2nd PUC ENGLISH NOTES - ON CHILDREN

 

ON CHILDREN

Khalil Gibran

Comprehension I

1) And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us Children.” And he said: ‘he’ refers to:

a) Her child.

b) The Prophet.

c) The poet.

Ans: b) the Prophet.

 

2) ‘Your children are not your children’ means

a. they do not belong to their parents only.

b. the children should have their own space.

c. parents should not be possessive of their children.

Ans: b) the children should have their own space.

 

3) ‘They come through you, but are not from you’ means

a. though parents give birth to their children they do not own them.

b. children have independent personalities.

c. parents should be indifferent to their children.

Ans: (a) though parents give birth to their children they do not own them.

 

4) According to the prophet, what may be given to the children?

Ans: The parents can give their love and affection to their children according to the prophet.

 

5) ‘their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow’ means

a. children belong to the future.

b. parents cannot shape their children’s future.

c. children have a different vision of life.

Ans: (a, c) children belong to the future/children have a different vision of life.

 

6) ‘The bows’ and ‘living arrows’ refer to parents and children.

 

7) Who does ‘living arrows’ refer to in the poem?

Ans: ‘Living arrows’ refers to children in the poem.

 

8) Who does ‘archer’ refer to in the poem?

Ans: ‘Archer’ refers to God in the poem.

 

9) Who does God use as his instrument to send living arrows to the earth?

Ans: God uses parents as his instrument to send living arrows to the earth.

 

10) Why does God bend the parents with all his might?

Ans: God wants to test them for stability and strength. So, God bends the parents with all his might.

 

11) What brings children to the earth?

Ans: Life’s longing for itself brings children to the earth.

 

12) Who dwells in the house of tomorrow?

Ans: Children dwell in the house of tomorrow.

 

13) What, according to the speaker, can parents not visit?

Ans: According to the speaker, parents cannot visit the world in which their children are going to live.

 

14) In ‘On Children’, you may give them your love but not your

a) dreams             b) thoughts                    c) gladness

Ans: b) thoughts.

 

15) What does the phrase ‘the bow that is stable’ refer to?

Ans: Parents who serve God’s wishes with conviction and without fail is the phrase ‘the bow that is stable’ refers to.

 

16) In ‘On Children’, God loves the arrow that flies as well as the bow that

a) does not bend b) breaks             c) is stable.

Ans: c) is stable.

 

17) Who asked the Prophet to speak on children?

Ans: A woman asked the prophet to speak about children.

 

18) Where, according to the speaker, do the souls of children dwell?

Ans: The souls of children dwell in the house of tomorrow according to the speaker.

 

19) Who, according to the speaker in ‘On Children’, are sent forth as living arrows?

Ans: Children are sent forth as living arrows according to the speaker in ‘On Children’.

 

20) Who, according to the speaker in ‘On Children’, sees the mark upon the path of the infinite?

Ans: The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite according to the speaker in ‘On Children’.

 

Comprehension II

1) ‘For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.’ Discuss the contrast between the underlined words.

Ans: God is the archer, the parents speak to the bow, and the kids are the living arrows.  Like a bowman, God twists the bows testing them for solidness to help the arrows as they attempt to arrive at their objective. "The archer chooses the objective, which is set apart upon the way of the endless, and He twists the parents with his strength that his arrows may go quick and far". Children are life’s longing for itself and the parents fill in as an entry for them to go to the earth.

 

Whenever they are conceived, it is the parents' obligation to see that the 'living arrows' arrive at the planned objective which has been chosen by the archer himself. Every arrow is prepared to fly however the bow should have the option to withstand the strain or weight caused on it and stays steady or firm to empower the bolt to arrive at its objective. The arrows need to fly and the bow must be steady in light of the fact that the bow should be adaptable enough to twist as indicated by the desire of the bowman. This differentiation between the part of the arrows and the job of the bow is brought out in the last line of the poem in the word 'flies' which alludes to the arrows and 'stable' which alludes to the bows.

 

2) Why does the prophet categorically state “Your children are not your children’?

Ans: As per the poet, love involves the main spot in God's creation. Love isn't made by us yet is sent from above and it coordinates everything in our life as it sees it. The poet delineates how love works in the close connection of parenthood. The poet needs us to comprehend that our job as parents is just 'stewardship' and that's it. In the line ‘Your children are not your children’ Gibran advises parents to know that a child isn't a thing to be controlled by us since we have not made 'life'. A child is everlasting life itself and is a blessing from the wealth of presence. As parents we may have carried them to the earth. This has occurred so in light of the fact that we have been decided to be a vehicle thus we are nothing else except for a section. It is life's yearning for itself that carries youngsters to earth, as children and girls. Since youngsters are not inert things we can't have them. That is the reason the prophet completely expresses that ‘Your children are not your children’.

 

3) What does the metaphor of bow and arrow signify with regard to the parent-children relationship?

Ans: Gibran discloses to parents how they should deal with their children as 'stewards' in his message on children, in the initial segment. In the last piece of the message, the poet utilizes the illustration of the bow and the arrows to assist parents with picturing their part in raising children. In this metaphor, God, or the preeminent force, is the archer, parents are the bows and the arrows are the children. The archer utilizes the bow just as an instrument to send the arrows to their objective. The archer chooses the direction and the objective on the boundless way and pulls the string energetically. As he pulls the string, the bow needs to twist but then withstand the strain and weight caused in shooting the arrow. The bow ought not to snap in two. From this representation, it turns out to be evident that parents serve just as an instrument or as a vehicle to help the arrow fly to its objective and parents can't possess them.

 

4) According to the prophet, what attitude should parents have towards their children?

