By Vaishnavi Tyagi
CBSE Class 11 English Poem 4 Childhood Summary, Line by Line Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings and Literary Devices from Hornbill Book
Childhood – Here is the Class 11 English Hornbill Book Poem 4 Childhood Summary and Detailed explanation of the Lesson along with meanings of difficult words. Also, the explanation is followed by the literary devices used in the Poem.
Class 11 English (Hornbill Book) Poem 4 Childhood
By Markus Natten
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Childhood Introduction
Childhood is written by Marcus Natten. In this poem, the poet thinks over his lost childhood. He wonders about the moment where he lost his innocence and realized that the world is not what he seemed it to be. He recalls when his thoughts changed and he realized the hypocrisy of the people around him. He finally settled down to the idea that his childhood went to some forgotten place and is hidden in the face of an innocent infant.
Childhood Class 11 Video Explanation
Childhood Summary
Childhood Summary – In the poem, the poet wonders when he lost his childhood and the innocence he had. He became conscious that he no longer sees the world as he did earlier and he can sense the hypocrisy in people. He recalled many instances in his life when he could have lost his childhood. He wondered if it was the day he ceased to be eleven or he realized that Hell and Heaven didn’t exist in this world and no one could find them in the geography. Next, he talks about the possibility when he realized that adults are not what they seemed to be and they are hypocrites. They talk and preach of love but their actions don’t say so. Was it the day when he realized that his mind was his own and capable of producing his own thoughts? No one could own that and he is an individual with his particular personality. In the last stanza, he talks about the whereabouts of his childhood. He concludes that it had gone to some forgotten place and it can only be found in the innocent face of an infant.
Childhood Summary in Hindi
कविता में कवि को आश्चर्य होता है कि कब उसने अपना बचपन और अपनी मासूमियत खो दी। उसे होश आया कि अब वह दुनिया को पहले की तरह नहीं देखता और लोगों में पाखंड को महसूस कर सकता है। उन्होंने अपने जीवन में ऐसे कई उदाहरण याद किए जब उनका बचपन खो गया होगा।
उसने सोचा कि क्या यह वह दिन था जब वह ग्यारह वर्ष का हो गया या उसने महसूस किया कि इस दुनिया में नर्क और स्वर्ग मौजूद नहीं थे और कोई भी उन्हें भूगोल में नहीं ढूंढ सकता था। इसके बाद, वह संभावना के बारे में बात करता है जब उसने महसूस किया कि वयस्क वह नहीं हैं जो वे दिखते थे और वे पाखंडी हैं। वे प्रेम की बातें करते हैं और उपदेश देते हैं लेकिन उनके कार्य ऐसा नहीं कहते। क्या यह वह दिन था जब उसने महसूस किया कि उसका मन उसका अपना है और अपने विचारों को उत्पन्न करने में सक्षम है? कोई भी उसका मालिक नहीं हो सकता था और वह अपने विशेष व्यक्तित्व के साथ एक व्यक्ति है। अंतिम छंद में, वह अपने बचपन के ठिकाने के बारे में बात करता है। उन्होंने निष्कर्ष निकाला कि यह किसी भूली हुई जगह पर चला गया था और यह केवल एक शिशु के मासूम चेहरे में पाया जा सकता है।
Childhood Poem Explanation
Poem Stanza 1
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!
Word Meaning
Ceased – come to an end
Explanation of the Poem: 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.
Poem Stanza 2
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!
Word Meaning
Preached – talked or spoken
Explanation of the Poem: 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?
Poem Stanza 3
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 of the Poem: 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?
Poem Stanza 4
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.
Word Meaning
Infant – newborn baby
Explanation of the Poem: 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.
Childhood Literary Devices
Rationalism – the poet rationalizes the lost childhood when he was eleven and when he found out that hell and heaven don’t exist and are not found in geography.
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realized that Hell and Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
Rhyme Scheme – the rhyme scheme used in the poem ‘Childhood’ is ABBCCD.
Refrain – a group of phrase which is repeated in the poem
When did my childhood go?
Was that the day!
Individuality – In stanza 3, the poet realized that he can use his own mind and can produce his own thoughts. He discovered a sense of individuality in himself.
Antithesis – where two opposite words are used together in a sentence in a poem
Hell and Heaven
Alliteration – The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words
The time
My mind
Whichever way
Thoughts that
Inversion – when the subject-verb order is reversed
To use whichever way I choose
Class 11 English Hornbill Book Poem Explanation
| Poem 1 A Photograph | Poem 2 The Laburnum Top |
| Poem 3 The Voice of the Rain | Poem 4 Childhood |
| Poem 5 Father to Son |
Important Videos Links
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- Hornbill Book Poem Word Meanings
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- Take Free MCQ Test for Class 11 English