Childhood Class 11: Stanza-wise Explanation, Themes and Answers
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Childhood by Markus Natten, a Hornbill poem, asks when the poet's childhood ended. He suggests three moments: when he began to reason that Heaven and Hell could not exist, when he saw adults' hypocrisy, and when he found he could think for himself. He concludes that childhood now survives only in the innocent face of an infant.
What Childhood is about
Childhood by Markus Natten is a reflective poem of four stanzas built around a repeated question: 'When did my childhood go?' Each of the first three stanzas suggests a possible turning-point, ending with 'Was that the day!':
1. Rationalism: when he turned eleven and realised that Heaven and Hell could not be found in Geography, so they could not exist.
2. Hypocrisy of adults: when he saw that adults preached love but did not act lovingly.
3. Individuality: when he discovered that his mind was his own and he could produce his own thoughts.
The last stanza changes the question to 'Where did my childhood go?' and answers that it has gone to a forgotten place hidden in an infant's face.
In the Class 11 paper the poem can come as a poetry extract (3 x 1), a short answer (40-50 words, 3 marks) or a long answer (120-150 words, 6 marks). Typical questions: which stanza shows individuality, rationalism or hypocrisy; what growing up involves; the poet's feeling towards childhood; the most poetic lines.
Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 31 of the 80 theory marks in the school annual exam; Hornbill is tested through one poetry extract of two (3 x 1), two of four short answers of 40-50 words (one prose, one poetry; 3 x 2) and one of two long answers of 120-150 words (6).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27, Class XI question paper design
Childhood: explanation
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Stanza 1: The poet wonders when his childhood ended. Perhaps it was the day he stopped being eleven, or the time he realised that Heaven and Hell could not be found in Geography and therefore, by logic, could not exist. Learning to reason and to question what he had believed marks the end of innocent faith.
Stanza 2: Perhaps his childhood ended when he realised that adults were not what they seemed. They talked about love and preached it, but did not behave lovingly. Seeing this gap between words and actions, the hypocrisy of grown-ups, took away a child's trust.
Stanza 3: Perhaps it went when he found that his mind really belonged to him, to use as he wished, producing thoughts that were his own and not borrowed from others. Discovering independent thought and individuality is another sign of growing up.
Stanza 4: Finally the poet asks not when but where his childhood went. His answer is that it has gone to some forgotten place, hidden in the innocent face of an infant. That is all he knows.
The poem shows growing up as a process of losing innocence and gaining reason, awareness and independence. The poet's tone is nostalgic: he seems to regret the loss of childhood's simplicity, though he accepts these changes as part of becoming an adult.
Themes and message
Loss of innocence
Childhood ends as the child loses simple faith and trust, through reason and through seeing the faults of adults.
From the text: Heaven and Hell 'Could not be found in Geography, / And therefore could not be'.
Growing up as awareness
Growing up involves rational thinking, recognising hypocrisy and developing an independent mind.
From the text: 'Producing thoughts that were not those of other people / But my own'
Nostalgia
The poet looks back with longing and some sadness; childhood survives only in the face of an infant.
From the text: 'It went to some forgotten place, / That's hidden in an infant's face'
The speaker and the people in the poem
The poet (speaker)
An adult (or adolescent) looking back on the end of his childhood.
- Reflective and questioning
- Nostalgic
- Independent thinker
He asks the same question repeatedly and traces his change through reason, disillusionment and independence.
Poetic devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rhetorical question and refrain | 'When did my childhood go?' ... 'Was that the day!' | Gives the poem a searching, reflective rhythm and ties the stanzas together. |
| Contrast | Adults 'preached of love, / But did not act so lovingly' | Exposes the gap between words and actions. |
| Rhyme | eleven / Heaven; place / face | Gives a song-like flow despite the serious theme. |
| Symbol / image | 'an infant's face' | Stands for pure innocence, the place where childhood now lives. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
When did my childhood go?
Poet: Refrain opening stanzas 1-3.
The central question of the poem.
Could not be found in Geography, / And therefore could not be
Poet: Stanza 1, on Heaven and Hell.
Shows the child's new, logical reasoning.
They talked of love and preached of love, / But did not act so lovingly
Poet: Stanza 2, on adults.
Points to adult hypocrisy.
That's hidden in an infant's face
Poet: Last stanza.
Childhood survives only in a baby's innocence.
Childhood in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Thinking for yourself
Suppose your friends all choose the same stream after Class 10 and pressure you to do the same, though you love a different subject.
How does the third stanza of 'Childhood' speak to this situation? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The poet values thoughts that are 'my own, and mine alone'.
- Growing up means choosing by your own reasoning.
Answer: The poet sees having a mind of one's own as a sign of growing up. Choosing my stream by my own interest and reasoning, not by copying friends, would be the kind of independent thinking he describes. It is part of becoming an adult.
Memory hook: A grown-up mind is its own mind.
Words and actions
Imagine a family elder who tells children to respect everyone but is rude to the house help.
