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Hornbill Book, Poem - Summary of Childhood, Childhood is from the poet Marcus Natten. In the Childhood summary, the poet discusses the loss of his childhood. The poet talks about that very moment where this innocence was lost. He talks about the various instances when he could have lost his childhood. Furthermore, a realization comes to the poet that the world is not what it seems. He recalls when a change in his thoughts took place. The poet believes that the people around him are hypocrites. It seems that the poet will never be able to trust people around him ever again. This is because he is aware of their hypocrisy. The poet believes that adults preach love but their actions don’t reflect that. The author tells us that his childhood went to some forgotten place. Moreover, the poet explains that his childhood is hidden in the face of an infant who is innocent., First of all, the poet thinks and wonders about the end of his childhood. He thinks where his childhood came to an end. He wonders that was it the day on which he was no longer eleven years of age. Another option could be the time when the author came to the realization that Hell and Heaven didn’t exist and one could not find them in geography. So, this was the time when the author could make a distinction between reality and fantasy. The poet comes to the realization that they are imaginary places that have no existence in this world., Once again the poet again repeats the same question about losing his childhood. Now, the poet wonders that was it the time when he began to view the world with a different perception. Naturally, when humans grow older, their perception of the world changes. However, the poet seems to be deeply affected by it. Furthermore, the poet came to the realization that adults are hypocrites. This is because the adults are not what they appear or seem to be. According to the author, adults preach about love but their behaviour is not so loving. So the author believes that a double-face nature is displayed by the adults. So, was this the time when his childhood go?, Moving on, the poet deliberates on the same question regarding the loss of his childhood. Furthermore, the author asks himself about various possibilities. Moreover, the poet thinks about the day when he came to the realization that his mind was his own. This was the time when the poet came to the realization that he can use his mind in any way he wants. Also, the poet realizes that his thoughts were his own and no one can affect them. One can say that the poet became aware that he can produce his own thoughts and that he had free will. This was the time when the poet became aware of his own individuality and personality. So, was that the day where his childhood became lost?, In the last stanza, the poet becomes remorseful about his lost childhood. It seems the poet has a desire to live his childhood once more. He concludes that his childhood had vanished into a forgotten place from which it can never return. The poet cherishes his now lost innocence. This is the type of innocence that one can only see in a baby’s face. He only has sweet childhood memories which would fade away rather quickly. According to the poet, the innocence of childhood remains only until one is an infant., Conclusion of Childhood Summary, The childhood summary discusses how the innocence of childhood gets lost as when grows older and becomes aware of the realities of life., Vocabulary words, Middle class- neither poor nor very rich, Island - a piece of land surrounded by water, Erstwhile - former, Generosity - kindness, Isolated - aloof, Materially – practically, Idols – images, Utterly – completely, Pilgrim - one who goes to a religious place, Conviction – faith, Hypocrisy - A person who pretends to be what he or she is not, QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED, Think it Out, Question 1: Identify the stanza that talks of each of the following:, Individuality,rationalism, hypocrisy, Answer: The stanzas that talk of each of the quality in questions are given below:, Individuality: Third stanza, Rationalism: First stanza, Hypocrisy: Second stanza, Question 2: What according to the poem, is involved in the process of growing up?, Answer: According to the poem, the loss of childhood is involved in the process of growing up., This loss is compensated by some gains which come with adolescence. These are: increase in understanding, power of rationalising and discrimination as well as a sense of individuality and self-confidence., Question 3: What are the poet’s feelings towards childhood?, Answer: The poet regards childhood as an important stage in the process of growing up. Childhood is a period of make-believe. Children readily accept whatever the elders say. The poet does not feel any regret or sense of loss on losing his childhood., Question 4: Which, do you think are the most poetic lines? Why?, Answer: The following lines in the poem are most poetic:, It went to some forgotten place That’s hidden in an infant’s face,, That’s all I know., These lines beautifully sum up the process of growth and the disappearance of a particular stage of life. These lines have a figurative or metaphorical meaning also. The infant’s innocent face hides many things behind its smiles. Perhaps the childhood lies hidden in some forgotten place lying buried deep inside a child’s consciousness., EXTRA QUESTIONS, Extracts with questions, When did my childhood go?, Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,, Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven,, Could