Question

Why did the little old woman had to struggle for her scanty food after she was cursed to be a woodpecker?

Answer 1

Hint: The poem "A Legend of the Northland" by Phoebe Cary is a Northland folktale that is passed down from generation to generation. It's a narrative of Saint Peter and the little woman who was chastised for her self-centeredness. The legend instructs us not to be greedy and to value traits such as kindness and empathy.

Complete answer:
A Northland Legend is a folktale presented to youngsters to teach them a moral lesson. Saint Peter punished a young girl for refusing to give him any of her baked goods, according to the poem.

St Peter was denied even a modest piece of cake by the greedy little woman. She cooked a modest piece of cake, but she thought it was too big to give away. She continued to make it smaller and smaller. St. Peter condemned her to be a woodpecker. Even her meagre nourishment was made to be a struggle for her. She went on boring to acquire a small crumb of food as a woodpecker.

Saint Peter is enraged by the woman's behaviour and curses her, turning her into a woodpecker. Saint Peter teaches all mankind the importance of not being stingy and miserly.

Note: The poem's core message is that greed is a serious sin. Greedy people have no right to the blessings and luxuries of life. As a result, human beings should learn to be kind, compassionate, and empathic. Because of her avarice, the little woman refused to share even the tiniest piece of cake with the starving Saint Peter, incurring his wrath.