How would a child see this, according to the poem?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The child notices the gap between preaching and acting.
- Trust in the adult's words weakens.
Answer: The child sees hypocrisy, as the poet did, and learns more from the behaviour than from the advice.
Memory hook: Children copy what we do, not what we say.
Keeping childlike wonder
Suppose you watch a baby cousin laughing at bubbles while the adults around are busy and stressed.
Which line of the poem comes to mind, and what does it suggest?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- 'That's hidden in an infant's face'.
- Innocent joy still exists in the very young; adults can learn from it.
Answer: The last stanza: childhood's innocence lives on in an infant's face, reminding adults of simple joys.
Memory hook: Look at a baby to remember being one.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks Childhood
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Poetry extract (Q10, 3 x 1) | Any of the first three stanzas or the last stanza. | Name the idea of the stanza (rationalism, hypocrisy, individuality, nostalgia) and explain the key line. |
| Short answer (Q13, 40-50 words, 3 marks) | What growing up involves; the poet's feeling towards childhood; meaning of the last stanza; adult hypocrisy. | Use one quotation and explain it simply. |
| Long answer (Q15, 120-150 words, 6 marks) | Growing up as loss and gain; is the poet right about adults?; your own experience of leaving childhood. | Explain the three turning-points, then give a balanced personal view. |
Tricks to remember Childhood
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
R-H-I
Reason, Hypocrisy, Individuality: stanzas 1, 2, 3.
Use it when: Matching stanzas to ideas.
When, when, when, where
Three 'when' stanzas, one 'where' stanza.
Use it when: Structure questions.
Eleven-Heaven
The first rhyme gives the age and the first idea.
Use it when: Recall of stanza 1.
Childhood: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: Adults as they really are
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Which quality of adults does the poet point out here?
(a) generosity (b) hypocrisy (c) intelligence (d) strictness(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What contrast does the poet notice in adults' behaviour?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
How does this realisation mark the end of childhood?
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) hypocrisy
- They talked and preached about love but did not behave lovingly.
- The child loses his innocent trust in grown-ups and begins to see them as they really are.
Extract 2: A mind of his own
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own, and mine alone
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Which aspect of growing up do these lines describe?
(a) rationalism (b) hypocrisy (c) individuality (d) fear(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What does 'my mind was really mine' mean?
(3) · 1 mark · Assertion-reason
Assertion (A): The poet values independent thinking. Reason (R): He stresses that his thoughts were 'my own, and mine alone'. Choose (a) both true, R explains A (b) both true, R does not explain A (c) A true, R false (d) A false, R true.
Show the answersAnswers
- (c) individuality
- He could now think independently instead of accepting other people's ideas.
- (a) Both are true and R explains A.
Childhood: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Three discoveries, three changes · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
Each of the first three stanzas offers a different 'day' on which childhood might have ended. How does the discovery in each stanza change the way the poet sees the world? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Stanza 1: reasoning (Heaven and Hell not in Geography).
- Stanza 2: hypocrisy (preached love, did not act lovingly).
- Stanza 3: individuality (thoughts 'my own').
Answer: In stanza 1, reasoning makes him reject Heaven and Hell, which 'could not be found in Geography'. In stanza 2, seeing adults preach love without acting lovingly ends his trust in them. In stanza 3, finding his thoughts 'my own, and mine alone' frees him from borrowed ideas.
Example 2: Where childhood went · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Explain the last stanza of the poem. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Question changes from 'when' to 'where'.
- Childhood has gone to a forgotten place in an infant's face.
- Only babies have true innocence; adults can see it but not regain it.
Answer: Changing his question from 'when' to 'where', the poet says his childhood has gone to a forgotten place hidden in an infant's face. Only a baby still has the pure innocence he has lost; he can glimpse it there, but cannot get it back.
Example 3: What growing up involves · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
Using the three turning-points the poet describes, explain what a person gains and loses while leaving childhood behind. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Thinking rationally, questioning beliefs.
- Seeing adults' hypocrisy.
- Developing an independent mind.
Answer: Growing up involves learning to reason and question old beliefs, seeing that adults do not always practise what they preach, and developing a mind of one's own. In the process, a child loses innocent faith and trust but gains awareness and independence.
Example 4: Growing up: loss or gain? · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Is growing up only a loss, as the poem seems to suggest, or also a gain? Discuss with reference to 'Childhood'. Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Loss: innocence, simple faith, trust; nostalgic last stanza.
- Gain: reason, awareness of reality, independent thought.
- Balanced view; personal example.
Answer: In 'Childhood', Markus Natten traces the end of innocence through three moments. When he learns to reason, he loses the simple belief in Heaven and Hell. When he notices that adults preach love but do not act lovingly, he loses his trust in them. When he finds his mind is his own, he leaves behind a world where others did his thinking. The final image of childhood hidden in an infant's face sounds nostalgic, even sad.
