CHILDREN

Q.1     What are the children doing ?
 

Ans.  The children are playing ?

Q.2    What is the question that is disturbing the poet and how has it be answered ?

Ans.    The poet is disturbed by the problems and difficulties in life and seeing the children playing happily  the poet feels that the difficulties are a burden any more and thus the question that has disturbed him has disappeared.

Q.3     What does the poet mean by saying that the children open the windows that look to the East ?

Ans.    Just as a sun gives warmth  and life to the earth in the same way the presence of the children give him happiness.

Q.4    With what does the poet compare the thoughts ?

Ans.   The poet compares the thoughts to singing swallows with the flowing brooklets.

Q.5    Why does he compare them so ?

Ans.   Singing swallows and flowing brooks are objects of  nature . They are happy and care free. In the same say the children are untouched  by the problems of life and are happy and care free.

Q.6    How can the birds and the sunshine be in the hearts of the children ? What does the poet mean ?

Ans.  When the poet says that the birds and the sunshine are in the hearts of children he means that they are happy and care free .

Q.7    The poet says that children are thinking of brooks while he is thinking of autumn . What does it mean ?

Ans.   The poet says that children are thinking of brooks because they are young and free from worries and troubles. He is in the autumn of life of he is old and heavy and approaching the end of his life .

Q.8    Is the poet using the word autumn for old age ?

Ans.   Yes, he is using the word autumn for old age. Autumn  is the season before winter when the leaves turn yellow and fall. In the same way in old age the body becomes weak and less active and finally give way.

Q.9  What other words does the poet use to show the coming of old age upon him ?

Ans.  The first fall of snow shows the coming of old age upon him .

Q.10   How are the children different from the poet ?

Ans.    The children are young and full of life and energy without a care in the world . While the poet is old tired and full of worries.

Q.11  What would happen to the trees if there were no leaves ?

Ans.  If there were no leaves, the trees would lose their beauty colour and life.

Q.12    What would happen to us if there were no children ?

Ans.  If there were no children our lives would be dull, barren and absolutely useless.

Q.13    Why does the poet ask the children to come to him ?

Ans.    The poet asks the children to come to him so that he could get joy and happiness from their company and for the time being forget about his worries and troubles.

Q.14   What songs does the poet wish to be whispered in  the ear ?

Ans.    The poet loves to hear the noise  and talk of the children and ask them to come to him so that he could enjoy their natural sincere chatter.

Q.15  The grown up people have wisdom and books. What do to children have ?

Ans.  The children have innocent happy looks and are full of affection and warmth.

Q.16.   With what does the poet compare the children ?

Ans.    The poet compares the children with ballads.

Q.17   How can the children be like the ballads and the poems ?

Ans.  Ballads and the poems give one phase and happiness. In the same what children  be the source of joy and happiness.

Q.18   The poet call the children living and the rest all dead. Why does he say this ?

Ans.   Ballads and poems consist only of words, where as children are living human beings and are full of life and happiness .

 Q.19   How are children important for elders?

Ans.   Children are important for elders because with out them life would be dull and their care free and their happy ways help elders to forget  their troubles and problems.

          Central idea of the poem: 

          This poem has been written by Henry Long Fellow. The main idea of this poem is that all the happiness of the world is due to the children. Without the children the past would have been barren and the future will be unknown. In other words the world  would have come to an end without children.