Poem 4 - Childhood Class 11 English Hornbill

Key Points of the Poem

• The poem deals with the lost childhood in the harsh world and the poet try to relocate in the face of an innocent infant. He recalled many times and told the readers that the world is ready to snatch away your innocence and basic nature by manipulating you every time and through their hypocritical behavior.
• He also was surprised to know there is no hell and heaven and nowhere in geography. Next, adults are hypocritical in nature and they tend to develop this factor in children and innocent people also. Their actions never match their words and produce their own thoughts. 
• In the last stanza, the poet wants the readers to know and locate their childhood. It had gone and can be found on the face of an innocent infant.

Detailed Summary

Stanza 1
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!

In the above stanza, the poet wonders where his childhood had gone. He said and wondered that maybe it had come to an end when he was 11 years old. Or it may come to an end when Hell and Heaven were nowhere to be found. He came to know that these were imaginary and could not be found even in geography.

Stanza 2
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realized 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 lines, the poet again wonders and asks the same question about where his childhood has gone? He wonders what may be his childhood and innocence left when he shattered seeing the world with new eyes and new perception. He says that adults are hypocrites and their actions do not match with their preachings. They talk about love but never behaved like adults and spread love. They are double-faced and know how to manipulate everyone.

Stanza 3
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 repeats the same question as to where his childhood has gone. He searched for possibilities and wondered about that day when his childhood was gone or snatched away. When he realized he could have his own thoughts and p[erceptions related to the world and people. He was no longer bound by anyone. His thoughts are free and his own. When he became master of his own deeds and intellect he realized that this must be the day when his childhood separated away from him. 

Stanza 4
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 does not repent of his lost childhood and innocence. He said that it has gone to some forgotten place where he is not able to locate it. He wants to enjoy this innocence and now it can be relocated or found on an infant’s face. He has treasured only sweet memories of his childhood and he knows that it will soon vanish. He believes that childhood remains till a man is an infant.

Conclusion

The childhood summary discusses how the innocence of childhood gets lost as when grows older and becomes aware of the realities of life.

Theme

The theme of the poem revolves around the loss of childhood innocence in the face of the harsh realities of the world. The poet reflects on the transformative moments and realizations that mark the end of childhood, emphasizing the disillusionment that comes with growing up. 

Message

The poet wants us to understand that losing our childhood innocence is something that happens to everyone as they grow up. He points out that adults, despite talking about love and goodness, often act in ways that don't match their words. The poet believes that even though we can't hold onto our childhood forever, we can still find a bit of it in the pure and innocent face of a baby. The overall message is to cherish the simplicity of childhood, even if it's something we can't keep forever. 

Literary Devices

• Rationalism – the poet rationalizes the lost childhood when he was eleven and when he found out that hell and heaven don’t exist and are not found in geography.
• Refrain – a group of phrase which is repeated in the poem

When did my childhood go?
Was that the day!

• Individuality – He realized that he can use his own perception and can produce his own thoughts. He discovered his own way of thinking. 
• Antithesis – where two opposite words are used together in a sentence in a poem

 Hell and Heaven

• Alliteration – The occurrence of the same letter of sound at the beginning of closely connected words
  • The time
  • My mind
  • Whichever way
  • Thoughts that
• Inversion – when the subject-verb order is reversed

To use whichever way I choose

Difficult Words

• Ceased – come to an end
• Preached – talked or spoken
• Infant – newborn baby