EnglishCBSE Class 11 · Childhood

Childhood (Markus Natten): Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face, Class 11

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Childhood the poet asks when his childhood ended and suggests three turning points: he reasoned that Heaven and Hell could not be found in Geography and so could not exist, he saw that adults preached love but did not act lovingly, and he found his mind was his own. In the last stanza the question becomes where childhood went, and the answer is that it is hidden in an infant's face.

Understand Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face

The repeated question. The poem is built on "When did my childhood go?" Each of the first three stanzas offers a possible answer and ends with the exclamation "Was that the day!" The poet cannot say exactly; growing up is gradual.

Stanza 1: rationalism. 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 could not exist. Learning to reason and to question beliefs ends innocent faith.

Stanza 2: hypocrisy. Perhaps it was when he saw that adults talked of love and preached love but did not act lovingly. Seeing the gap between words and actions took away a child's trust.

Stanza 3: individuality. Perhaps it went when he found that his mind was his own, to use as he wished and to produce thoughts of his own. Independent thinking is a sign of growing up.

Stanza 4: the infant's face. The question changes from when to where. His childhood has gone to a forgotten place, hidden in an infant's face. It is a sad, nostalgic image: childhood survives only in babies, who are innocent.

Tone. Reflective and wistful; he regrets the loss of simplicity yet accepts it as part of becoming an adult. Neighbouring material (line summary) is on the chapter page.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

When did my childhood go?
Poet: The opening question.
The poem's central question.
They talked of love and preached of love, / But did not act so lovingly
Poet: On adults.
Shows adults' hypocrisy, which ends trust.
That's hidden in an infant's face
Poet: The last stanza.
Childhood survives only in the innocence of babies.

Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face: key facts

Three turning points: Reason
Hypocrisy
Individuality; Stanzas 1, 2 and 3.
Question change: When | Where; Stanzas 1-3 ask when; stanza 4 asks where.
Theme answer: Loss of innocence
Gain of awareness
Nostalgia; Use to open a 6-mark answer.

How to answer Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face questions

Use this for any question on theme, stanzas or the poet's attitude.

1State the central question of the poem.
2List the three turning points with a quotation each.
3Explain the change to "where" in stanza 4.
4Name the tone: nostalgic and reflective.
5End with the infant's face and the idea of lost innocence.

Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

The day the toy lost its magic

Suppose a boy notices one day that the "magic" tricks of his uncle are only sleight of hand. He is pleased at understanding it, yet sad that the wonder is gone.

Which stanza of the poem does this match, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He used reason and found the secret.
He gained knowledge.
He lost a kind of innocence.

Answer: It matches stanza 1, where reasoning that Heaven and Hell cannot be found in Geography ends a belief the poet held as a child.

Memory hook: Knowledge gained, wonder lost.

Tricks to remember Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

R-H-I-I
Reason, Hypocrisy, Individuality, Infant.
Use it when: The four stanzas.
When, then where
Three whens, one where.
Use it when: The change in the question.

Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Who wrote Childhood · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The poem Childhood is by
(a) Markus Natten (b) Ted Hughes (c) Elizabeth Jennings (d) Shirley Toulson

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The poet is Markus Natten (1 mark).

Answer: (a)

Example 2: The Geography line · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What realisation does the poet have about Heaven and Hell in the first stanza? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

They cannot be found in Geography (1).
So by logic they cannot exist (1).
Reason ends innocent faith (1).

Answer: He realises that Heaven and Hell cannot be found in Geography and therefore cannot exist. Learning to reason in this way marks the end of the faith he held as a child.

Example 3: Hypocrisy · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does the second stanza say about adults? (40-50 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

They talked and preached love (1).
They did not act lovingly (1).
The gap destroyed a child's trust (1).

Answer: The second stanza says that adults talked of love and preached it, but did not act lovingly. Seeing this gap between words and deeds, the hypocrisy of grown-ups, took away the child's trust. The poet suggests that this disillusionment may have been the moment when his childhood ended.

Example 4: Where did it go · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Discuss how the last stanza changes the question and what it suggests about childhood. (120-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

When becomes where (2).
Answer: hidden in an infant's face (2).
Meaning: innocence survives in babies (1).
Tone (1).

