ENGLISH STUDY MATERIAL

CHILDHOOD(POEM)

First of all, the poet thinks and wonders about the end of his childhood. He
thinks where his childhood came to an end. He wonders that was it the day on
which he was no longer eleven years of age. Another option could be the time
when the author came to the realization that Hell and Heaven didn’t exist and
one could not find them in geography.  So, this was the time when the author
could make a distinction between reality and fantasy. The poet comes to the
realization that they are imaginary places that have no existence in this world.

Once again the poet again repeats the same question about losing his childhood.
Now, the poet wonders that was it the time when he began to view the world
with a different perception. Naturally, when humans grow older, their perception
of the world changes. However, the poet seems to be deeply affected by it.
Furthermore, the poet came to the realization that adults are hypocrites. This is
because the adults are not what they appear or seem to be. According to the
author, adults preach about love but their behaviour is not so loving. So the
author believes that a double-face nature is displayed by the adults. So, was this
the time when his childhood go?

Moving on, the poet deliberates on the same question regarding the loss of his
childhood. Furthermore, the author asks himself about various possibilities.
Moreover, the poet thinks about the day when he came to the realization that his
mind was his own. This was the time when the poet came to the realization that
he can use his mind in any way he wants. Also, the poet realizes that his
thoughts were his own and no one can affect them. One can say that the poet
became aware that he can produce his own thoughts and that he had free will.
This was the time when the poet became aware of his own individuality and
personality. So, was that the day where his childhood became lost?

In the last stanza, the poet becomes remorseful about his lost childhood. It seems
the poet has a desire to live his childhood once more. He concludes that his
childhood had vanished into a forgotten place from which it can never return.
The poet cherishes his now lost innocence. This is the type of innocence that one
can only see in a baby’s face. He only has sweet childhood memories which
would fade away rather quickly. According to the poet, the innocence of
childhood remains only until one is an infant