CBSE Class 11 English Father to Son Worksheet Set 01

About the Poet

Elizabeth Jennings was born in Boston, Lincolnshire (18 July 1926 – 26 October 2001). When she was six, her family moved to Oxford, where she remained for the rest of her life. There she later attended St Anne’s College. After graduation, she became a writer. Regarded as a traditionalist rather than an innovator, Jennings is known for her lyric poetry and mastery of form. Her work displays a simplicity of metre and rhyme.

Introduction

The author introduces the reader to a very disturbing concept – generation gap. In the poem, the father is lamenting about the strained or negligent relationship with his son. The father is seen as a helpless human who has found it impossible to establish an emotional rapport with his son. It is ironical that two people who are biologically connected and living in the same house have no clue about each other.

THEME

The poem is based on the concept of Generation Gap between parents and their children. The father has his own set of beliefs and ideas while the son has turned into a mature individual who wants to live life on his own terms. Both are unable to compromise or reconcile with each other.

Summary

The poet shares the anxiety of a father regarding his relationship with his son. They have spent several years in the same house yet, the father is unable to understand his son. He doesn’t know his son’s likes and dislikes. The father made an effort to build up a relationship with his son’s when he was small. However, over the years, there is a void in their relationship. He laments the fact that there is no love lost between him and the child he has created, despite the fact that they share the same space on the surface of the earth.

The father acknowledges his role in causing the communication gap between him and his son. He explains that despite his efforts, things don’t seem to be improving. His son is in a place that he is not able to access.

He says that silence surrounds them and he wishes that he could get back his prodigal son. He’d pardon and welcome him with open hands. He does not want him to move into another world of his own, away from him.

He asserts that the father and son must live in the same place on the globe. Unfortunately, the son says that he does not understand himself, and often the grief within him manifests as anger for the father. He further says, that both of them put out an empty hand, but neither of them reciprocate by placing their hand on the one stretched out to make peace. Both want to forgive the other, but neither is willing to take the first step.

POETIC DEVICES

• Simile: a figure of speech that makes comparison and shows similarities between two things
  “We speak like strangers”
• Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words
  “The seed I spent or sown it where” (‘s’ sound)
  “Silence surrounds us”
• Metaphor: an indirect comparison between a quality shared by two persons or things
  “The seed I spent or sown it where
  The land is his and none of mine?”
  The words ‘seed’, ‘sown’ and ‘land’ are metaphors for the father’s efforts that he made to build a relationship with his son, and the son’s, heart, respectively.
• Allusion: reference to ‘prodigal’ son story of the Bible
• Personification: attribution of human characteristics to something non-human
  “Anger grows from grief”
• Enjambment: a poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next
  “I do not understand this child
  Though we have lived together now
  In the same house for years. I know
  Nothing of him, so try to build
  Up a relationship from how
  He was when he was small”

Explanation of the Poem

I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him, so try to build
Up a relationship from how
He was when small. Yet have I killed

Exp- The poet is speaking about the anguish of a father who is unable to establish a cordial relationship with his son. They have been living together in the same house from the time the little boy was born. He has been trying hard to build up a relationship all this time but all his efforts have been ‘killed’.

The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.

Exp- The father laments that though he has created this child in the same space which belonged to him, now it appears that the space belongs to the child and none of it is his. That is, there is no similarity in the original species, the creator (the father) and the one that has been created (the son), who live in the same habitat. Under the same roof, in the same environment, the child he has designed or created, is a stranger to the father. He does not have any clue about the likes and dislikes of his offspring.

Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.

Exp- Father and son are surrounded by silence. The father says, he’d welcome his prodigal son to his home, and pardon him for all that has happened between them. He would not like to see him move out of the house and create a world of his own. He would work on building a new relationship, full of love, with his son, with the hope of wiping out all the sorrow that existed between them.

Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.

