The document is an English project report created by Sushree Behera for class 11 discussing the importance of childhood. It includes a poem called "Childhood" by Markus Natten that expresses confusion over when and where childhood ends. The report then provides context on the poet, analysis of the poem, and background information on the historical concept of childhood and how it has changed over time.

1. English Project
Made by: Sushree Behera
Class: XI-D
Roll no: 24
Guided by: Mrs. SushilaRamachandran

2. • Childhood is an important stage in the
process of growing up of every person. It is
the time when we can jump freely, run
freely, shout freely, cry freely, it’s all
about so much fun and pleasure.
• Our dreaming thoughts, fairy tales, all
our fantasy world dance around our
mind.
• In the process of growing up, we leave our
childhood, we leave our innocence, we
leave our fairy tales, the only thing that
makes us happy is the memories of our
childhood.

3. - Markus Natten

4. When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realized that hell and heaven,
Could not be found in geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realized that adults were not
All they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
was that the day!
When did my childhood go?
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
Was that the day!
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.

5. About the poet
Markus Natten is the
Norwegian poet.
Details of his life is very sketchy,
so it is unclear when and where
he was born. He wrote his lovely
poem “childhood” when he
turned twelve. The poem is a
translation. One can imagine
how great it would be in his
language.

6. About the poem
• The poet seems puzzled about the loss of his childhood .
He tries to find an answer to his two queries:’ when did
my childhood go?’ and ‘where did my childhood go?’.
• The first possibility of the time departure of his
childhood relates to the age when he had completed the
age of eleven. It was then that he developed a power of
understanding and realizes hell and heaven to be
imaginary places.
• The poet relates to the time when he realized the
hypocrisy of the adults. They were not at all that they
seemed to be. They talked of love and gave advice of
love, but did not act so affectionately.
• After this the poet found that he was the master of his
mind. He could create his own thoughts. A sense of
individuality dawned on him.
• The poet dwells on the problem where his childhood has
disappeared. He thinks that his childhood went to some
forgotten place that could only be found in an infant’s
face.

7. “Childhood” a stage that can’t go on forever
• Childhood is the age span ranging
from birth to adolescence.
• Early childhood follows infancy
and begins with toddlerhood.
• Middle childhood begins at the
around age seven or eight,
approximately primary school age.
• During the 1600s the concept of
childhood began to emerge in
Europe. Adults saw children as
separate beings, innocent and in
need of protection.

8. The Age Of Innocence
• It is an oil on canvas picture by sir. Joshua
Reynolds , painted in 1785 or 1788, located on
Tate, London.
• It became a favorite of the public and was
known as the ”commercial face of childhood”.
Childlabor
• With the onset of industrialization ,the reality
of the growing magnitude of child exploitation
in workplace, became increasingly apparent.
• Reformers attacked child labor and bolstered by
the horrific descriptions of London street life by
Charles Dickens .

9. • The genre of children literature took
off, with a proliferation of humorous,
child’s imagination. Lewis caroll's
fantasy “Alice in Wonderland” was
regarded as the first “English
masterpiece written for children”, its
publications opened the “First Golden
Age” of children’s literature.
• The boy scouts was founded by Sir
Robert Baden Powell in 1908, and the
girl guides that was founded by Lady
Olave Baden Powell, provided young
boys and girls with outdoor activities
aiming at developing character,
citizenship and personal fitness
qualities.

10. A HOPE…
• It is very important to focus on child’s
culture and child educational needs.
Childhood frames the future of a person.
• Eliminating child labor and protecting
their rights can bring a better society and
happy life!!!

12. Bibliography
1. Hornbill (NCERT English Textbook of class-XI)
2. Full Marks (Support Book of English for class-XI)
3. https://en.m wikikpedia.org
4. www.answers.com
5. https://in.answers.yahoo.com