{"id":859301,"date":"2025-05-16T11:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leverageedu.com\/discover\/?p=859301"},"modified":"2025-05-16T11:30:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T06:00:29","slug":"ncert-notes-class-11-english-hornbill-poem-5-father-to-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leverageedu.com\/discover\/school-education\/ncert-notes-class-11-english-hornbill-poem-5-father-to-son\/","title":{"rendered":"NCERT Notes Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 5 Father to Son (Free PDF)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NCERT Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 5 Father to Son by Elizabeth Jennings, talks about the emotional gap between a father and his son. Even though they live in the same house, the father feels like he does not know his own child. He misses how his son used to be when he was a little boy and wants to rebuild their bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This poem shows the pain and confusion that can come from changes in relationships over time, especially between parents and children. This blog gives you easy-to-understand NCERT Class 11 English Father to Son<\/em> notes with explanations, meanings, and analysis to help you better understand the poem\u2019s message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Explore Notes of Class 11 English Hornbill Textbook<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 1<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Chapter 2<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Chapter 3<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Chapter 4<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Chapter 5<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Poem 1<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Poem 2<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Poem 3<\/strong><\/a><\/td>Poem 4<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Download PDF of NCERT Class 11 English Father to Son Notes<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Important Word Meanings in \u2018Father to Son\u2019 by Elizabeth Jennings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In NCERT Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 5 Father to Son, the poet uses certain words and phrases that show the emotional gap between the father and his child. Understanding these will help you connect better with the feelings in the poem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Word \/ Phrase<\/strong><\/td>Meaning<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Prodigal<\/td>A reference to the biblical “Prodigal Son” who returns after being lost<\/td><\/tr>
Seed I spent<\/td>The father\u2019s effort or love while raising his child<\/td><\/tr>
Land is his and none of mine<\/td>Symbolic of emotional distance\u2014the son\u2019s world is separate<\/td><\/tr>
Silence surrounds us<\/td>They are not communicating; there’s emotional silence<\/td><\/tr>
Empty hand<\/td>A symbol of helplessness and desire to reconnect<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Class 11 English Summary of \u2018Father to Son\u2019 by Elizabeth Jennings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this poem, a father talks about how he feels distant from his own son, even though they live in the same house. He feels like he doesn\u2019t know his son at all and wishes to rebuild their relationship by remembering how his son was when he was younger. The father wonders if he made mistakes while raising his son, or if his son has just changed as he grew up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father wishes his son would return to him like the \u201cprodigal son\u201d from the Bible\u2014a lost son who comes back and is welcomed with love. He wants to forgive and love him again. In the end, both father and son are shown reaching out to each other emotionally, wanting to fix their bond. They are hurt, but also ready to forgive and rebuild their bond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Line-by-Line Explanation of Poem \u2018Father to Son\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stanza 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do not understand this child<\/strong>
<\/strong> Though we have lived together now<\/strong>
<\/strong> In the same house for years.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father starts by expressing confusion and sadness. He feels emotionally distant from his own son, even though they have lived under the same roof for many years. The use of the word \u201cchild\u201d<\/em> instead of \u201cson\u201d<\/em> highlights the emotional detachment and unfamiliarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know<\/strong>
<\/strong> Nothing of him, so try to build<\/strong>
<\/strong> Up a relationship from how<\/strong>
<\/strong> He was when small.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father admits that he no longer knows his son. To fix this broken relationship, he tries to remember how the son was as a little boy\u2014innocent, loving, and easier to understand. He hopes that by recalling the past, he can rebuild a connection in the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanza 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYet have I killed<\/strong>
<\/strong> The seed I spent or sown it where<\/strong>
<\/strong> The land is his and none of mine?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this part of the poem, the father uses a metaphor. He asks himself if he is the reason their relationship is broken. He compares raising his son to planting a seed. He wonders if he did something wrong that made the seed (their bond) die. Or maybe he raised his son in a way that made him grow up in a different world, where he feels far away from his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe speak like strangers, there\u2019s no sign<\/strong>
<\/strong> Of understanding in the air.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father is sad because when they talk, it feels cold and distant. There is no emotional warmth or mutual understanding between them. They live like strangers who don\u2019t truly know each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis child is built to my design<\/strong>
<\/strong> Yet what he loves I cannot share.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father reflects that his son was raised according to his own values, upbringing, and guidance (\u201cbuilt to my design\u201d<\/em>), but now, the son has grown up with different thoughts and feelings. The father doesn\u2019t understand his son\u2019s interests, which makes the distance between them even bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanza 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSilence surrounds us.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This short line powerfully expresses the emotional emptiness and lack of communication. They are physically present but emotionally absent from each other\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have<\/strong>
<\/strong> Him prodigal, returning to<\/strong>
<\/strong> His father\u2019s house, the home he knew,\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father wishes his son would return to him emotionally, just like the prodigal son<\/em> in the Bible, who left his father\u2019s home but was welcomed back with open arms after realizing his mistakes. The father is willing to forgive and forget the past, hoping for a reunion filled with love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRather than see him make and move<\/strong>
<\/strong> His world.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father finds it hard to accept that his son has grown up and is living his own life. While this is natural, the father feels hurt and left behind. He wishes his son would come back to him instead of moving further away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanza 4:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would forgive him too,<\/strong>
<\/strong> Shaping from sorrow a new love.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The father is ready to let go of the pain and create a new beginning in their relationship. He wants to replace sorrow with love and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFather and son, we both must live<\/strong>
<\/strong> On the same globe and the same land,\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This line shows that even though they are bound by the same world and physical space, they still live in emotional isolation from each other. It\u2019s a tragic irony\u2014they are close yet distant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe speaks: I cannot understand<\/strong>
<\/strong> Myself, why anger grows from grief.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the son\u2019s voice enters the poem. The son is also confused\u2014he feels grief because of the emotional distance, but that grief turns into anger. This shows that he, too, is emotionally hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe each put out an empty hand,<\/strong>
<\/strong> Longing for something to forgive.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both father and son are reaching out to each other emotionally, but they are unsure of what went wrong or who is to blame. They long not only to be forgiven but also to forgive each other and reconnect. The \u201cempty hand\u201d<\/em> symbolizes vulnerability, openness, and a desire for love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n