Childhood – Summary, Explanation, NCERT Solutions and MCQs
Poet: Markus Natten
This study guide explains the poem in simple language. It includes stanza-wise meaning, NCERT answers, extra questions and an interactive quiz.
1. About the poem
In Childhood, Markus Natten looks back at the changes that take place as a child grows up. He wonders when he lost his childhood. Was it when he began to think rationally, when he noticed the gap between adults’ words and actions, or when he began to form his own thoughts?
The poem does not give one definite moment. Instead, it presents three stages of growing up: rational thinking, awareness of adult hypocrisy and independent thought.
2. Summary in simple words
The poet asks when his childhood disappeared. He first wonders whether it happened when he ceased to be eleven. At about that age, he began to question ideas that could not be proved through ordinary geographical knowledge, such as the locations of Heaven and Hell. This suggests the growth of rational thinking.
He then considers another possibility. Perhaps childhood ended when he understood that adults were not always as good as they appeared. They spoke about love but did not always behave lovingly. The poet notices the difference between what adults preach and what they practise.
Next, he thinks of the time when he discovered that his mind was his own. He could form thoughts and opinions independently instead of simply repeating what others said. This awareness gave him a sense of individuality.
In the final stanza, the question changes from “When did my childhood go?” to “Where did my childhood go?” The poet imagines that it has gone to a forgotten place hidden in an infant’s face. The innocent expression of a baby reminds him of the childhood he has lost.
3. Stanza-wise explanation
Stanza 1: The growth of rational thinking
The poet wonders whether he lost his childhood when he stopped being eleven. He recalls the time when he realised that Heaven and Hell could not be found in Geography. He had begun to question what he had earlier accepted without asking questions.
Key point: The first stanza presents rationalism—the use of reason and logical thought.
Stanza 2: Understanding adult hypocrisy
The poet wonders whether childhood ended when he saw that adults were not always what they seemed. They talked about love and preached it, but their actions did not always show love. He became aware of the difference between words and behaviour.
Key point: The second stanza presents hypocrisy—the gap between what people say and what they do.
Stanza 3: The discovery of individuality
The poet asks whether childhood ended when he discovered that his mind was his own. He could think freely and form opinions that were not borrowed from other people.
Key point: The third stanza presents individuality and independent thinking.
Stanza 4: Where childhood has gone
The poet no longer asks when childhood disappeared. He asks where it has gone. He imagines it in a forgotten place hidden in an infant’s face. A baby’s face represents innocence and the early stage of life.
Key point: Childhood innocence can be seen in the face of an infant, but an adult cannot return to that stage of life.
4. Themes and poetic devices
Main themes
- Loss of innocence: Growing up changes the way a person sees the world.
- Rationalism: The child begins to question beliefs and look for logical explanations.
- Hypocrisy: Adults may preach love but fail to show it through their actions.
- Individuality: Maturity includes the ability to form one's own thoughts.
- Growing up: The poem presents growing up as a gradual change in thought and understanding.
Poetic devices
| Device | Example or feature | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Refrain | The repeated question about when childhood went, followed by “Was that the day!” | Repeats the poet’s uncertainty and search for an answer. |
| Repetition | “They talked of love and preached of love” | Repeats the word “love” for emphasis. |
| Rhetorical question | The repeated questions about when childhood went | Expresses thought and uncertainty rather than asking for a direct reply. |
| Contrast | Adults preach love but do not act lovingly | Shows the difference between words and actions. |
| Imagery | Childhood hidden in an infant’s face | Creates a picture of innocence. |
Accuracy note: “Hell and Heaven” are contrasting ideas, but it is safer to describe this as a contrast rather than label the phrase alone as a definite example of antithesis. The line about the poet’s mind being his own is not, by itself, a clear example of metaphor or alliteration.