not be found in Geography,, And therefore could not be,, Was that the day!, Explanation - In the above lines, the poet wonders about when his childhood came to an end. He asked himself was it the day he was no longer eleven years old? Was it the day when he realized that Hell and Heaven existed and yet could not be found in geography or on the map. He realized they are imaginary places that actually do not exist in this world., Question 1. At what age does the poet think he lost his childhood ?, (a) After he crossed the age of eleven, (b) After he crossed the age of twelve, © After he crossed the age of ten, (d) After he crossed the age of nine, Answer: (a) After he crossed the age of eleven, Question 2. What did the poet realise?, (a) That hell and heaven are geographical places, (b) That hell and heaven are one and the same thing, © That hell and heaven are not any geographical places, (d) That hell and heaven are located on the Earth itself, Answer: ( c)That hell and heaven are not any geographical places, Question 3. ………. In the extract means the same as discontinued, (a) Realised, (b) Therefore, © Ceased, (d) Stopped, Answer: c. Ceased, When did my childhood go?, Was it the time I realised that adults were not, All they seemed to be,, They talked of love and preached of love,, But did not act so lovingly,, Was that the day!, Explanation – In the above stanza, the poet again repeats the same question about when did his childhood go? He wonders about the day when he started seeing the world with a new perception that adults are hypocrites and are not how they seemed to be. The adults who talked of love and preached of love and yet never behaved so lovingly. They are double-faced in reality. Was that the day when his childhood go?, Question 1.Who is ‘my’ in the above lines?, (a) ‘my’ refers to the poet, Markus Natten, (b) ‘my’ refers to the poet’s childhood, (c) ‘my’ refers to the poet’s friend, (d) ‘my’ refers to the poet’s father, Answer: (a) ‘my’ refers to the poet, Markus Natten, Question 2. Why is ‘I’ confused?, (a) Because ‘I’ do not seem to understand when he lost his childhood, (b) Because ‘I’ could not search heaven and hell in geography ., © Because T is getting a lot of negative thoughts, (d) Because T has lost his mind, Answer: (a) Because ‘I’ do not seem to understand when he lost his childhood, Question 3. Explain “But did not act so lovingly”., (a) It means that children talk about love but their actions are not loving, (b) It means that adults talk about love but their actions are not loving, © It means that adults talk about love and their actions reflect the same, (d) It means that children talk about love and their actions reflect the same, Answer: (b) It means that adults talk about love but their actions are not loving, When did my childhood go, Was it when I found my mind was really mine,, To use whichever way I choose,, Producing thoughts that were not those of other people, But my own, and mine alone, Was that the day!, Explanation -In the third stanza, the poet deliberates on the same question about when he lost his childhood. He asked himself about possibilities. He wonders about the day he realized that his mind was his own and could use it the way he wants. When he realized that he could produce his own thoughts which were not bound by anyone. When he sensed his own individuality and a separate personality. Was that the day he lost his childhood?, Question 1. Explain “my mind was really mine”., (a) It means that his mind was influenced by others, (b) It means that his mind was not influenced by others, © It means that his mind was influenced by his parents, (d) It means that he was not confused, Answer: (b) It means that his mind was not influenced by others, Question 2. What did the poet realise?, (a) He realised that his mind belonged to his parents, (b) He realised that his mind was controlled by his friends, © He realised that his mind was controlled by his teachers, (d) He realised that his mind was his, and he had his own individuality, Answer: (d) He realised that his mind was his and he had his own individuality, Question 3. The poet ……….. find an answer to his question., (a) did, (b) did not, © can, (d) may, Answer: (a) Did, Where did my childhood go?, It went to some forgotten place,, That’s hidden in an infant’s face,, That’s all I know., Explanation – In the last stanza, the poet remorses about his lost childhood. He concludes that his childhood had gone to some forgotten place which will never come back. He cherished his innocence which vanished now and could be only seen in a baby‘s face. He only has sweet memories of his childhood which would soon fade away. He also conveyed a message that the innocence of childhood stays till the time one is an infant and that is all he knows., Question 1.Where did the poet‘s childhood go?, (a) It went to an unknown place, (b) It went to some forgotten or unknown place, © It went to a known place, (d) It went to the poet‘s native place, Answer: (b) It went to some forgotten or unknown place, Question 2. Where does the poet think that his childhood is hidden?, (a) He thinks that it is hidden in a cat’s face, (b) He thinks that it is hidden in a boy’s face, (c) He thinks that it is hidden in an infant’s face, (d) He thinks that it is hidden beneath his face, Answer: (c) He thinks that it is hidden in an infant’s face, Question 3. The present tense of‘forgotton’is ………, (a) forgot, (b) forgets, © forget, (d) forgets, Answer: © forget, Short Answer Type Questions, Question 1: What did