ABOUT THE POEM

The poem childhood unfolds the personal feeling of the poet and
about his lost childhood. He is in the quest to ascertain when he lost
his childhood. He demarked his losing of childhood when he was
eleven. He shows here transformation of innocence turning in to
experience, childhood into hypocrisy, individuality and rational mind.
We find the poet here to pine for his childhood where he had been
free from all ill effects and malice mind of the adulthood.

STANZAWISE EXPLANATION
STANZA 1
The poem begins with the refrains where did my childhood go? He
assumes that it was probably when he crossed eleven. He does on
deducing that he might have lost his childhood when he became
conscious of the fact that well and heaven could not be found in
Geography.

STANZA 2
In the refrain, the poet goes on to figure out the exact time of losing
his childhood. He conjectured that it might be when adults appeared
to him to be hypocrite. They advise and suggest others to be true in
love and act lovingly, but they themselves did not act in the same
way.

STANZE 3
The third stanza highlights his individually. He is now fully aware of
his ability. He has got to understand that he is the master of his own

thoughts. He could use his thoughts whatever the way he wanted. He

does not imitate others thoughts for he now knows that his thought
is purely his.

STANZA 4
The poet searches for his childhood fervently. He thinks that it got
hidden in an infants face. He realizes that with the process of
entering into the adolescence he lost his childhood which can be
found faintly in a childs face. He establishes here that with the
advancement of age we lose the serene qualities like innocence,
Honesty, truthfulness etc. Only a replica can be found in an infants
face.

STRUCTURE
1) Rhyme scheme The poem is divided into four different stanzas.
The poem does not bear any particular rhyme scheme. Thought it can
be detailed in the following way
Stanza 1 ABBCCD
Stanza 2 ABCDEF
Stanza 3 ABCDEF
Stanza 4 ABBA

2) Refrain Refrain is a phrase, verse, or group of verses repeated

at intervals throughout a song or poem and deals with the main
theme of the poem or song. In childhood we see the presence of a
refrain i.e.
Where did my childhood go? ---

-------------

Was that the day?

Indeed, the refrain reflects the main theme of the poem. It shows the
poets quest for his lost childhood and his speculations about it.

Poetic Device in use

STANZA 1( one)
1. Antithesis- a) Hell and Heaven
b)Alliteration- :the time:

STANZA 2 (Two)
a) Enjambment . . . . . . . . that were not
all they seemed to be
b) Alliteration That they, the time

STANZA (Three )
1) Alliteration 1) My mind
ii) Whichever way
2) Inversion To use whichever way? I Choose.

STANZA (Four)
1) Anaphora That s . . . . . .
Thats

TEXTBOOK ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS

A.

Think it out
1. Indentify the stanza that talks of each of the following.
Individually rationalism hypocrisy

Ans:

The third stanza reflects Individuality.

The first stanza shows rationalism.
The second stanza shows hypocrisy

2) What according to the poem, is involved in the process of growing

up?
Ans:

With the inevitable process of growing up, one cannot avoid

loss of the tenets of childhood. Childhood is replaced by the

characteristics of adolescence which comes both in positive and
negative. One accumulates rationalism, knowledge, self confidence
but at the same time he steps into the arena of falsehood and
hypocrisy.
3.

What are t he poets feelings towards childhood?

Ans:

To the poet childhood is a casa of fancy what a child sees,

believes and listens , often turns out to be futile and make-believe.

This stage lacks self confidence, rationalism and individuality. The
poet portrays the time of childhood as epoch of innocence which in
the adolescence turns out to be experience.
4.

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

Ans:

Indubitably the last stanza authenticates to be the most poetic

lines.

These lines air out the poem in a nutshell. These lines talk about
how the poet became conscious about his loss of childhood. At the
same time, he understands that childhood is gone and only a replica
can be found in an infants face. His , this realization of losing
childhood itself says his crawling in the adolescence.

