The following is the Presentation of the school boy which is one of the chapters of Honeycomb NCERT class 8

2. CHARACTERS
i. THE SCHOOL BOY
ii. BIRD
iii. PLANT
iv. MOTHER
v. FATHER

3. ABOUT THE POET
• BLAKE WAS BWILLIAMORN ON 28 NOVEMBER 1757. HE WAS AN ENGLISH
POET, PAINTER AND PRINTMAKER. DURING HIS LIFE, HE WAS HIGHLY
INFLUENCED BY JOHN MILTON, ALIGHIERI AND BEN JOHNSON. HIS
NOTABLE WORKS INCLUDE SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE,
THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL, THE FOUR ZOAS AND JERUSALEM.
HE DIED ON 12 AUGUST 1827 AT THE AGE OF 69.

4. SUMMARY
• THIS POEM ACTUALLY EXPLAINS THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORMAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOL. THE
POEM IS ABOUT AN UNHAPPY SCHOOL BOY WHO SAYS THAT HE LIKES TO WAKE UP ON A SUMMER
MORNING AND HE BECOMES FRESH ONCE HE HEARS THE CHIRPING OF THE BIRDS AND
HUNTSMAN WINDING HIS HORN. BUT AS HE GOES TO SCHOOL HIS DAY THEN TURNS GLOOMY AS
HE DESCRIBES GOING TO SCHOOL EXTREMELY WORRISOME. HE FURTHER SAYS THAT HE DOESN’T
BECOME INTERESTED AND HIS TEACHER’S LECTURE IS VERY DULL. AT LAST THE CHILD EXPLAINS
TO HIS PARENTS THAT ONE SHOULDN’T DEPRIVE ANY CHILD FROM HAVING FUN AND CHILDREN
SHOULD ENJOY THEIR CHILDHOOD.

5. 1ST STANZA
• STANZA
I LOVE TO RISE IN A SUMMER MORN,
WHEN THE SINGS ON EVERY TREE;
THE DISTANT HUNTSMAN WINDS HIS
HORN,
AND THE SKYLARK SINGS WITH ME.
O! WHAT SWEET COMPANY.
• EXPLANATION
WHEN THE CHILD WAKES UP HE HEARS
THE SINGING OF BIRD AND THE
HUNTSMAN WINDING HIS HORN, ALL
OF WHICH MAKES HIM FRESH AND THEN
HE THINKS THAT THE SKYLARK WAS
ALSO SINGING WITH HIM.

6. 2ND STANZA
• 2ND STANZA
BUT TO GO TO SCHOOL IN A SUMMER
MORN,
O! IT DRIVES ALL JOY AWAY!
UNDER A CRUEL EYE OUTWORN,
THE LITTLE ONES SPEND THE DAY
IN SIGHING AND DISMAY.
• EXPLANATION
IN THE FOLLOWING STANZA THE CHILD
SAYS THAT GOING TO SCHOOL IS THE
WORST PART OF HIS MORNING.
ACCORDING TO HIM, HE SPENDS THE
WHOLE DAY IN DESPAIR UNDER THE
WATCHFUL EYES OF HIS TEACHER.

7. 3RD STANZA
• 3RD STANZA
AH! THEN AT TIMES I DROOPING SIT,
AND SPEND MANY AN ANXIOUS HOUR;
NOR IN MY BOOK CAN I TAKE DELIGHT,
NOR SIT IN LEARNING'S BOWER,
WORN THROUGH WITH DREARY
SHOWER.
• EXPLANATION
THE CHILD FURTHER DESCRIBES THE
SCHOOL AND SAYS THAT HE CANNOT
FIND ANY INTERESTING THING IN HIS
BOOK AND HAS NO FREEDOM IN THE
SCHOOL. HE SHOULD DO WHAT HE IS
TOLD NEITHER MORE OR LESS.

