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NCERT Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem ‘The School Boy’ is written by William Blake. This poem highlights the feelings of a schoolboy who wants to enjoy the sweet summer morning but is compelled to go to school. You can read his journey in the summary of the poem, which is mentioned in the first part of the blog. Thereafter, you get NCERT solutions and a free PDF for all questions in the ‘Working with the Poem’ section of the blog. Read to know more!!
Download NCERT Solutions Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem: The School Boy
Table of Contents
You can access the summary of all poems in Honeydew here:
| Unit 1 Poem | Unit 2 Poem | Unit 3 Poem | Unit 4 Poem |
| Unit 5 Poem | Unit 6 Poem | Unit 7 Poem | Unit 8 Poem |
NCERT Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem Summary: The School Boy
“The School Boy” by William Blake is a poem that expresses the speaker’s longing for freedom. Also, the author shares the conflict between enjoying the summer morning and the unwanted experience of going to school. The speaker describes the delight of waking up on a summer morning, surrounded by the cheerful sounds of singing birds and the distant horn of a huntsman. Besides, the poet also enjoys the companionship of the skylark.
However, the mood shifts when the speaker reflects on the prospect of going to school on that beautiful summer morning. The joy is replaced by a sense of sadness. According to the poet, joy is driven away from the school and the young kids spend their under the watch of a cruel eye. The experience of going to school is described as sighing and dismay, creating a contrast to the carefree and joyful atmosphere of the summer morning.
Thus, the poem suggests that the confinement of a school environment can be suffocating like a bird in a cage. By confining the students, schools prevent them from experiencing the natural joy of their existence. Therefore, the poet appeals to the parents to focus on the tender growth of their children. Ultimately, the poem questions how true joy and fruitful growth can occur if the natural, youthful spirit is constrained by the burdens of a rigid and oppressive education system.
Also Read:
| Poems By Harivansh Rai Bachchan That You Must Read! |
| 50+ Poetic Devices with Meaning, Examples and Uses |
Important Word and Phrases and Their Meanings
To help you understand the Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem, we have enlisted some word meanings for you:
- Nip’d: To stop something at the nascent stage of development
- Strip’d: Stripped
- Plants strip’d of joy: If joy is taken away from points
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Download NCERT Solutions Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem: The School Boy
You can download NCERT Solutions PDF of all poems in Honeydew here:
| Unit 1 Poem | Unit 2 Poem | Unit 3 Poem | Unit 4 Poem |
| Unit 5 Poem | Unit 6 Poem | Unit 7 Poem | Unit 8 Poem |
NCERT Solutions Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem: The School Boy
In this section, we have NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Unit 5 Poem to help you answer the questions following the poem.
Working with the Poem
Ques 1. Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.
Ans: Here are the words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy:
- “birds sing on every tree”
- “the skylark sings with me”
- “love to rise in a summer morn”
- “sweet company”
- “distant huntsman winds his horn”
Ques 2. In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?
Ans: The following words/phrases in stanza 2 reflect mood changes:
- “in sighing and dismay”
- “a cruel eye outworn”
- “it drives all joy away”
Ques 3. ‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza 2) refers to
(i) the classroom which is shabby/noisy.
(ii) the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting.
(iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Mark the answer that you consider right.
Ans: (iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Ques 4. ‘Nor sit in learning’s bower worn thro’ with the dreary shower’
Which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?
(i) Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing
and explaining.
(iii) Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.
Ans: (ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
Also Read:
Explore NCERT Solutions for all chapters of Honeydew:
| Unit 1 Chapter | Unit 2 Chapter | Unit 3 Chapter | Unit 4 Chapter |
| Unit 5 Chapter | Unit 6 Chapter | Unit 7 Chapter | Unit 8 Chapter |
FAQs
Ans: The poem in Class 8 English Unit 5 is ‘The School Boy’.
Ans: The poem ‘The School Boy’ is authored by William Blake.
Ans: The schoolboy disliked going to school on joyful summer morning.
Also, you can access Notes and NCERT Solutions of all chapters in the Class 8 English ‘It So Happened’ textbook
| Chapter 1: How the Camel Got His Hump |
| Chapter 2: Children at Work |
| Chapter 3: The Selfish Giant |
| Chapter 4: The Treasure Within |
| Chapter 5: Princess September |
| Chapter 6: The Fight |
| Chapter 7: Jalebis |
| Chapter 8: Ancient Education System of India |
For NCERT study material, follow CBSE Notes Class 8 English by Leverage Edu now.