Class 11 Childhood by Markus Natten

Background of the Poem (in Points)

1. “Childhood” is written by Markus Natten, a Norwegian poet.
2. It is a reflective and philosophical poem.
3. The poem talks about the moment when childhood ends and adulthood begins.
4. The poet thinks deeply about when he lost his innocence.
5. He questions how he changed from a simple, innocent child to a logical, aware adult.
6. The poem expresses the feelings of growing up, self-understanding, and realizing the truth about the world.
7. It shows how childhood slowly disappears as we gain knowledge, reasoning, and awareness.
8. The poet highlights three main reasons for losing childhood—logical thinking, adult hypocrisy, and self-identity.
9. The poem ends with the idea that childhood is now lost in memories, hidden in the face of an innocent child.

Genre: Lyric poem
(It expresses personal feelings and thoughts.)

Reflective / Philosophical poetry

Form: The poem is written in free verse (no rhyme scheme, no fixed pattern).
It uses rhetorical questions and repetition to create effect.

Lines: The poem has 4 stanzas, each exploring a different idea.
Each stanza contains a question about when childhood ended.

Poet: Markus Natten, a Norwegian poet known for writing reflective poems.
Title: The title “Childhood” is suitable because the poem is all about thinking, questioning, and understanding how and when childhood comes to an end.

PHASES IN THE POEM – Childhood

The poem shows three main phases that mark the end of the poet’s childhood. These phases explain how the poet slowly moved from childhood to adulthood.

 Phase 1: Gaining Logical Thinking (Age 11)

What happens:
The poet says that maybe his childhood ended when he turned eleven and started thinking logically. He began to understand things scientifically and not believe everything blindly.

Meaning:

• Children accept everything without questioning.

• But when we grow older, we start asking “Why?”

• We try to find reasons behind everything.

This shift from believing to reasoning marks the first loss of childhood.

Phase 2: Realising Adult Hypocrisy

What happens:
The poet notices that adults often say things they do not practice.

• Adults preach love, kindness, honesty, etc.

• But their actions are not always the same as their words.

Meaning:

• He realises that adults can be hypocrites.

• This is a shocking truth for a child because a child believes adults fully.

When he discovered this contradiction, another part of his childhood ended.

Phase 3: Discovering His Own Identity

What happens:
The poet realises he is an individual, separate from others.
He understands that he has his own thoughts, opinions and personality.

Meaning:

• Childhood is usually about being dependent—on parents, teachers, adults.

• But when a person discovers “I am me,” it shows maturity.

This awareness of individuality marks the final phase of losing childhood.

Final Realisation: Childhood is Lost in Memory

In the end, the poet says that his childhood is not in a particular moment but is lost somewhere in the past.
He believes it lives only in the innocent face of a child and in forgotten memories.

Summary of the Phases 

1. Thinking logically → “Maybe childhood ended at 11.”

2. Seeing adult hypocrisy → “Adults don’t always do what they say.”

3. Finding individuality → “I am different from others.”

4. Conclusion → Childhood is lost in the world of memories.
   
   

Brief Introduction:

The poet tries to determine the exact moment when he lost his childhood. He recalls different stages of growing up—gaining reasoning skills, realizing the hypocrisy of adults, and understanding individuality. The poem ends with acceptance that childhood has been replaced by a new identity: adulthood.

“Childhood” is a poem by Marcus Natten in which the poet reflects on the loss of his childhood. He thinks about the exact moment when his innocence disappeared and he understood that the world was not as simple as he once believed. He remembers how his thinking changed and how he began to notice the hypocrisy in adults. In the end, he accepts that his childhood has slipped away into a forgotten place and now lives only in the innocent face of a young child.