5. Vocabulary and key ideas
The following words and expressions help explain the poem’s ideas about maturity, adult behaviour and the loss of childhood.
| Word or expression | Meaning in the context of the poem |
|---|---|
| Ceased | Stopped; in the poem, it refers to passing beyond the age of eleven. |
| Preached | Spoke strongly about what people should believe or do. The poet says adults preached love. |
| Individuality | The quality of having one’s own identity, opinions and way of thinking. |
| Rational thinking | Using reason and evidence instead of accepting an idea without question. |
| Hypocrisy | The act of saying that one believes in certain values but behaving in a way that goes against them. |
| Independent thought | The ability to form one’s own ideas instead of simply following the opinions of others. |
| Innocence | A state of being free from adult experience, suspicion or awareness of certain realities. |
| Maturity | The development of reason, judgement and a clearer understanding of oneself and others. |
| Nostalgia | A feeling of affection or sadness when remembering an earlier time, such as childhood. |
| Infant | A very young child; in the poem, the infant’s face is a symbol of childhood innocence. |
6. NCERT textbook questions and answers
The following answers are for the “Think it out” exercise of the poem. They are written in simple language and may be expanded in a long-answer response.
Answer:
- Rationalism – Stanza 1
- Hypocrisy – Stanza 2
- Individuality – Stanza 3
Answer:
Growing up involves learning to think rationally, understanding that adults may not always practise what they preach, and developing independent thoughts. A person begins to question beliefs and form personal opinions instead of accepting everything without thought.
Answer:
The poet seems to feel nostalgic about childhood. He associates it with innocence and a simple way of looking at the world. As a person grows up, he gains reason and independence but loses the innocence of childhood. The poet finds a reminder of that innocence in an infant’s face.
Answer:
The lines about childhood being hidden in an infant’s face are especially poetic. They create a clear image of innocence and suggest that childhood survives in the early stage of life. The lines about Heaven and Hell not being found in Geography are also striking because they express the child’s movement from unquestioning belief to rational thought.
7. Extra short-answer questions
Answer:
He means the time when he passed beyond the age of eleven. He wonders whether this change in age marked the end of his childhood.
Answer:
He mentions them because he began to question ideas that could not be located as physical places in Geography. This suggests that he had started thinking rationally.
Answer:
He began to question what he had been told, judge the behaviour of adults and form his own opinions. He no longer accepted every idea without thinking.
Answer:
He feels that adults often speak about love but do not behave lovingly. Their actions do not always match their words.
Answer:
It means that the poet had begun to think independently. He could form his own ideas instead of simply following the thoughts of others.
Answer:
The poet could now create his own thoughts and express his own views. His thinking was no longer merely a repetition of other people’s opinions.
Answer:
No. He considers three possible stages but does not identify one exact day. The repeated questions show that he is still uncertain.
Answer:
After considering the possible moments when childhood ended, the poet turns to the question of where it has gone. He imagines it hidden in an infant’s face.
Answer:
An infant’s face represents innocence, purity and the early stage of life. It reminds the poet of the childhood he has lost.
Answer:
The poem suggests that a child is more innocent and accepts the world with less questioning. A grown-up begins to reason, judge others and form independent opinions.
Answer:
The poem shows that growing up brings rational thought, awareness of human behaviour and individuality. These changes are part of maturity, but they also mark the loss of childhood innocence.
8. Long-answer questions
Answer:
The poet considers three possible stages in the loss of his childhood. First, he may have lost it when he began to think rationally and questioned ideas such as Heaven and Hell because they could not be found in Geography. Second, he may have lost it when he noticed that adults did not always practise what they preached. They spoke about love but did not always behave lovingly. Third, he may have lost it when he discovered that he had an independent mind and could form his own thoughts. These stages show the growth of reason, awareness and individuality.
Answer:
The poem presents growing up as a change in the way a person thinks and understands the world. A child begins to question ideas instead of accepting them without reason. The child also becomes aware that adults may not always act according to their words. Finally, the child discovers an individual identity and learns to form independent opinions. The poet cannot identify the exact moment when childhood ends. He only knows that innocence belongs to the early years of life and can be seen in an infant’s face.
9. Interactive MCQ quiz
Choose the best answer. You will get instant feedback after each question.
What is the central concern of the poem?
10. Teacher’s tips for exams
- Remember the order of the three ideas: rationalism, hypocrisy and individuality.
- Do not say that the poet gives an exact date or age for the loss of childhood. He only suggests possible stages.
- Explain the change from “when” to “where” in the final stanza.
- Use the words innocence, rational thinking, hypocrisy and independent thought where they fit the question.
- For a short answer, write the main point in two or three clear sentences. For a long answer, explain each stage in a separate part.
Quick revision
| Stanza | Main idea |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rationalism |
| 2 | Hypocrisy |
| 3 | Individuality |
| 4 | Childhood hidden in an infant’s face |
