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The poem Childhood by Norwegian poet Markus Natten is part of the NCERT Class 11 Hornbill syllabus for 2025-26. It is a simple yet thought-provoking poem that students can easily understand with the right strategy. In this poem, the poet reflects on the moment when a child begins to lose innocence and becomes aware of the realities of life.
Notes & Study Material PDF
These notes are designed to help students revise the poem quickly and effectively during exams and tests. The explanations are clear, systematic, and easy to grasp so that learners can focus on the key points without stress.
By studying the poem in a sequence-wise manner, students can build a strong understanding of its meaning, message, and themes.
Summary of Childhood by Markus Natten
The poem Childhood is a reflective and philosophical poem in which the poet searches for the exact moment when he lost his childhood innocence. Through his simple yet powerful questions, he highlights the shift from childhood to maturity.
The poem does not narrate a story but presents a journey of self-discovery. The poet explores the stages of growing up when:
- He realizes that adults do not always practice what they preach.
- He begins to understand that heaven and hell are not real places but only concepts.
- He develops his own individuality, independent thoughts, and personal identity.
Note: To be able to connect this poem with the latest syllabus, download the NCERT textbook first.
Childhood Stanza-wise Explanation
Now, let’s break it down stanza by stanza in a clear, exam-ready style.
Stanza 1: Rationalism (Heaven & Hell)
The poet begins with a reflective question: When did my childhood end? He wonders if it ended when he turned twelve, also maybe when he stopped being eleven. He recalls the moment he realized that heaven and hell are not real places that can be located on a map or in geography.
This realization made him question the beliefs he was taught as a child. The stanza reflects the poet’s loss of innocence when he begins to think logically and scientifically.
Stanza 2: Hypocrisy of Adults
Again, the poet questions when his childhood ended. He remembers the moment when he discovered that adults are not always truthful or consistent. They often preach about love and kindness but do not always practice these values in real life.
This realization shattered his blind faith in adults and their words. The stanza shows the poet’s growing awareness of hypocrisy in human behavior.
Stanza 3: Individuality
The poet continues to search for the moment his childhood ended. He recalls realizing that his mind belonged to him alone, and he could think independently. He understood that he could form his own opinions, separate from the influence of parents, teachers, or elders.
This independence of thought marked the beginning of individual identity and maturity. The stanza highlights self-awareness and the birth of critical thinking.
Stanza 4: Where Did My Childhood Go?
Finally, the poet shifts his question from when to where his childhood went. He concludes that childhood does not vanish completely, rather it is lost to a forgotten place. However, it can still be seen in the innocent face of a child.
This stanza captures both a sense of loss and a tender memory of innocence. The poet accepts that childhood cannot be regained but can only be observed in younger children.
Key Themes of The Poem
This poem deals with the universal experience of growing up and realising the inevitability to grow up. The poet reflects on the stages of maturity, questioning beliefs, and discovering individuality. The major themes are:
- Loss of Innocence
The central theme is the loss of childhood innocence. The poet reflects on the transition from a carefree, unquestioning stage of life to one of awareness and reasoning.
- Self-Discovery and Individuality
Next the realization of self-identity is highlighted. The poet discovers that his mind is his own, capable of producing independent thoughts, marking the birth of individuality.
- Reality vs Belief
Childhood is often filled with imaginative beliefs, like the existence of heaven and hell. The poet realizes these are not geographical realities, symbolizing the shift from blind faith to rational thinking.
- Hypocrisy of Adults
The poet questions the integrity of adults, who preach love but fail to practice it. This reflects the gap between words and actions in society.
- Universality of Growing Up
The poem does not describe one person’s childhood but captures a universal experience. Everyone at some point questions when and where their childhood disappeared.
- Nostalgia and Acceptance
In the final stanza, the poet shows nostalgia for his lost innocence. At the same time, he accepts that childhood can only be seen in the face of an infant, never regained.
Poetic Devices
The poet uses simple language but enriches the poem with several poetic devices that make it reflective and impactful.
- Rhetorical Question
“When did my childhood go?” - This repeated questioning emphasizes the poet’s search for the exact moment childhood ended.
- Refrain
The line “Was that the day!” is repeated in stanzas 1-3. It creates rhythm and reinforces the poet’s doubt and reflection.
- Alliteration
“My mind was really mine” - Repetition of the sounds, like ‘m’ in this line adds musical quality and emphasis to the idea of self-identity.
- Imagery
“That’s hidden in an infant’s face.” - Lines like these create a vivid picture of innocence associated with children.
- Symbolism
Heaven and Hell symbolise childhood beliefs and faith in what is taught. Their absence represents the shift to rational and logical thinking.
Character Analysis
The poet’s character evolves from innocence to doubt to awareness to individuality to nostalgia, overall reflecting the universal experience of growing up.
1. The Poet
The central voice in the poem is that of the poet as a reflective thinker. He begins with curiosity and confusion and then transforms into a rational observer. He also becomes a critic of society, noticing the hypocrisy of adults. He finally emerges as a self-aware individual, realizing that his mind is his own and capable of independent thoughts.
2. The “Adults”
The adults, as a community, are symbolized in a world of maturity and hypocrisy. They are shown to preach values like love and honesty but often fail to practice them, serving as a contrast to the innocence of childhood. They serve as the catalyst for the speaker’s disillusionment and disappointment.
Conclusion
The poem Childhood by Markus Natten captures the universal moment of transition from innocence to maturity. Through a series of reflective questions, the poet expresses how he lost his childhood; by discovering the absence of heaven and hell, by realizing the hypocrisy of adults, and by becoming aware of his own individuality.
Ultimately, he accepts that childhood cannot return and survives only in the innocent faces of infants. The poem leaves readers with a sense of nostalgia while reminding them that growing up is both inevitable and enlightening.
FAQs
Q1. Who is the poet of the poem Childhood?
Ans. The poem is written by the Norwegian poet Markus Natten.
Q2. What is the central theme of the poem?
Ans. The poem explores the loss of childhood innocence and the discovery of maturity, individuality, and reality.
Q3. What realization does the poet have about heaven and hell?
Ans. The poet realizes that heaven and hell are not real places and cannot be located in geography, symbolizing the loss of blind belief.
Q4. How does the poet describe the hypocrisy of adults?
Ans. The poet observes that adults preach about love and goodness but often fail to act lovingly.
Q5. What does the poet mean when he says “My mind was really mine”?
Ans. He means he became aware of his independent thinking and ability to form his own opinions, marking the growth of individuality.
Q7. What tone does the poet use in the poem?
Ans. The tone is reflective and nostalgic, as the poet looks back on his childhood and wonders when it ended.
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