the speaker learn about the existence of Heaven and Hell ?, Answer: As the speaker grew to be mature, he acquired reasoning power. He realized that Hell and Heaven could not be found in Geography books or Atlas. Since they could not be located anywhere in the world map, he concluded that they did not exist. He would believe only what he could see and find., Question 2: How did the speaker realise the hypocrisy of the adults?, Answer: The speaker noticed a wide gulf between what adults appeared to be and what they actually were in real life. There was apparent contradiction between their words and deeds. They talked of love and advised others to love, but they never acted lovingly., Question 3: How did the realization of being the master of his own mind helped him ?, Answer: The realization that he was the master of his own mind, and could use it in any way he liked, filled him with self confidence. He could now think independently and need not repeat parrot like thoughts of others., Question 3. What question does the poet ask again and again in this poem?, Answer: In this poem the poet is really confused. He asks the question again and again ‘when did my childhood go?’, Question 4.The poet has discussed two stages of life – childhood and adulthood. How do we differentiate one from another?, Answer: Childhood has been considered by the poet as a blissful period in one‘s life, where a child trusts everyone., Adulthood is marked by rational and creative thoughts, ability to perceive and differentiate and learn new things. In this stage of life one also learns to be double faced and crafty., Question 5. What did the poet realise when he crossed the age of eleven years?, Answer: When the poet crossed the age of eleven years, he realised that he had lost his childhood and had developed a mind of his own. He also found out the non-existence of Hell and Heaven., Question 6. How did the poet conclude that Hell and Heaven were imaginary places?, Answer: The poet concluded that Hell and Heaven were imaginary places because Geography books contain names of places, but there is no mention of places like Hell or Heaven in these books., Question 7. What is the poet trying to convey when he says that childhood is hidden in an infant‘s face?, Answer: The poet says an infant is really innocent as he trusts everyone and does not try to fool others. The poet brings out this fact by contrasting it with the behaviour of adults, who become manipulative and are hypocrites. As a person develops rational thoughts, his childlike innocence fades away., Question 8.What is the poet‘s feeling towards his childhood?, Answer: The poet regards childhood as a period of innocence. A child sincerely feels that he is free from all evils and that there is really a Hell and a Heaven. A child knows no hypocrisy. There is no difference between his thoughts and actions. In short, childhood is a state of innocence and purity of heart., Question 9.How does the poem expose man and present him in true colours?, Answer: According to the poet, childhood symbolises innocence, purity, softness and love. As a child grows up, these qualities start receding. Man adheres to lying, shrewdness, cunningness and hypocrisy., Adults preach about truth and honesty but themselves practise hatred and lying. The simplicity and honesty of childhood evaporates the moment man crosses the threshold of innocent childhood., Long Answer Type Questions, Question 1:‘Childhood is an essential state in the process of growing up, but it can’t go on forever.“ Discuss., Answer: Childhood is an important stage in the process of growing up of every person. The human infant is totally dependent on others, but during childhood he gains physical, emotional and mental strength. As the tiny baby grows bigger in size, other faculties also develop. This stage is an important landmark in man’s growth, but it can’t go on forever. Childhood being a stage, must give way to another stage. It is followed by adolescence or early youth. Now all the faculties are fully developed. The person acquires reasoning power. His rationalism helps him to decide truth or falsehood, fact and fiction. He acquires a fine capability of analysis and discrimination. Now he can see through persons and things. He begins to understand the hypocrisy of adults. He gains confidence and becomes an independent thinker., Question 2.Is independent thinking a step towards adulthood? If yes, then how? Explain with reference to the poem ‘Childhood’. OR. Markus Natten, though showing disapproval regarding the behaviour of adults, also raises a very important point, that of independent thinking and individuality. Do you agree that independent thinking and individuality make us what we are? Elaborate in the context of the poem ‘Childhood’., Answer: Of course, independent thinking is a step towards adulthood. As a child, one is not able to make one‘s own decisions and one’s thinking is always influenced and directed by adults. A child is so innocent that it is not able to distinguish between truth and imagination. As a child's thinking is influenced by others, it has no individuality. Moreover, it is prone to manipulations which lead to fickle-mindedness. Independent thinking makes us what we are. It shapes our personality and we are known among people through what our mind thinks and what decisions we take., If we want to stay away from evil people who try to influence our thoughts for their selfish purposes, then only independent thinking can help us. We cannot claim to be an individual if we cannot take decisions ourselves.