Q. What is the poets feeling towards the childhood?

Ans. The poet regards childhood as a period of heavenly innocence. A child sincerely feels
that there is god above. He is free from all earthly evils. He believes that there is really a
Heaven and a Hell. He is truly religious in his soul. A child knows no hypocrisy. He always
means what he says. There is no difference between his thoughts and actions. A child is
free from any sense of ego. He does not think himself to be different from or superior to
others. In short, childhood is a state of heavenly innocence and purity of heart.
Q. What according to the poem, is involved in the process of growing up?
Ans. As a person grows up, he becomes a rationalist, an egoist and a hypocrite. He
accepts nothing that is not logical. He loses faith in God. He does not believe in Hell or
Heaven. He becomes very conscious of his self. He wants to follow his own desires and
ideas. He becomes an egoist. He talks of love and preaches of love, but is not so loving in
his actions. In short, he loses all his innocence of his childhood.
Q. How does the poet describe the process of being grown up?
Ans. The process of being grown up develops the critical thinking and analytical point of
view in the person. It makes the person rationalized and abled to take his decision by
virtue of his seat of reasoning.
Q. How does the poet repent on his loss of childhood?
Ans. He expresses concern over his childhoods disappearance. Childhood cannot be
regained. It keeps our life aloof from the world of hypocrisy, bitter reality and materialism.
Q. The poet has asked two questions one is about the time and other is about the
place. Why has he used these questions?
Ans. He has used these two questions to interpret the time and place of way of going his
childhood away. When points out the process of being rational at a particular time and
where states the place where the innocent world of childhood resides.
Q. What does the Hell and heaven stand for?
Ans. It stands for the world of imagination that fascinates only small children. These are
nothing but the product of our imaginative mind that helps the person to escape from
reality.
Q. What contrast did he find in adults behaviour?

They talked of human values but did not practise in their day to day life.

Childhood Markus Natten

Theme:
In this poem, the poet, Markus Natten wonders when and
where he lost his childhood. In this quest to find the moment
he grew up, Markus highlights the innocence and faith he
lost even as he gained rational individuality.
Adolescence is usually a confusing time for a child who is
unable to immediately come to terms with the physical,
hormonal and psychological changes in his or her
personality. He no longer feels like a child but is not quite
ready to call himself an adult either.
In the poem, 'The Rainbow', William Wordsworth claims,
'Child is the father of man'. Markus seems to be echoing this
thought as he underscores how in our childhood innocence
lay our ability to appreciate the simpler aspects of life and
thus, the child can teach the adult how to appreciate things
the latter often takes for granted.
The refrain:
The refrain of any poem is/are line (s) that repeat at regular
intervals throughout the poem. The refrain often carries the
central message of the poem. The two lines which do so in
this poem are:
When did my childhood go?....

Was that the day!

The first line (which is a question) identifies the central
theme of the poem, that is, the attempt to identify when
exactly the poet lost his childhood.
The second line begins with a question word but ends with
an exclamation. Hence, it is no more a mere question.
Rhetorical in nature, this line brings out the poet's sense of
realisation.
Stanza - wise interpretation:
Stanza 1:
The poet wonders when he lost his childhood. He muses
that perhaps it was the day he realised that the concepts of
Heaven and Hell, he had been taught of since his youngest
years, had no standing in the light of the day. Geography
textbooks did not give the location of any such place.
Education made the poet question his faith and look at the
world much more rationally. The poet realises that he might
have lost his childhood when he gained this rational outlook.
Stanza 2:
In the second stanza, the poet recalls the time when he
realised that the adults around him did not practise what
they preached. They told the poet to be loving and caring,
however, they were themselves argumentative, violent and
discourteous. Their behaviour was a far cry from the love
they sermonised about and advocated so reverently to the
child.
Thus, the child lost his faith in the adults around him, whom
he had so far, trusted without question. Their latent
hypocrisy became evident to the growing child. Perhaps,
says Natten, that broken trust was one of the major steps
towards adulthood.

Notice, that this is perhaps, the longest line of the poem.

Markus Natten is a genius at putting punctuation to use. The
length of this line and the difficulty to recite it in one go,
indicates that this is perhaps the biggest loss the child has
suffered.
Stanza 3:
As he grew up, the poet realised that his mind was unique,
could form its own opinions and could take its own
decisions. He gained a sense of individuality which set him
free from the prejudiced opinions of others around him. His
own experiences shaped his thoughts now and he realised
that this might have been the time he lost his childhood
innocence completely.
Stanza 4:
In the final stanza, the poet changes his question. From
wondering at what point in time, he had lost his childhood,
the poet now wonders where it went.
The last three lines may be interpreted in two ways.
The poet claims that his childhood is nothing more than a
long lost memory. He recalls his infancy and believes that
his true childhood resides there, in that infant's face, and
that innocence cannot resurface in this lifetime.
The poet believes that his childhood has become nothing
more than a memory for him but has become the reality of
some other infant. Innocence is a cyclical process where
lost from one person, it travels to another, finding residence
there. Thus, till date, adults can easily recall and seem to
almost relive their own childhood, through an infant in their
lives.
Why does the poet think that he had lost his childhood?
The poet, Markus Natten, believes that he has lost his