Answer: In the first three stanzas the poet asks when his childhood went and offers three possible moments. In the last stanza the question changes to where it went. He answers that it has gone to a forgotten place hidden in an infant's face. The change from when to where shows that he has stopped looking for a date and now looks for a place where childhood still exists. A baby's face still carries pure innocence, which he has lost. The tone is wistful, but there is also acceptance, since childhood is not destroyed but only lives in others. The ending turns the poem from a search into a quiet reflection on lost innocence. The line "That's hidden in an infant's face" sums up this idea, because it shows childhood surviving in every new baby even though the poet cannot return to it.

Example 5: Is growing up a loss · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

"The poem treats growing up as loss alone." Do you agree? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Loss: innocence and trust (1).
Gain: reason, awareness, individuality (1).
Judgement (1).

Answer: I disagree. The poem mourns the loss of innocence, but the turning points also bring reason, awareness and independent thought, which are gains. The poet is wistful, yet he presents growing up as a mix of loss and growth.

Where students lose marks in Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Mixing the order of stanzas
Each stanza has its own idea.
Wrong working
Stanza 2 is about reasoning.
Right working
Stanza 1 reasoning, stanza 2 hypocrisy, stanza 3 individuality.
Do this: Learn the order.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks of 6.
Mistake: Missing the last stanza
It is the key change.
Wrong working
The poet says childhood ended with the three events.
Right working
He says it lives on in an infant's face.
Do this: Always include stanza 4.
Usually costs: 2 marks of 6.
Mistake: No quotation
Evidence is needed.
Wrong working
The poet feels sad.
Right working
"That's hidden in an infant's face" shows nostalgia.
Do this: Quote one line per point.
Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.

Exam tips

List the three turning points with a quotation each.
Explain the change from when to where.
Use the words "nostalgic" and "innocence".
Do not treat growing up as only loss.
Keep a 3-mark answer to 40-50 words and a 6-mark answer to 120-150 words.

Practice questions on Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face

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 · MCQBoard level
In which stanza does the poet realise his mind is his own?
(a) first (b) second (c) third (d) fourth
Hint
Individuality.
Answer
(c)
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does "Was that the day!" suggest about the poet's attitude? (40-50 words)
Hint
It is an exclamation after each guess.
Answer
The exclamation shows that he is unsure and wistful. Each turning point could be the day childhood ended, but none is certain, so the poet looks back with curiosity and a touch of regret. The repeated cry gently mixes surprise with longing for the past.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the poet say childhood is hidden in an infant's face? (40-50 words)
Hint
Think of innocence.
Answer
An infant has not yet gained reason or seen hypocrisy, so it is still innocent. The poet suggests that childhood has not vanished but lives on in babies, in an innocence he can only recall.
Q4 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Which of the three turning points seems most convincing to you? Argue in 120-150 words, with reference to the poem.
Hint
Take one and defend it.
Answer
The second turning point, adult hypocrisy, seems the most convincing. A child who believes adults is open and trusting. When he sees that adults preach love but do not act lovingly, he loses trust, and that is a sharper loss than learning facts. The lines "They talked of love and preached of love, / But did not act so lovingly" show how a child is hurt when words and actions do not match. Reasoning about Heaven and Hell is an intellectual change, and discovering his own mind is a gain. But hypocrisy hurts feelings, and so it changes how he sees people. This is why it ends innocence more strongly than the others. Of course, all three together make the end of childhood, and the poet himself cannot choose one.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Why does the poet repeat the question "When did my childhood go?" at the start of the first three stanzas instead of making a plain statement? (3 marks)
Hint
Think of search and doubt.
Answer
The question shows that he is searching and cannot be sure when childhood ended. A plain statement would claim certainty. Repeating the question in the first three stanzas also gives the poem a reflective rhythm and draws the reader into thinking. The change to "Where" in the last stanza then stands out.

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.Where could Heaven and Hell not be found?Show answer
In Geography.
3.What did adults preach but not practise?Show answer
Love.
4.What did the poet discover in stanza 3?Show answer
That his mind was his own.
5.Where is childhood hidden at the end?Show answer
In an infant's face.

Childhood: Three Turning Points and the Infant's Face: frequently asked questions

What is the theme of Childhood?

Loss of innocence and the awareness that comes with growing up.

Why are there three turning points?

The poet cannot say exactly when childhood ended, so he offers three possibilities.

What is the tone?

Nostalgic and reflective.