03.

ON CHILDREN
– Khalil Gibran

One Mark Questions (Answer in a word/a sentence/a phrase):

1. And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.” And he said: Here
‘he’ refers to:
(a) her child.
(b) the Prophet.
(c) the poet.

2. Who asked the speaker in ‘On Children’ to speak of children?

A woman who held a babe against her bosom.

3. ‘Your children are not your children’ means

(a) they do not belong to their parents only.
(b) the children should have their own space.
(c) parents should not be possessive of their children.

4. Whose sons and daughters are children according to the speaker in ‘On Children’?
Life’s longing for itself.

5. ‘They come through you, but are not from you’ means
(a) though parents give birth to their children they do not own them.
(b) children have independent personalities.
(c) parents should be indifferent to their children.

6. According to the prophet what may be given to the children.

According to the prophet, only our love may be given to the children.

7. According to the speaker in ‘On Children’, what may not be given to children?
Thoughts.

8. ‘their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow’ means

(a) children belong to the future.
(b) parents cannot shape their children’s future.
(c) children have a different vision of life.

9. ‘The bows’ and ‘living arrows’ refer to Parents and children.

10. The Prophet says “your children are not your children” then, whose children are referred to?
(a) God
(b) Neighbors
(c) Parents

11. The house of tomorrow in ‘On Children’ cannot be visited even in _________ .
a) thoughts
b) ideas
c) dreams

12. In this poem, ‘parents’ could stand as a metaphor for?

(a) Bows
(b) leaders.
(d) teachers.

13. Who according to the speaker in ‘On Children’ have their own thoughts?
Children.

14. Where do the souls of the children dwell according to the speaker in ‘On Children’?
The house of tomorrow.

15. Who according to the speaker in ‘On Children’ are sent forth as living arrows?
Children as living arrows.

16. Where according to the speaker in ‘On Children’ does the archer see the mark?
Upon the path of infinite.

17. Who does the word ‘bows’ refer to in ‘On Children’?

Parents.

18. Who does the phrase ‘living arrows’ refer to in the poem ‘On Children’?
Children.

19. Who does the phrase ‘archer’ refer to in ‘On Children’?

Almighty God.

21. What does not go backward according to the speaker in ‘On Children’?
Life.

20. According to the speaker in ‘On Children’, life does not go ________ .
a) swift
b) backward
c) stable

22. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for ___________ . The right word from ‘On Children’ to
fill in the blank is
a) gladness.
b) longing.
c) striving.

4 Marks Questions:

1. Why does the prophet categorically state 'Your Children are not your children'?

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

 The prophet while preaching a woman, states that the parents should not be controlling towards their
children: rather they should give their children the opportunity to succeed on their own. Parents are just
the means; children come through them. Though they are with their parents, yet they do not belong to
them. They have their own thoughts and identities.

So, the prophet asks parents to give the children just their love. He stresses on the point that parents only
house their bodies whereas their souls live in the house of tomorrow. Parents should love their children
without binding them with their own thoughts. They should rather try to become like the children than
moulding them. Thus, the prophet says that children do not belong to their parents. Though the child
born through parents they always play role in according to God.

2. What does the metaphor, bows and arrows signify with regard to parent children relationship?

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

Here in this poem, the metaphors ‘bows’ stand for parents while ‘arrows’ stand for children. These two
are part of God’s beautiful creation of life. He as an archer bends the bows to send the arrows into the
infinite. Both of them have an important role to play. Bows should be steady and take all the pain in
order to issue forth the arrows of Future. The archer “God” who cast the arrows wants it to go to a
certain place; he really cannot make it go unless he holds the bow stable. So that the arrow will go the
way he wants. In other words, parents need to be good stable role models for their children if they want
them to stick to the path of success. Parents should be happy in taking more pain for the children. God
loves both the bows and arrows equally.

3. According to the prophet, what attitude should parents have towards their children?

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

The Prophet says that the parents play an important role in their children’s lives. He asks the parents not
to be possessive on their children and put unnecessary conditions on them. They should be left free and
nurtured according to their own dreams and desires. When children are left free, they think in a creative
manner that helps our nation, and there may be a chance to invent new things for the world. Parents
should understand that they are not the only well-wishers of their children. He wants parents to be more
loving towards them. He does not want parents to fill the children with their ideas, for children have
their own thoughts.
The future of a child is not in the hands of parents but in the hands of children themselves. Almighty
God is the one who created them. If the children are pampered too much, they would be spoiled by the
parents themselves. Hence, children should be allowed to grow freely and then they live according to
their own wish and help others. They should be left free to pursue their own dreams and desire and to
not thrust the parent’s dreams and desires on them. As children outlive their parents’, it is wise for
parents to let their children to create their own destiny as God Almighty will always be there to guide
them into a bright future.

4. ‘For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.’ Discuss the
contrast between the underlined phrases.

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

In the last lines of the poem Gibran uses metaphor of bow, arrow and the archer to explain the role of
parents, children and God. In this metaphor God is the archer, the parents represent the bow and the
children are the living arrows. The Prophet says that the word ‘flies’ signifies the future of the children.
He tells parents not to worry about their children’s future because it is in the hands of God. He wants the
parents to be ‘stable’ and has already helped them to achieve their goals.
God might give many troubles only in order to test the parents (bow) and give them more strength.
Parents should be strong in upbringing their children. In the same way, the children also should achieve
their goals. God loves them both equally.