Exp- The son takes the turn to speak in the last verse. He agrees that father and son have to stay together but is disturbed by the fact that he is unable to understand himself or the agony that is within him. He experiences excessive anger towards his father that has grown out of the grief that he has experienced over the passage of time. He says that both of them put out their hand in the hope of forgiving each other. But all their efforts are in vain, as they are not able to fill up the void that exists between them.

Questions

THINK IT OUT

 

Question. Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
Answer: This is a poem that has dealt with the perennial problem that exists between two generations—the generation gap. In his struggle to take care of the family, the father has no spare time to develop an emotional connection with his children. And, when he grows old and has time on his hands, the children are too busy with no time to spare for their father. This vicious circle continues from generation to generation.

 

Question. How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?
Answer: The father’s helplessness is brought out in the poem in the following lines:
“I do not understand this child, though we have lived together now, In the same house for years.”
“Yet what he loves I cannot share” and “I know nothing of him”.
“He speaks: I cannot understand myself, why anger grows from grief.”
These lines indicate the desperation of the father. He is striving to establish a relationship with his son, but all his efforts are in vain.

 

Question. Identify the phrases and lines that indicate distance between father and son.
Answer: The phrases/lines indicating distance between father and son are:
“I do not understand this child.”
“I know nothing of him.”
“We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.”
“..What he loves I cannot share.”
“Silence surrounds us.”
“…see him make and move his world”

 

Question. Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?
Answer: No, the poem does not have a consistent rhyme scheme. The first two stanzas have the rhyme scheme abbaba whereas the third and fourth have a slight alteration. The third stanza has abcaba, whereas the fourth one has abbcba scheme.

Questions

Extract-based Questions 

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him, so try to build
Up a relationship from how
He was when small.

 

Question. What does the poet complain about?
Answer: The poet complains that he knows nothing about his son.

 

Question. Who have been living together in the same house?
Answer: The father and his son have been living in the same house for many years now.

 

Question. What does the poet want?
(a) The poet wants to end his relationship with his son.
(b) The poet wants to make his son realise his mistakes.
(c) The poet wants to live with his son.
(d) The poet wants to start a new relationship with his son.
Answer: (d) The poet wants to start a new relationship with his son.

 

Yet have I killed
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.

 

Question. Why does the father feel that the seed was sown in the land that was not his?
Answer: The father feels that the seed was sown in the land that was not his because the son does not share any of the behavioural characteristics of his father.

 

Question. What does the use of the word ‘strangers’ suggest about the relationship between the father and the son?
Answer: The use of the word ‘strangers’ suggests that the father and the son do not know each other well and have no emotional connection or bond.

 

Question. ‘Built to my design’ means:
(a) that his son does not look like him.
(b) that his son looks like him as far as physical features are concerned.
(c) that his son wears the same brand of clothes that he does.
(d) that his son wears clothes designed by him.
Answer: (b) that his son looks like him as far as physical features are concerned.

 

Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love

 

Question. What does the word ‘prodigal’ mean in this context?
Answer: The word ‘prodigal’ means wasteful or reckless in this context.

 

Question. Why does the father want his son to return to his father’s house rather than make and move his world?
Answer: The father wants his son to return to his father’s house rather than make and move his world because he misses him and wants to reconnect with him.

 

Question. What does ‘silence surrounds us’ mean here?
(a) It means the silence of the night.
(b) It means the silence in the house due to the switching off of electrical appliances.
(c) It means the silence in the house due to the demise of a loved one.
(d) It means the silence due to no conversation happening between the father and the son.
Answer: (d) It means the silence due to no conversation happening between the father and the son.

 

Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.

 

Question. How does the use of colon (:) show a change of perspective in the poem?
Answer: The use of colon (:) shows a change of perspective in the poem by introducing the son’s voice and point of view.

 

Question. What is the tone of the poet in the last line of the stanza?
(a) Hopeful
(b) Resentful
(c) Desperate
(d) Indifferent
Answer: (c) Desperate

 

Question. What does the son mean by ‘why anger grows from grief’?
Answer: The son means that he is angry because he is sad about his relationship with his father.

