NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Chapter 4 Poetry Hornbill Childhood

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 for English Poetry Hornbill Childhood by Markus Natten

Childhood

Markus Natten

Think It Out

1. Identify the stanzas that talks of each of the following.

individuality

rationalism

hypocrisy

Answer

Individuality- Third stanza

Rationalism- First stanza

Hypocrisy- Second stanza

2. What according to the poem is involved in the process of growing up?

Answer

According to the poem, the attainment of mental maturity is involved in the process of growing up. When a person has become logical, rational and is able to take up decision by analysing situations in life, we consider that person to be grown up. A grown up person should also have the power to distinguish between reality and fantasy. He should be able to judge the people and understand the hypocrisy of others who never practise what they preach.

3. What is the poet's feeling towards childhood?

Answer

The poet seems to be puzzled at the loss of the childhood as he has achieved the adulthood. The poet wonders when and where his childhood has disappeared. According to him the childhood is naive and does not understand the hypocrisy of the elderly people. He also feels that the childhood has gone to some forgotten place and he can only find it hidden in an infant’s face.

4. Which do you think are the most poetic lines? Why?

Answer

I think the following lines are the most poetic ones:

'It went to some forgotten place.

That's hidden in an infant's face,

That's all I know.'

Through these closing lines of the poem, the poet shifts his question from ‘when’ to ‘where’ he has lost his childhood. He is nostalgic for the loss of childhood and concludes the idea that his childhood has gone to some forgotten place. He points out that the childhood can be found in an infant’s innocent face only. It can be further interpreted that innocence of the childhood remains only as long as one is infant.