the seagull’s belly touched the green sea, he was scared that he would sink. He tried to fly but could not. He was exhausted and weak due to hunger.
Q. What did the young seagull do to attract his mother’s attention?
Ans. In order to attract his mother’s attention, the young seagull stood on one leg and pretended to be falling asleep on the brink of the ledge. He closed his eyes and he hid his other leg under his wing, to attract his mother’s attention.
Q. The young seagull was afraid of flying. Why?
Ans. The young seagull was afraid of flying as it was a steep fall to the sea, the sea expanse was vast and he thought that his wings would not support him, and he would die. So he avoided to fly and preferred staying back alone on his ledge.
Q. What role was played by the family of the seagull to train him in the art of flying?
Ans. To train the young seagull in the art of flying, the entire family helped out. His sister and brothers encouraged him to muster up courage and try to fly. The parents called out in a shrill voice, along with cajoling and scolding him in turn. Then they threatened to let him starve. When all this proved unsuccessful, his mother tempted him by flying close to his ledge with a piece of fish in her mouth. Maddened by hunger, he dived forward to get that piece and fell into space. To save himself, he spread his wings and found that he was able to fly. Thus, the entire family helped him in making him to learn the art of flying. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. They were calling him to do the same thing. They were flying around him. They were roaring and diving. When he was tired and weak with hunger, he could not rise. Then his family came around him crying and praising him. They offered him scraps of dog-fish because he had made his first flight successfully.
Q. Do you think hunger was a good motivation for the young seagull in his first flight?
Ans. Even though his parents motivated him to fly, he denied. They warned him that if he did not fly, he would die of hunger. But he could not move. But whatever parents do, it is for the betterment of their child’s future. So they took a harsh step of starving him for more than 24 hours, which was a good time to teach him lesson to fly and hunt food for himself. It was a wonderful lesson which parents can teach their children to make their future bright. Yes, in this case, hunger was a great motivation for the young seagull. He was cowardly and full of fear. All the efforts of his parents had failed to coax him into flight. For 24 hours, no one went near him and he was almost faint with hunger. Finally, the mother flew near him with a scrap of food in her beak. Unable to resist, he plunged into the air to catch it and fell out. To save himself, he opened his wings, wind rushed to them and he found that he could fly. Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly. Around him was his family, offering him scraps of dog-fish. Hence, hunger proved to be a good motivation for the young sea gull.
Q. Overcoming fear is the first step to success. How does this saying stand true in context of the story ‘His First Flight”?
Ans. The story is about a young seagull who is yet to learn to fly. Unlike his younger brothers and sisters he is unable to overcome the fear of falling down to the sea, hence remained sitting on the cliff. His younger siblings despite having shorter wings overcame fear and took a plunge as directed by their parents. The seagull continues to be left in isolation without any sympathy from his parents. No amount of his cries, arising out of starvation, is able to melt his parents hearts. Finally the seagull undergoes a mental transformation which helps him to muster courage. By flapping his wings and overcoming fear he takes a plunge. In the process discovers his ever presented talent to fly which till now was not known to him. Hence the seagull proved that overcoming fear is the important key to success.