Short Answer Questions 

 

Question. Why doesn’t the father know anything about his son though they have lived in the same house?
Answer: The problem expressed in the poem is the strained relationship that exists between the father and the son. They live under the same roof like strangers. Therefore, the father doesn’t know anything about his son.

 

Question. Why is the father unable to understand his son in the poem ‘Father to Son’?
Answer: The father is unable to understand his son due to generation gap. Over the years they seemed to have grown apart, and as a result the father is unable to understand or see eye to eye with his son.

 

Question. Why is the father unhappy with his son?
Answer: The father is unhappy with his son because he is not able to fill the void that has grown between them. Despite all his efforts to get through to his son, the father fails. This makes him unhappy.

 

Question. How does the father feel when his relationship with his son comes under strain?
Answer: The father is saddened by the fact that the relationship with his son is deteriorating by the day. He laments the fact that he has not been able to understand his son and his perspectives of life. This has subsequently lead to augmenting the strain between them.

 

Question. Describe the relationship between the father and his son.
Answer: The poem emphasises the strained relationship between a father and his son. Their interests are totally different. The father does not know what his son loves. The communication between them is limited. They live like strangers under the same roof.

 

Question. What does the poet mean by ‘Silence surrounds us’?
Answer: The father claims that he and his son live in a zone that is surrounded by a depressing silence. They hardly communicate with one another. They do not have anything in common, and therefore they are in their individual spaces, despite being in the same house. Their companionship is with silence as words are never exchanged between them.

 

Question. “I would have him prodigal”. Elaborate.
Answer: In the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, a son receives his inheritance and travels to a distant country, wastes all his money in wild extravagance, becomes desperately poor, returns to his father, and is received with open arms. The father in the poem desires to replicate this parable and welcome his son back.

 

Question. What do the words ‘an empty hand’ signify?
Answer: The words ‘an empty hand’ signify that both the father and the son want to forgive each other and extend a hand of friendship to each other, but neither of them is willing to be the first one to do so. This means that although they recognise the void and desire to forgive each other, their pride and ego is preventing them from taking the first step to better their relationship.

 

Question. How has the generation gap been presented by the poet?
Answer: Generation gap is the absence of understanding and communication between human beings of different generations. In the poem, we hear only the father’s version of the story. The young boy has been suppressed to speaking a line or two in the last verse of the poem. This is evidently due to the non-acceptance of the individuality of their offspring by the older generation. Consequently, the son speaks of his suppressed grief manifesting in the form of inexplicable anger. Neither the father nor the son is willing to relent and extend an olive branch to revive their strained relationship.

 

Question. Is the father responsible for the present situation? What are your views?
Answer: Yes, I think the father is responsible for the present situation. We do not get to hear the son’s version about his relationship with the father here. But the father is guilty of allowing the silence and non-communication to continue between them and also not understanding the son’s aspirations and feelings.

 

Question. The father is ready to have his prodigal son back when he returns. What inference can you draw from this? 
Answer: Prodigal means wastefully extravagant. Here, the reference is to the story in the Bible in which a father gives his inheritance to his sons. The younger brother leaves, wastes his fortune and returns to his father’s home. Still the father is ready to take him back and forgive him. In the poem, the father also wants to forgive his son, so that they can live peacefully together again.

 

Question. The root cause of the generation gap presented in the poem lies in the fact that it is only the father talking to his son rather than hearing or understanding him. Explain.
Answer: One of the reasons of the generation gap is absence of understanding and communication. Here in this poem, we hear only the father’s point of view. We do not hear anything from the son’s side. The root cause of the generation gap has been lack of sharing of interests or not paying attention to the child’s emotional needs when he is growing up. The child should be allowed to express his opinions freely and adults should not behave like dictators.