childhood. He believes so because he has lost the

innocence and purity of his childhood. When he was a child,
he used to believe in the existence of Hell and Heaven. He
also believed that adults had real love. In his childhood he
didnt have any egoistic attitude.
What did the poet realize when he was twelve years?
At the age of twelve, the poet learnt that Hell and Heaven
were not real but mere stories and that science didnt
support the existence of Hell and heaven.
What did the poet realize about adults?
The poet used to believe that his elders were sincere about
relationship and love. But later he realized that their love
was not real. He saw that the adults were only talking about
love but never loved anyone.
What happened to the poet when he was aware of his
ego?
At the end of his childhood, the poet realized that he too
was a separate individual. He began to take his own
decisions. He seldom listened to his elders because he
began to place himself at the center of everything.
What misunderstandings did the poet have about adults
till he became one?
The poet, until he was himself an adult, had thought that the
grown up people had real love for others. He believed that
their love was true and they were ready to die for their loved
ones.
How did adults seem to the poet when he was a child?
When the poet was a child adults seemed to him as
messengers and poets of love. He heard them singing love
songs and talking endlessly about love and romance.

Bring out the hypocrisy that the adults inhibit with

regards to love.
Adults talk too much about love and almost every aspect of
the adult life is closely connected with love; movies, plays,
novels and songs. But the poet believes that the adults are
hypocritical about love because in practice they do not have
true love for others.
How do social interactions kill a child in a child?
A human being is supposed to live as innocent as a child
throughout his life but it is very hard in a society that
believes complexity is maturity and science is the final
word. When the child grows up, he hears, sees,
understands and accept new codes of behavior and new
concepts of growth.
Where does the poet find his lost childhood? How can
he get it back?
The poet, a specimen of the counterfeit personality, finds his
lost childhood on the face of a child. he can get it back only
when he commits to be child again, forgetting the complex
adult concepts and pseudo maturity perceptions.
Reference to Context Questions
When did my childhood go?
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,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
What is the age of the poet?
What is the poets mood?
Why does the poet suspect science in connection with his

losing his childhood?

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!
How were the adults responsible for the poets sadness?
What did the poet realize about adults when he was yet a
child?
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 my alone,
Was that the day!
What did the poet discover about his mind? How was that
discovery important?
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
Thats hidden in an infants face,
Thats all I know.

Otherwise Questions
The poet asks four questions in the poem but he knows only
one answer for sure? What is that and why is it so?

Is it easy to retain ones childhood innocence throughout his

life? How can one do it without being adulterated by religion,
education and the mainstream society?
Question Bank:
Short answer questions
Q.1.Read the lines given below and answer the
questions that follow:_
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!
(a) What questions rises in the poets mind?
(b) Which two occassions come to his mind as an answer?
(c) Explain the meaning of the line And therefore could
not be. How does it relate to the end of childhood?
Q.2.Read the lines below and answer the questions that
follow:When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
(a) What is the name of the poem? Who has written it?
(b) What realisation comes to the child regarding
adults?
(c) Why does this realisation make him feel that his
childhood has gone?

Q.3.Read the lines given below and answer the following

questions:They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day?
(a) Name the poem and the poet?
(b) Who are they?
(c) How is the poets observation about their
behaviour significant?
(d) Complete the question raised in the last line
Q.4.Read the lines given below and answer the following
questions:When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever may I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own, and mine alone
Was that the day!
(a) What do words my mind was really mine mean?
(b) What kind of feeling is generated in the mind of the
poet in lines 3,4,5?
(c) Which day is the poet referring to? Do you think the
poets feeling is right?
Q.5.Read the lines given below and answer the following
questions:Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
Thats hidden in an infants face,
Thats all I know.

(a) Name the poem and the poet?

(b) What is it mentioned in line2?
(c) What do lines 2 nd 3 mean?
Q.6. What conclusion did the poet come to about Hell and
Heaven?
Q.6. What did the poet notice about his mind? How
important was this discovery?
Q.7. Where can the poet find his childhood? Is it lost
irrevocably?
Q.8. What did the child observe in the behaviour of
adults? How was his observation relevant to question that
rose in his mind?
Q.9. What is the poet trying yo discover in the poem
Childhood?What significant occasions has he mentioned?
Q.10.Of all the occasions mentioned in the poem,which
do you think really shows that the poet is no longer a
child?
Give reasons for your answer?
3. Childhood By Markus Natten
In this small and beautiful poem the poet recalls his childh
ood and wonders where it
has gone. He narrates various stages where he lost his chil
dhood.
The poet is in a fix as he is unable to understand about his
childhood. He is trying to
reason out its timings. He wondered whether it was at the
age of eleven, when he
started reaching logical conclusions based on his reasoning
power.
The second possibility is when he reached his adulthood w
here people do not act what they preach.
The third possibility seemed to be when he could produce

his own thoughts and practise independently.

