Childhood - Summary

Childhood is a beautiful creation by poet Marcus Natten which revolves around lost childhood. The numerous changes with the growing age, two-sided faces of people, and the lost childhood are exquisitely narrated with a very simple and engaging voice. The poet tries to find out exactly what was the point where he lost his childhood. He discusses the instances where he might have lost his childhood. He talks about how his innocence vanished. Slowly, he was unknowingly introduced to the term “Hypocrite.” The people pretend to be nice, but in reality, they are not. Their preached love doesn’t reflect in their actions. Childhood is the time when we don’t know the inner bitterness of people, and we simply think they love us unconditionally. With this bad experience, he has lost all his confidence to trust someone easily. He recalls when his thoughts changed, and he entered the maturity stage. He started thinking logically instead of merely believing in people. The poet also throws some light on developing one’s own opinion. Now, let us discuss the summary of childhood.

Childhood Poem Summary

The childhood poem Class 11 summary is all about questions of when the poet has lost his childhood. He wonders when his childhood has finished. He asks himself was it the day when he completed eleven years on the planet. It is believed in childhood that those who do good work will go to heaven after death, and those who indulge in illegal practices will go to hell after death. But Hell and Heaven’s existence were unreal. And you can’t find those places in geography books. So was it the time when the poet’s childhood ended when he understood the difference between fantasy and reality? He started gaining an outlook with education. So the first stanza of the summary of childhood poems from hornbill for Class 11 describes the lost childhood and the time. 

First of all, the poet thinks and wonders about the end of his childhood. He wonders where his childhood ended. She wonders if this is the day she was 11 years old. Another option would be the time when the author comes to realize that Hell and Heaven do not exist and one could not find it in the area. Therefore, this was a time when the writer was able to distinguish between fact and fiction. The poet comes to realize that they are imaginary places that cannot survive in this world.

Again the poet repeats the same question about losing his friendship. Now, the poet wonders if it was a time when he began to look at the world differently. Naturally, as people grow older, their outlook on life changes. Yet the poet seems to be deeply moved by it. Also, the poet always saw that adults are hypocrites. This is because adults are not what they seem to be. According to the author, adults preach love but their behavior is not so much love. So the author believes that the nature of the double face is seen in adults. So, was this the time when his childhood was over?

Going forward, the poet discusses the same question about the loss of his child. In addition, the author wonders about the various possibilities. Moreover, the poet thinks of the day when he discovered that his mind was his own. This is the time when the poet realized that his mind could use any means he wanted. Also, the poet realizes that his thoughts were his and that no one could touch him. One could say that the poet realized that he could always express his thoughts and always have free will. This was a time when the poet realized his personality and his personality. So, is that the day he lost his childhood?

In the last scene, the poet regrets his loss of childhood. It seems that the poet has a desire to live his childhood again. He concludes that his childhood has disappeared from a place he had forgotten. The poet rejoices in his lost chastity now. This is the kind of innocence one can only see in a child's face. You only have fond memories of your childhood that can fade quickly. According to the poet, the purity of childhood lasts until one is an infant.

The poet is continuously finding the answer of where he has marked the full stop in his childhood. He is wondering if it was the time when his perception changed towards the world. Because perception changes with age. However, he was deeply saddened and hurt by this change. He found a new concept in his life, i.e., “hypocrites.” They are the people who pretend to possess principles, morals, love, and virtues in their life. Unfortunately, they don’t have any of those attributes. The love and care shown to the poet were hate, violence, and cruel intentions. 

Here, the poet complains about the difference between actual and pretended behavior. The second stanza of the childhood poem summary shows the multi-faced nature of most of the adults, which should be considered as an essential matter of concern. So he thinks, was this the time when his childhood went?

The poet is in deep thought of how his childhood ends. He tries to figure out the fine line between his childhood and adulthood. He deliberates on the same opinion of the loss of his childhood. He does introspection and all the possible reasons. Additionally, he also discusses the actual realization of finding his own mind. Then he talks about his thoughts. Thoughts may be harmful or useful, but they should always be yours. In many circumstances, they should not be affected by any external factors. You can say that the poet believed that his wills are free, and his thoughts are real. And this was the exact time when the poet found the essence of the synchronization between personality and individuality. The penultimate stanza of Childhood poet summary is all about the self-realization of generating one’s own thoughts without being affected by anyone.

Here the poet tries to find where his childhood has gone? He remorses about it. He consoles his inner self that maybe his childhood had gone to some unknown places where it could not be brought back. The poet remembers and cherishes the lost innocence. This type of innocence is scarce and can only be found in a child’s face. He fears that his childhood memories may fade away quickly. The poet firmly believes that childhood innocence remains until the infant stage. That’s all he has to say about it at the end of the summary of childhood.

Moral of the Story

From the summary of the poem childhood, we can find a few morals. The innocence can mostly be found among children’s faces. And once childhood ends, we won’t find that despite a thousand attempts. People are hypocrites. Real love is rare to find. People often pretend to be nicer to others than they are.