Yet each loss is also a gain. Reason helps us question superstition; recognising hypocrisy teaches us to judge people by actions; independent thinking makes us responsible individuals.
Growing up, therefore, is both loss and gain. We may miss the carefree trust of childhood, but we gain the wisdom to face the world. The challenge is to keep some childlike wonder and kindness while thinking like an adult.
Example 5: 'That's all I know' · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The poem ends with the plain line 'That's all I know.' What does this ending reveal about the poet's attitude to his lost childhood? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Nostalgic: repeatedly searches for the moment it ended.
- Regretful: it is now 'forgotten', hidden in an infant's face.
- Accepting: 'That's all I know.'
Answer: After three uncertain guesses and the image of an infant's face, the poet admits the limit of his understanding. The plain line shows quiet, nostalgic acceptance: he misses the innocence of childhood and has searched for it, but knows it cannot be recovered or fully explained.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
What a person gains and loses while leaving childhood (40-50 words, 3 marks) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: rational thinking and seeing adult hypocrisy | 1 |
| Content: independent mind; loss of innocence | 1 |
| Expression | 1 |
Growing up: loss or gain? (120-150 words, 6 marks) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: the three turning-points and a balanced judgement | 3 |
| Organisation | 1 |
| Expression | 2 |
Where students lose marks in Childhood
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying the poet believes Heaven and Hell are real
He reasons that they cannot exist, since they are not in Geography.
Do this: Call it rationalism or logical thinking.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Calling the poem cheerful
Its tone is reflective and nostalgic.
Do this: Use 'nostalgic', 'reflective', 'wistful'.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Mixing up the stanza ideas
Each stanza has one clear idea.
Do this: Stanza 1 reason, 2 hypocrisy, 3 individuality.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Explaining the infant's face literally
It is a symbol of innocence.
Do this: Say childhood survives only in the innocence of babies.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Practice questions on Childhood
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
What does the poet say Heaven and Hell could not be found in?
(a) books (b) Geography (c) History (d) the skyHint
A school subject.
Answer
(b) Geography
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
At what age does the poet suggest his childhood may have ended?
Hint
First stanza.
Answer
When he ceased to be eleven.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Why does the refrain change from 'When did' to 'Where did' in the last stanza? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
He cannot find the moment.
Answer
After examining three possible moments without a certain answer, the poet stops asking when childhood ended and asks where it has gone. This shift shows that childhood slips away gradually, and he concludes that it survives only in the innocence of an infant.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The last stanza rhymes 'place' with 'face' and gives the poem its gentlest image. Why is it fitting that the poem ends on this image rather than on another 'Was that the day!'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
From 'when' to 'where'; from loss to where innocence survives.
Answer
The first three stanzas list harsh discoveries that destroyed innocence. Ending on an infant's face moves from loss to the one place where innocence still lives. The soft rhyme of 'place' and 'face' suits this tender image and leaves the reader with wistful hope rather than bitterness.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Do you agree that adults 'preach' more than they practise? Write 120-150 words with examples.
Hint
Balanced view.
Answer
Model points: the poem's claim; examples (adults telling children not to use phones while using them constantly; preaching honesty but telling small lies); counter-view: many adults sacrifice silently and act lovingly; children learn more from actions than words; conclusion: consistency between words and actions matters for everyone.
Q6 · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
Assertion (A): The poet becomes rational when he questions the existence of Heaven and Hell. Reason (R): He reasons that what cannot be found on a map cannot exist. Choose (a) both true, R explains A (b) both true, R does not explain A (c) A true, R false (d) A false, R true.
Hint
Geography.
Answer
(a) Both are true and R explains A.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote 'Childhood'?Show answer
Markus Natten.
2.How many stanzas does the poem have?Show answer
Four.
3.Which line ends each of the first three stanzas?Show answer
'Was that the day!'
4.What did adults talk and preach about?Show answer
Love.
5.Where, finally, has childhood gone?Show answer
To some forgotten place hidden in an infant's face.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you match each stanza to rationalism, hypocrisy and individuality?
- Can you explain the Heaven and Hell lines?
- Can you explain the last stanza and the infant's face?
- Can you describe the poet's feeling towards childhood?
- Can you write 120-150 words on growing up as loss and gain?
Childhood: frequently asked questions
What is the central idea of Childhood?
Childhood ends gradually as a child begins to reason, sees adult hypocrisy and develops an independent mind; innocence then survives only in the faces of infants.
Why does the poet mention Geography?
As a child he could not find Heaven and Hell on any map, so he reasoned they could not exist. This shows logical thinking replacing simple belief.
Is the poet bitter about adults?
He is disillusioned rather than bitter: he notices their hypocrisy as one of the moments that ended his innocence.
What is the significance of the title?
The whole poem searches for the moment childhood ended and where it went, so the title names the subject that the poet is trying to locate.
Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus, Classes XI-XII 2026-27; NCERT Hornbill, English Reader for Class XI (Reprint 2026-27), Childhood