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The School Boy Questions & Answers

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Comprehension I.         


1. Who, do you think, ‘I’ refers to in the poem? 

Ans: ‘I’ refers to the speaker / the school boy / the poet / William Blake.

2. ‘sweet company’ refers to 

a. skylark. b. huntsman’s horn. c. bird’s song. d. 

Ans: all the above three.

3. What drives the boy’s joy away? 

Ans: The thought of going to school on a summer morn.

4. How do the little ones spend the day in the school?

Ans: They spend the day in sighing and dismay.

5. What does ‘cage’ stand for in the poem? 

Ans: Classroom / school.

6. Pick the phrase from the following which does not refer to formal schooling.

a. buds are nipped b. fruits are gathered c. plants are stripped d. blossoms are blown away 

Ans: b. fruits are gathered.

7. Relate the seasons mentioned under column A with the stages of life under column B. 

Ans: 

A

B

  1. Spring

Childhood

  1. Summer

Youth

  1. Winter

Old age



II. 

1. What does the school boy love to do on a summer morn? What drives his joy away? 

Ans: This is taken from the poem “The School Boy'' written by William Blake who was a poet and painter. He had little formal education. “Inventions to the Book of Job'' is his finest work as an artist. ‘The School Boy’ is a lyric from his collection ‘Songs of Experience’. This poem celebrates the joy and freedom of childhood in the company of nature. At the same time, it is critical towards formal education which according to the poet, deprives children of their joyful childhood. The school boy, the speaker of the poem, loves to wake up on a sunny morning to the songs of the birds on every tree, to the huntsman’s horn and to the melody of the skylark. This is the sweetest company he enjoys most. But, the school on a summer morning takes away all the joy. The boy under the watchful eyes outworn, spend the day in sighing and dismay. He often sits drooping spending his time anxiously. The school does not seem to interest the boy anymore; it is rather stressful.


2. Describe the boy’s experience in the school. 

Ans: The boy’s joy is driven away the moment he thinks of school. His experience in the school is one of disappointment. He fears the cruel eye outworn.  He has to spend his day at school in sighing and dismay. He sits with drooping shoulders spending his time anxiously. The boy does not derive any delight from his books nor does he get any happiness out of school.  The poet compares the school boy to a bird in a cage which refers to the classroom or school. He wonders how a bird that is born for joy can sing in a cage and how a child annoyed by fears at school can open his tender wings. This will take away the most precious childhood of the boy.


3. According to the poet how does formal education curb a learner’s potential? 

Ans: William Blake in this poem  advocates a system of learning that favours the natural growth of a child through its childhood and youth to old age. According to the poet, Formal education that involves a strict regimen of rules imposes more restrictions on tender young learners who gradually wither under pressure. A child who has to enjoy his/her best days of childhood is forced to sit in the confinement of a classroom. The school boy’s joy is driven away the moment he thinks of school. His experience in the school is one of disappointment. He fears the cruel eye outworn.  He has to spend his day at school in sighing and dismay. He sits drooping his shoulders spending his time anxiously. The boy does not derive any delight from his books nor does he get any happiness out of school.  The poet compares the school boy to a bird in a cage which refers to the classroom or school. He wonders how a bird that is born for joy can sing in a cage and how a child annoyed by fears at school can open his tender wings. This will take away the most precious childhood of the boy. Thus, formal education  denies children of their joyful childhood; they will not have a fruitful summer; their youth. Before long, they will have no strength left in them to withstand the blasts of winter; their old age.




III. 

1. Formal schooling not only takes away the joy of childhood but also hinders the child’s growth forever. Explain. 


Ans: William Blake’s poem “The School Boy” shows how Formal Education curbs the child’s growth. A child who has to enjoy his/her best days of childhood is forced to sit in the confinement of a classroom. The school boy’s joy is driven away the moment he thinks of school. His experience in the school is one of disappointment. He fears the cruel eye outworn.  He has to spend his day at school in sighing and dismay. He sits with drooping shoulders spending his time anxiously. The boy does not derive any delight from his books nor does he get any happiness out of school.  

The poet compares the school boy to a bird in a cage which refers to the classroom or school. He wonders how a bird that is born for joy can sing in a cage and how a child annoyed by fears at school can open his tender wings. This will take away the most precious childhood of the boy. 

Thus, formal education  denies children of their joyful childhood; they will not have a fruitful summer; their youth. Before long, they will have no strength left in them to withstand the blasts of winter; their old age. 

The poem concludes that a child’s growth to perfection depends largely on the joyful  environment the child grows in. The authoritarian restrictions  under  formal schooling curb  the child’s freedom and creativity eventually hindering the child’s growth forever.

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