Ans: The poet contends that children have resulted in these present circumstances earth as Life's longing for itself and are conceived as children and they are not made by parents. The poet tells the parents that they are not the owners of their children.  Henceforth, parents can't have them. Parents ought to view themselves as 'stewards' and their job is just stewardship. The poet needs parents not to view their children as their manikins thus as not to force their religion, legislative issues, and thoughts on the blameless children. Parents may give their own adoration however not their musings, in light of the fact that the children have their own spirits. They have the choice to do however they see fit have a brain. They are allowed to have an independent mind. Parents simply go about as 'controlling lights' for their children. They have the will to go about as what their identity is and lead their own life and not how their folks need them to. The children have their own future, parents have a place with the previous days, yet kids having a place with the days to come. We should just give as much love as possible and should allow them to develop as indicated by their own latent capacity. We may endeavor to resemble them however we ought to never confide in our past on them. We should oppose the enticement of making our kid a duplicate of ourselves.

 

Comprehension III

1) In this poem, ‘parents could’ stand as a metaphor for

a) The older generation  

b) Leaders

c) Religious heads

d) Teachers

Having considered the above options, offer different readings of the poem.

 

Ans: a) The older generation: As exhorted by the prophet, the older generation should comprehend that the offspring of this age are conceived as life's longing for itself. They have their own spirits. Thus, the older generation should just endeavor to ensure their bodies until they become grown-ups so they grow up as developed people and satisfy god's central goal for which they have resulted in these present circumstances earth. The more established age ought not to inculcate the more youthful age to lead a day to day existence as their folks like on the grounds that the spirits of the younger generation abide in the place of tomorrow to which the more seasoned age can't enter. In any case, their obligation is to cause the younger generation to understand that they have been shipped off the earth by God to satisfy his main goal.

 

b) Leaders: Leaders can just ensure their children genuinely, until they grow up. They ought not to propel them to acknowledge their belief systems and live to satisfy their central goal. Despite what might be expected, the leaders should comprehend that their spirits abide in the place of tomorrow, and henceforth the thoughts of the more established age leaders will just take them in reverse. In any case, the leaders additionally are god's children and have been used by God as his instrument to send the youngsters to the earth. Thusly, they should make sure that they secure the younger generation until they develop and become experienced people. They should likewise be made mindful of god's motivation in sending them to this planet.

 

c) Religious heads: The poem can be taken as an exchange between the prophet and the religious heads. The religious heads are additionally children of God. They should understand that God needs them to ensure their kids when they are youthful and lead them so that the children ought to have full opportunity to obey they income of their spirits. The religious instructors ought not to power their youngsters to obey and acknowledge their thoughts of God and his creation. They should just cause them to understand that as youngsters they have been sent by god to this world to satisfy god's central goal. Like his faithful kids, they should be caused mindful that they to need to satisfy god's central goal on this planet.

 

d) Teachers: The teachers should comprehend that they are required to serve just as parents and ensure their kids until they grow up and develop into completely developed grown-ups. As educators, they should just make them mindful that they have come down to satisfy god's main goal. Educators ought not to believe that they ought to rebuff and cause them to do what the person in question likes. Then again, their sole responsibility is to see that they are dealt with genuinely and are given finished opportunity for their spirits to develop and develop and comprehend god's main goal in sending, them to this world.

 

2) In light of the poem, think of different levels of freedom children must have in shaping their lives.

Ans: The parents should comprehend that God anticipates that them should fill in as gatekeepers to secure their children truly until they grow up and develop and understand god's desires. In their youth, rather than getting excessively appended to them, the parents should regard them as visitors in their homes. They should cherish and regard them. They should help establish a climate favorable for their development and see that they develop and remain truly, inwardly, mentally, and profoundly sound. All-round improvement is significant. Care for their emotional wellness is similarly significant. Guardians can do this by establishing a climate permitting the innate ability and decency of the kids to bloom.

 

Children are not brought into the world terrible, the climate makes them so. Accordingly, it is important to establish a sound climate for the kids at home, in school, and in the public arena. Parents ought not to regard their children as their manikins however shower their affection as much as could be expected under the circumstances and accept great consideration of them as we do to somebody who is given to our charge. Parents should deal with their requirements just and ought not to force their considerations and thoughts on them. The parents superimpose thoughts, musings, and even their pride upon their children. Rather than forcing methods of reasoning and musings on the children, they should give them cherish and make an air for their inward gifts to rose.

 

As children grow into adults, the parents should practice even more tolerance and give them the opportunity to settle on their own choices and let them do what they like professionally. They should likewise endeavor to make them mindful of the entanglements in their way in the event that they pick some unacceptable way. At long last, when they accomplish an eligible age, guardians ought not to impact their choices by featuring their heredity or riches or station. They should permit full opportunity to cherish and wed a young lady of their decision.

 

3) The poem ‘On Children’ does not focus merely on the lives of children but also talks about the responsibility of parents. Explain.

Ans: The poem doesn't focus in just on the lives of children yet additionally discusses the obligation of parents. In the initial segment, the poet contends that children accept birth as life's longing for itself. Since we don't make children, we can't have them. Nonetheless, the poet contends that parents do have a part in the life of children. He says that we should give our children as much love as possible however never our considerations. The children should be let allowed to have an independent mind, and parents should not push their thoughts on them.

 

The poet discusses the duty of parents. He expresses that God is the archer, and his folks are his bows. The archer chooses the objective, twists the bow to suit his objective, and shoots the bolts. The arrows are the children. In this manner the archer needs the parents to fill in as his instrument. On the off chance that the bow stays unbending and firm, the bolts may not arrive at the ideal objective. Along these lines, as parents, it is our duty to be adaptable enough to permit our children to carry on with their own lives.