In the final stanza the poet is trying to locate the place wh
ere his childhood has disappeared.
He realizes that the adolescence follows childhood in the s
ame way as childhood had replaced infancy.
Thus he concludes that his childhood went to some forgott
en place that was hidden in an infants face.
1. 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! a)
Name the Poet of the above lines. b)
What did poet realise about adults? c)
Why is the poet feeling sorry?
d) Trace the word from the extract which means to teach
moral values. 2. Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotton place,
Thats hidden in an infants face, Thats all I know. b)
Where did the poet in childhood go? c)
Why does the poet call it a forgotten place? d)
Find out the word which means the same as 'hidden'. 5
1. What are the poets feelings at the loss of his childhood?
2.
What does the poet observe about the behaviour of adults?
3.
What does the poet feel about his own mind in the poem
Childhood? 4.
What changes are involved in the process of growing from
childhood to adulthood?
Browing version

The Browning Version - Key notes, Question

Bank
The Browning Version - Pre Reading Task
Read the synopsis of the original play of which this
chapter is an extract:
The play is about the last few days in the career of Andrew
Crocker-Harris, an ageing Greek and Latin teacher at a
British Public School. He is forced to retire due to health
concerns and feels that he has become obsolete.
Taplow, a pupil who needs Crocker-Harris to pass him so he
can go up to the next year, comes to him for help with his
Greek, but Crocker-Harris is not in his rooms. Instead,
Taplow meets Frank Hunter, another Master at the school.
We find out (after Taplow leaves) that Hunter, and CrockerHarris' wife, Millie, are carrying on an affair.
When Crocker-Harris returns, he first has the lesson with
Taplow, where he begins to show his true feelings through
his love for literature. Afterwards, the headmaster arrives to
inform him that the school will not give him his pension
because of his early retirement, though he was depending
on it, and wishes him to relinquish his place in the end-ofterm speech-giving to a popular sports master.
Mr. Gilbert, Crocker-Harris's successor at his teaching post,
arrives to view the Crocker-Harrises' home. He seeks advice
on the lower fifth, the year Crocker-Harris teaches, and how
to control them. Crocker-Harris begins to relate to Gilbert his
own sad experiences after Gilbert tells Crocker-Harris that
the headmaster had referred to Crocker-Harris as the
'Himmler of the lower fifth'. Heinrich Himmler was a

commander in Hitler's Nazi army. Crocker-Harris, who did

not realise he was feared by the boys, is very disturbed by
this title.
Taplow returns, and moves Crocker-Harris by giving him an
inscribed version of Robert Browning's translation of
Aeschylus' Agamemnon, at which point he breaks down
crying. Millie, his wife, shows her callousness at CrockerHarris's emotional state by ruining this fond moment by
implying Taplow only gave the gift to get the grades. Hunter
breaks off the affair with her, instead turning his sympathies
to Crocker-Harris. Crocker-Harris informs him that he knew
of Millie's affair with Hunter, as well as her previous ones,
but despite this he does not wish to divorce her.
As the play ends, Hunter makes plans with a reluctant
Crocker-Harris to meet him at his new place of work, and an
uplifted Crocker-Harris telephones the headmaster saying
that he will make his speech after the sports master, as is
his right.
The 'Browning Version' of the title references the translation
of the Greek tragedy given by Taplow, Agamemnon, in
which Agamemnon is murdered by his wife, aided by her
lover.
Read:
E. R. Braithwaite's To Sir, With Love
Robert Browning's Agamemnon
Watch:
To Sir, With Love
Troy

AS YOU READ, OBSERVE:

1) The student-teacher relationship between Taplow and
Frank vs. the relationship between Taplow and Crocker
Harris
2) The portrait of Crocker Harris which emerges from the
conversation between Taplow and Frank
3) Comparison of Frank with Harris as teachers at the same
school
4) The concept of punishment, rules and bonding with
students
QUESTION BANK
Q.1. Comment on the attitude shown by Taplow towards
Crocker-Harris?
Q.2 What impression of Frank do you get as a teacher?
Q.3. What kind of person is Mr. Crocker-Harris?
Q.4. Why is Taplow in school at 6:30p.m. on the last day of
school?
Q.5. Mr. Crocker-Harris is the subject of the conversation
between Taplow and Frank. What kind of a picture emerges
of Mr. Harris as a teacher and as aperson?
Q.6. Why is Taplow bitter?
Q.7. Does Frank encourage Taplow's comments on Crocker
- Harris?
Q.8. Why do you think Harris called 'The Crock' or 'Himmler
of the lower fifth'?
Q.9. Why does Frank seem to envy Harris' fear in the
students?