Long Answer Questions 

 

Question. Do you sympathise with the anxiety of the father? 
Answer: Being a youngster, I often disapprove of the authoritarian attitude of elders. It is unfortunate that they fail to accept the fact that the children have grown and have a mind of their own. I know that the relationship between a father and son is strong yet delicate. It would be wonderful if the older generation becomes more flexible and liberal in their attitude. Youngsters too, must appreciate the anxieties and fears that are experienced by their parents. It is their over-cautiousness that makes them over-protective. This is so, because of the love and concern for their children. The solution would be to decide upon a middle path. This will re-establish cordial relations, which will fill the void that exists between the generations.

 

Question. The generation gap is a perennial problem that gets passed on to successive generations. Can this be controlled? Analyse. 
Answer: The generation gap is a psychological and emotional gap between the older and successive younger generations. This gap causes misunderstanding and rebellion between the two generations. The success of parenting lies in how effectively they avoid the generation gap by establishing a strong rapport with their children. The generation gap is widening further as a result of the fast-paced development of society. In earlier times, two or three generations lived in the same house and followed the same culture and lifestyle. Obedience and submission to the older generation was the accepted norm in every household. In the modern world, the awareness and exposure that the youth enjoy has made them desire greater independence. One should be flexible in their approach and must try to understand the reason behind a particular behaviour. Learning and unlearning should be followed by everyone, because change and growth is the inevitable reality of human life.

 

Question. The poem talks about the universal problem of generation gap. Why does such a situation exist? How can someone avoid such confrontations? Express your views. 
Answer: Generation gap is a psychological and emotional gap between parents or elder people and the younger ones. This creates misunderstanding and lack of attachment between parents and children. The success of parenting lies in how effectively they avoid the generation gap or ignore differences with their children. Generation gap is the result of the fast paced development of society. In earlier times, two or three generations lived in the same lifestyle and environment, as development was slow. Today, parents do not even know many of the modern technologies and equipment that their children use. Being up-to date is the only way to cope with the generation gap. Moreoever, generation gap occurs when there are differences of opinion. One should be flexible in their approach and must try to understand the reason for a particular behaviour.

 

Question. In the fast moving materialistic world, parents are busy in earning while their children grow without being given enough time by them. This is a major factor in creating a generation gap. There should be a balancing act on the part of parents. Discuss. 
Answer: In today’s materialistic world, parents, specially fathers, are busy with their careers, finding very little time for their children. Childhood is a tender age and the child needs his/her parents at every stage of his growing up. In the pursuit of money or career, children are left at the mercy of caretakers or maids who may provide or fulfil the child’s basic needs but their emotional and intellectual needs are left unfulfilled. Bonding between parents and children keeps on dimnishing until it reaches an alarming level. Parents need to understand that between career and children, a balancing act has to be practised. Children need their parents to guide them, to share their likes and dislikes, to spend quality time with them. No parent should allow such a situation where they may not understand their children or there may be no communication at all between them. Emotional bonding is a must for a family to stay together.

 

Extract-based Questions

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.

 

Question. Which of the following words means a person who spends money or uses resources freely and recklessly?
(a) Returning
(b) Prodigal
(c) Prodigy
(d) Shaping
Answer: (b) Prodigal

 

We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.

 

Question. Select the option that is NOT TRUE about the lack of punctuation at the end of line 1 in the extract.
(a) It creates a sense of continuity and flow.
(b) It shows that the father is hesitant and unsure.
(c) It reflects the distance and disconnect between them.
(d) It emphasizes the contrast and conflict in the next line.
Answer: (b) It shows that the father is hesitant and unsure.

 

Question. How does the rhyme scheme of the extract contribute to the tone and mood of the poem?

 

Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.

 

Question. Why must father and son live on the same globe and the same land?
(a) To take care of each other
(b) To not let others take disadvantage of them staying apart
(c) To make their life easy
(d) To rebuild their relationship
Answer: (d) To rebuild their relationship

 

 

Click below to download practice worksheet for CBSE Class 11 English Father to Son Worksheet Set A