Scribd
Upload
1K views3 pages

Childhood' Text and Explanation

Uploaded by

manasvii2006
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views3 pages

Childhood' Text and Explanation

Uploaded by

manasvii2006
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

SUBJECT: ENGLISH (CORE) CLASS: XI LESSON: THE LABURNUM TOP

DATE: 07.10.2022 TEACHER: R.GOSWAMI

THEMES:

The poem Childhood by Markus Natten is about the poet's reaction to his loss of childhood.
The poet feels he lost his childhood when he became twelve years old; the second guess he
makes his maybe he lost it when he could not find heaven and hell in his geography book; or
maybe when realised the hypocrisy of adults; or maybe when he realised his mind could
think his own peculiar and unique thoughts. Finally, he concluded that he lost his childhood
which is hidden in an infant’s face.

STANZA I:
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!

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 realised
that Hell and Heaven existed and yet could not be found in geography or on the map. He
realised they are imaginary places that actually do not exist in this world.

STANZA II
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!
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 went?
STANZA III

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!

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?

STANZA IV

Where did my childhood go?

It went to some forgotten place,

That’s hidden in an infant’s face,

That’s all I know.

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.

PRACTICE QUESTION:
Based on the given visual inputs, draft an article in 150-200 words on the topic:

‘Stolen Childhood….’

Does the poet lament the loss of childhood? Substantiate your views with inputs from the
lesson.

You might also like