Q.10. Describe Millie. What do you think happens after our

extract ends?
he play presents a conversation between a lower fifth grade science student, Taplow and
Frank, a teacher.
A chance meeting between Taplow and Frank
The scene of the play is set in a school. The play opens with a sixteen year old boy,
Taplow who has come to do extra work for his teacher, Crocker-Harris. He is waiting for his
teacher, who has not yet arrived. Another teacher, Frank, finds Taplow waiting in the room
and strikes a conversation with him.
Taplow awaiting his result
From the conversation between Frank and Taplow, we are informed that Taplow is waiting
for his result to be declared on the following day. He is keen to specialise in science
provided he gets a favourable result. The uniqueness of Mr. Crocker-Harris is hinted as he
does not tell the results like the other teachers do. He follows the rule of the headmaster
declaring the results on the last day of the term.
Taplows views on art and science
Their conversation provides us an insight into the mind of Taplow. He lets Frank know how
much he dislikes the play Agamemnon. He is more interested in science. He admits that
though the play is not that bad, the way it is taught is terrible- Just a lot of Greek words
strung together and fifty lines if you get them wrong.
The question of the extra work
Taplow is doing extra work as he had missed a class a week ago. Frank remarks that
Taplow will certainly get his remove for doing the extra work. But Taplow feels the other
way. He asserts such sort of rules do not work with Mr. Crocker-Harris, as he is not like
other teachers who appreciate the students who do extra work.
Taplows views about Crocker-Harris
As per Taplow, Crocker-Harris is a different kind of teacher. He is too strict and hardly
human. Unlike other teachers, he does not tell his students their result before the
judgement day. Taplow had asked Harris about his remove and in response Harris told him
that he has given Taplow exactly what he deserves- No less; and certainly no more.
Franks suggestion to Taplow
After calling Taplow for extra work, Crocker himself is late by ten minutes. Frank points that
as Crocker is late, Taplow has a chance to leave and play golf. However, Taplow seems
shocked at this suggestion and is scared that Mr. Crocker-Harris might follow him home.
Further contemplation on Crocker-Harriss character
Frank admits envying Mr. Harris for the effect he has on his students. He asks Taplow if

Mr. Harris beats them. However, Taplow tells Frank that unlike one or two of the other
teachers, Mr. Harris is not a sadist. He is not a sort of a person who would beat students
and vent his frustration. He is hard like a nut. He is heartless. He possesses no feelings at
all.
Taplows unusual liking towards Crocker-Harris
Taplow admits that in spite of all this, he still likes Crocker. The boy narrates an incident
when he laughed at a classical joke cracked by Harris, though he had not understood it. It
was a gesture from Taplows side to be polite to him.
Millie Crocker-Harris
At this point, Millie Crocker-Harris enters the room. She was Mr. Crocker-Harris's wife. She
suggests Taplow to run away for a quarter of an hour and come back. She advises him to
leave as Harris has been at Bursars and may take quite a time to get back.
The behaviour and attitude of Mrs. Mille Crocker Harris, baffles Taplow. He is not willing to
leave for it has been the order of his teacher whom he fears to disobey. Mille assures him
that she will take the blame on herself. Proposing an excuse for his absence, she hands
Taplow a prescription asking him to take it to a chemist and get it made up for Harris.
Convinced Taplow accepts the proposal and leaves Frank and Mrs. Crocker Harris behind
5. THE BROWNING VERSION 1. Why did Taplow go to school on the last day? 2.
Why did Crocker Harris not disclose Taplows result? 3.
What do you learn about Mr. Frank as a teacher from this lesson? 4.
Why did Taplow laugh at Crocker Harriss joke? 5.
Why does Tallow Cal Crocker Harris a man of principles? 6.
Who is Millie? Why does she send Taplow to the chemist? 7.
Why did Taplow keep on waiting, even after knowing that Crocker Harries was
ten minutes late?.
1.

Compare and contrast Mr. Crocker Harris and Mr. Frank as a

teacher and as a person.
2. What opinion do you form about Taplow as a student from
the play The Browning Version? 3.
Frank was encouraging Taplow to mimic his teacher Crocker
Harris. Support your
answer with suitable instances from the play?