In The Kingdom Of Fools

The story ‘In the Kingdom of Fools’, is about a kingdom where the king and the ministers are nothing but fools. They reverse the order of the day and night and punished anyone who violate the laws. A learned Guru and his disciple arrive in the kingdom only to find that everyone performed the chores after evening and slept at night. After this a series of events follows which lead to the downfall of the king and his minister.

In this humorous story we see the largely prevalent theme of indecisiveness. The disciple, who failed to understand his Guru’s advice, took the decision of staying back in the city thus landing himself into trouble. Had it not been for the wisdom and presence of mind of his guru, the disciple would have lost his life. Another theme reflected in the story is that of sensibility and presence of mind. In the very beginning, the guru clearly realises that the city was full of fools. He didn’t find it sensible to settle there. Also, when it was time he came to the rescue of his disciple and using his presence of mind not only saved him but also secured the position of the king.

Meanings of words and phrases

• till: raise crops by ploughing and fertilizing
• disciple: a follower or pupil of a teacher, leader, or philosopher
• sneaked : go or do something secretly
• pursuing: carrying out some work
• wrongdoer: a person who does things that are immoral or illegal
• compensate: to give someone something in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury incurred
• accused: a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime
• plead: to argue a case or cause in a court of law
• guilty: committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law
• execution: legal punishment of killing someone
• jingling: a light metallic ringing sound
• complicated: difficult
• distracted: unable to concentrate or give attention to something
• damned: a word used to express anger with someone or something
• culprit: a person responsible for a crime or other misdeed
• bailiffs: law officers
• accusation: a statement saying that someone has done something morally wrong, illegal, or unkind
• impatient: someone who wants something to happen as soon as possible
• inherited: receive money, property, or possessions from someone after the person has died
• impaling: to kill someone by fixing on a stake
• execution: legal punishment of killing someone
• complicated: difficult
• distracted: unable to concentrate or give attention to something
• evidence: something that makes a belief plain or clear
• vision: dream
• scrape: a difficult situation caused by one’s own unwise behaviour
• clamour: a loud complaint about something or a demand for something
• mystery: something strange that has not yet been explained or understood
• ascetic: to avoid worldly pleasures and to live a simple life
• postponed: to delay something to a later date
• promptly: with immediate effect
• panicked: taken over by a sudden feeling of terror or anxiety
• mourned: feel or show sorrow for the death of someone
• persuade: to convince someone