Summary in Points 

1. The poet wonders when he lost his childhood and innocence.
2. He realises he no longer sees the world as he once did and notices adult hypocrisy.
3. He thinks childhood may have ended when he turned eleven.
4. It may have ended when he learned that Heaven and Hell are not real places.
5. Another possibility is when he discovered that adults do not practise what they preach.
6. He also considers that childhood ended when he realised he had his own independent thoughts.
7. In the end, he concludes that childhood has gone to a forgotten place.
8. He feels it can only be found in the innocent face of an infant.

Summary

In the poem, the poet questions when he actually lost his childhood and the innocence that came with it. He realises that he no longer looks at the world the way he once did and can now clearly see the hypocrisy of adults. He thinks about several moments when his childhood might have slipped away. He wonders if it ended when he turned eleven, or when he understood that Heaven and Hell are not real places that can be found on a map. He then considers whether his childhood ended when he discovered that adults do not always act the way they speak and often preach love without practising it. He also thinks it might have ended when he understood that his mind belonged to him alone, and that he could form his own thoughts as an individual. In the final stanza, he concludes that his childhood has gone to a forgotten place and now exists only in the pure, innocent face of a small child.

Key Points

Loss of innocence: The poem talks about losing childhood innocence and the simple way children see the world.

Turning twelve: The poet wonders if childhood ended when he turned twelve and started entering adolescence.

Rational thinking: He thinks childhood may have ended when he learned that heaven and hell are not real places but only ideas.

Seeing adult hypocrisy: He also feels childhood may have ended when he noticed that adults often say one thing but do something else.

Knowing his own mind: The poet realizes he has his own thoughts and does not have to think exactly like others. This might be when childhood ended.

Final conclusion: He decides that childhood is not completely gone—it is just lost in a forgotten place, found only in the face of a small child, showing that life moves in cycles.

Tone: Reflective, nostalgic, introspective, slightly melancholy.
Mood: Thought-provoking, contemplative, wistful, questioning.

Central Idea

The poem explores the transition from childhood to adulthood and the realization that innocence is replaced by understanding, rationality, and awareness of the world’s imperfections.

Themes 

Loss of innocence: The poet feels he has lost the pure and simple way he once saw the world.

Growth and self-realization: He begins to understand himself better as he grows older.

Hypocrisy of adults: He notices that adults often say one thing but do something else.

Individuality and identity: He realizes that he has his own thoughts and is a unique person.

End of fantasy and beginning of rationality:  He stops believing blindly in stories and starts thinking logically.

Message

The poem conveys that childhood is precious but temporary. As people grow up, they gain knowledge and awareness but lose innocence. The poet urges us to cherish childhood while acknowledging that maturity brings both clarity and disillusionment.

Poetic Devices

• Rhetorical Questions: Used repeatedly to express the poet’s search (e.g., “When did my childhood go?”).

• Repetition: “Was it…” emphasizes uncertainty.

• Personification: Childhood spoken of as something that “goes.”

• Imagery: “Hidden in an infant’s face.”

• Alliteration: “Cease to be,” “forgotten face.”

• Enjambment: Sentences running across lines.

Title Justification

The title “Childhood” is apt because the entire poem revolves around identifying the moment childhood ends. It captures the poet’s nostalgic search for a stage of life that is innocent, pure, and now lost.

Characters

There are no traditional characters, but the poem involves:

• The Poet (speaker) – reflecting on his past

• Adults – whose hypocrisy he observes

• Childhood – personified as something that can be lost

 Key Words

• Innocence

• Hypocrisy

• Individuality

• Rationality

• Loss

• Growth

• Introspection

Setting

The poem is set in the poet’s mind, moving through memories of his childhood and reflections on his growing maturity. It is psychological rather than physical.

Perspective

The poem is written in the first-person perspective, making it personal and introspective. The poet’s voice expresses inner conflict and self-questioning.

Flow Chart 

Childhood → When did it end?

            ↓

    Age 11 → Developed rational thinking

            ↓

    Realization → Adults are hypocrites

            ↓

  Self-discovery → I am an individual

            ↓

   Conclusion → Childhood lost in forgotten memories