6 Marks Questions:

1. Why does the prophet categorically state 'Your Children are not your children'?
OR
2. In the light of the poem, think of different levels of freedom children must have in shaping their
lives.

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

The prophet says to the parents that ‘Your Children are not your Children’ they are the sons and
daughters of life’s longing for itself. He tells the parents to be aware that the child is not a thing to be
possessed by them because they have not created ‘life’. Children are creative by birth. Parents are
always concerned about their children’s future. They influence children with their ideas and forget to
understand that children have their own ideas. They should be allowed the freedom to make their own
future. Children need support and encouragement from their parents. Parents should not control their
children’s destiny. As children live in the future, it is better to leave them to seek their own destiny. If a
child wants to be something when he/she grows up, the parents must allow him/her to be, and not force
him/her to be something else. Parents should nurture their children’s dreams to achieve their goal. They
will be thankful to their and respect them more.

‘They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, Yet they belong not to you’.
This quote means that they have come through the parents for a purpose of their own and some of them
are very different from their parents, in thoughts, attitudes, wishes etc. The prophet says that they stay
with you, but they do not belong to you. Each one of them has to chart out their own paths and not one
of them resembles the other. Parents should love their children without binding them with their own
thoughts. Some parents are too protective that they don’t give children any freedom. Society plays a key
role in shaping the lives of children. There should not be too many restrictions for the young minds.

Thus, children need more freedom to excel in their individual lives.

He states that a child's parents should not be controlling towards their child, rather they should give their
children the opportunity to succeed on their own. When it comes to child's thoughts and points of view,
all that the child needs from his/her parents is never ending love and support. This is why the prophet
categorically states that ‘Your children are not your children’.
 3. What does the metaphor, bows and arrows signify with regard to parent-children
relationship?

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

In the last lines of the poem Gibran uses the metaphor of bow, arrow and the archer to explain the role of
parents, children and God. Here the poet compares parents as bows, children as arrows and Archer as
almighty. The Prophet says that the word ‘flies’ signifies the future of the children. He tells parents not
to worry about their children’s future because it is in the hands of God. Parents should think that
children are their future and the future cannot be stagnant with the past. The future can only be better
and brighter because all beings (everybody) strive for perfection and that is not possible with reference
to the past because by focusing on the past, the present gets distorted.

God wants the parents to be ‘stable’ and has already helped them to achieve their goals. He might give
many troubles only in order to test the parents (bow) and give them more strength. Bow has to stretch to
shoot the arrows. In the same manner parents have to stretch the limits of their thinking and living. The
archer “God” who cast the arrows wants it to go to a certain place; he really cannot make it go unless he
holds the bow stable. So that the arrow will go the way he wants. In other words, parents need to be
good stable role models for their children if they want them to stick to the path of success. Parents
should be strong in upbringing their children. In the same way, the children also should achieve their
goals. Each is beloved to God who is their creator.

4. The poem does not focus merely on the lives of children, but also talks about the responsibility
of parents.

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. 'On Children' is a selection from 'The
Prophet'. The Prophet offers a critic of the usual expectations of parents about their children and urges
them to introspect.

Yes, I agree that the poem ‘On Children’ does not focus merely on the lives of the children but also talks
about the responsibility of the parents.
The Poem is very relevant in the present society as parents are too possessive in shaping their children’s
goals. The prophet surprises the parents through his words, “Your children are not your children.” He
then continues to explain what should be the attitude of parents towards their children. He says that
parents are only the means in the life of children. When the Prophet tells that parents should not treat the
children as their own because God is the original creator of children and parents are mere actors who act
on the wish of God. Parents are the medium to continue the creation on earth.
Though the children are born through their parents, they have their own individualities, desires,
passions, and likings. He says that though the children live with the parents they do not belong to them.
Parents can give their love and affection but not their thoughts as children would have their own
thoughts and ideas. Hence the parents should only give love to their children and should not change their
thoughts. The Prophet clearly states that parents can only nourish the body but not their soul, minds, and
hearts. The children’s future could not be met by parents even in their dreams. The poet tries to bring out
the generation gap which is universal. Whatever the parents do, that becomes old but, whatever the
children do that becomes new. He also says that life never goes back to the past. It always moves
forward into the future.

Then the Prophet draws the metaphor of “Bows and arrows” to compare parents to Bows and children to
Arrows. God is merely an archer who handles both the Bow and the Arrows. Here God uses parents for
the sake of creation of the future generations. God never discriminates as he loves Bows that is parents
and Arrows that is children equally. In this way, the Prophet advises parents not to be possessive but to
allow freedom while shaping their children’s lives.

Thus, this poem is not just about children and their independent ideas; it is also about a much better
attitude of parents towards their children and a new point of view about the responsibility of parents.
They should be taught good values and it is the responsibility of the parents to make their children good
citizens of the country. So that the world becomes a better place to live in.