8. 4TH STANZA
• 4TH STANZA
HOW CAN THE BIRD THAT IS BORN FOR
JOY
SIT IN A CAGE AND SING?
HOW CAN A CHILD, WHEN FEARS ANNOY,
BUT DROOP HIS TENDER WING,
AND FORGET HIS YOUTHFUL SPRING!
• EXPLANATION
THE BOY THEN COMPARES HIMSELF TO
A BIRD THAT IS LOCKED UP IN A CAGE.
HE THINKS THAT A BIRD CANNOT SING
IN A CAG, SIMILARLY A CHILD IN
SCHOOL CANNOT BE HAPPY AND
UNLOCK HIS ALL TALENTS.

9. 5TH STANZA
• 5TH STANZA
O! FATHER AND MOTHER IF BUDS ARE NIPPED,
AND BLOSSOMS BLOWN AWAY;
AND IF THE TENDER PLANTS ARE STRIPPED
OF THEIR JOY IN THE SPRINGING DAY,
BY SORROW AND CARE'S DISMAY,-
HOW SHALL THE SUMMER ARISE IN JOY,
OR THE SUMMER FRUITS APPEAR?
• EXPLANATION
IN THE LAST STANZA THE CHILD TELLS
HIS PARENTS THAT THEY SHOULDNT
DEPRIVE THEIR CHILDREN FROM THEIR
CHILDHOOD JOY JUST FOR THE SAKE
OF STUDIES. HE SAYS THAT A HAPPY
CHILDHOOD IS IMPORTANT FOR A
BETTER FUTURE.

10. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT
• IN THIS POEM I LEARNT THAT ENJOYING OUR CHILDHOOD, PLAYING WITH OUR
FRIENDS, WATCHING TV WITH SIBLINGS OR FRIENDS ARE SOME OF THE MEMORIES
THAT WE WONT FORGET EVEN WE CAN FORGET WHATEVER WE LEARNT IN SCHOOL
BUT NOT THOSE. THE FORMAL EDUCATION AND CHILDHOOD’S ENJOYMENT
SHOULDN’T INTERFERE IN EACH OTHER. AS THE POET ALREADY SAID THAT FOR A
BETTER FUTURE A COLORFUL CHILDHOOD IS REQUIRED.

11. WHAT WAS DIFFICULT?
• UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF A FEW WORDS WERE DIFFICULT AND
FINDING THE POETIC DEVICES WAS ALSO A DIFFICULT TASK. REST ALL WERE
EASY.

12. MORAL
• PARENTS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHILDHOOD AND THEY SHOULD MAKE
SURE THAT THEIR CHILD IS HAPPY AND IS ENJOYING HIS CHILDHOOD. THEY
SHOULDNT MAKE FORMAL EDUCATION A BURDEN ON THEIR CHILDREN AND
SHOULD ENCOURAGE EXPERIENCED BASED LEARNING THAT IS BOTH USEFUL
AND EASY IN LEARNING.

13. THEME
• THE THEME OF FOLLOWING POEM IS SAD, BORING, NATURE AND HOPE.

14. POETIC DEVICES
• ALLITERATION: SKYLARK SINGS, SCHOOL IN A SUMMER, AN ANXIOUS, WORN THRO’ WITH,
SHALL THE SUMMER.
• REPITATION: SUMMER, MORN, I, IF,

15. GLOSSARY
Morn: literary term for
morning.
Skylark: a common
Eurasian and North
African lark of farmland
and open country, noted
for its prolonged song
given in hovering flight.
Drooping: sag down from
or as if from weariness
or dejection.
Dreary: depressingly
dull and bleak or
repetitive.

16. EXTRA QUESTIONS
• WHY IS THE BOY IN THIS POEM UNHAPPY?
• WHAT ARE THE “SWEET COMPANY” OF THE CHILD?
• WHY DOES THE CHILD DOESN’T LIKE GOING TO SCHOOL?
• WHAT SIMILARITY DO YOU FIND IN THE CHILD AND THE BIRD IN A CAGE?
• WHAT ADVICE DOES THE CHILD GIVES TO HIS PARENTS?
• WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THIS POEM?
WHAT ARE THE POETIC DEVICES USED IN THIS POEM?

17. •THE END
•HOPE IT WAS USEFUL STUFF.