Childhood Class 11 Hornbill English Poem 4 in தமிழ்
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 Poem and Explanation
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!
Ceased – come to an end
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.
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!
See: Father to Son Class 11 English Poem Explanation, Summary
Preached – talked or spoken
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?
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!
See: Father to Son Class 11 English Poem Explanation, Summary
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?
Where did my childhood go?
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
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.
Infant – newborn baby
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.
