VK Taylor

    Class 11 English (Hornbill Book) Poem 4 – Childhood By Markus Natten Childhood Introduction to the Poem Childhood is written by Marcus Natten. In this poem, the poet thinks over his lost childhood. He wonders about the moment where he lost the innocence and realized that the world is not what he seemed it to be. He recalls when his thoughts changed and he realized the hypocrisy of the people around him. He finally settled down to the idea that his childhood went to some forgotten place and is hidden in the face of an innocent infant.  Summary In the poem, the poet wonders when he lost his childhood and the innocence he had. He became conscious that he no longer sees the world as he did earlier and he can sense the hypocrisy in people. He recalled many instances in his life when he could have lost his childhood. He wondered if it was the day he ceased to be eleven or he realized that Hell and Heaven didn’t exist in this world and no one could find them in the geography...

  Class 11 English (Hornbill Book) Poem 3 – The Voice of the Rain By Walt Whitman   The Voice of the Rain Introduction of the Poem The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ is written by Walt Whitman. It is a conversation between the poet and the rain. The rain explains its eternal journey in its birth-place, i.e. earth to the poet.   The Voice of the Rain Poem Summary In the poem, the poet asks the soft-falling shower, ‘Who are you?’ to which she replies that she is the poem of earth. It is a strange thing for the rain to reply to the poet.  The rain told the poet that she cannot be touched as she rises in the form of water vapour in the sky from the land and the bottomless sea. It changes its shape yet it remains the same. The vapour changes into clouds due to condensation. It falls back on the surface of the earth to provide water to the drought-prone areas and to beautify and purify the earth (its birthplace). It provides life to the seeds inside the earth and helps them ...

  Class 11 English (Hornbill Book) Poem 2 – The Laburnum Top By Ted Hughes   The Laburnum Top Introduction of the Poem The poem ‘The Laburnum Top’ is written by Ted Hughes. It is about a repaying relationship between the Laburnum tree and the Goldfinch bird. The tree is yellow, silent and death-like and is made alive by the bird and her young ones. The yellow bird has her shelter on the tree where she feeds her young ones. But as soon as the bird leaves to fly in the sky, the tree becomes silent and death-like again.   The Laburnum Top Summary The poem starts with a description of the Laburnum tree whose top was still and silent. Its leaves had turned yellow and seeds had fallen down. It was a daytime in the month of September when the tree was standing still and death-like. The life-less tree becomes alive by the arrival of the Goldfinch bird. She came to feed her younger ones who are on the thickness of the branch. The tree is her shelter. She arrives at the end of the ...

Class 11 English (Hornbill Book) Poem 1 – A Photograph By Shirley Toulson   A Photograph Introduction of the lesson The poem ‘A Photograph’ is written by Shirley Toulson. In this poem, she recalls her mother and her memories while looking at a childhood photograph when her mother was twelve years old or so. She has been deceased twelve years ago and she cannot explain her grief on her mother’s loss.    Summary The poem is a tribute to the poet’s mother. She is looking at an old photograph of her mother which has a frame of cardboard. The picture has three girls in which the middle one is the oldest and tallest. It is her mother when she was twelve years old or so. Beside her, on both sides are her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, who are holding her hands and are younger than her. They went for paddling on a beach holiday. Her uncle took the photograph then. The poet could not help but notice her mother’s sweet face. The sea touched her terribly transient feet which depicted...