Class 11 English Poems Revision | A Photograph, Laburnum Top, Voice of the Rain & Childhood
Poem 1: A Photograph
Poet: Shirley Toulson
Summary:
The poet looks at an old photograph of her mother (when she was 12 years old) standing with her two girl cousins at the beach. All three are smiling at the camera. Years later, the mother would laugh at the old photo. Now the mother has been dead for almost 12 years. The poet feels deep silence and loss.
Important Points:
The poem is a tribute to the poet’s mother.
Mother was 12 years old in the photograph.
The sea has changed less, but the mother has changed (and is now no more).
Sea holiday was the mother’s favourite past; mother’s laughter was the poet’s favourite past.
Mother has been dead for nearly 12 years.
The poet is left with only silence.
Important Questions:
What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote?
What has the camera captured?
What has not changed over the years?
Meaning of “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”
What does “this circumstance” refer to?
Poetic Devices: Alliteration, Oxymoron (“laboured ease”)
Poem 2: The Laburnum Top
Poet: Ted Hughes
Summary:
The Laburnum tree is silent and almost dead in the September afternoon. Suddenly a goldfinch comes, enters the tree, feeds her young ones, and makes the whole tree alive with sound and movement. After some time, the bird flies away and the tree becomes silent and empty again.
Important Points:
Laburnum tree looks dead and still.
Goldfinch makes the tree come alive.
“Bird face identity mask” refers to the distinctive black stripes on the goldfinch’s face.
The bird is called the “engine of her family”.
Message:
Just as the tree becomes lively with the bird’s presence and empty when it leaves, people in our life also bring happiness and leave emptiness when they go.
Poetic Devices:
Simile (“sleek as a lizard”)
Metaphor (“engine of her family”)
Alliteration
Personification
Poem 3: The Voice of the Rain
Poet: Walt Whitman
Summary:
The poet asks the rain who it is. The rain replies that it is the “Poem of Earth”. It rises as vapour from land and sea, forms clouds, then returns to the earth to wash droughts, give life to seeds, purify and beautify the earth — just like a song that returns to its origin.
Important Points:
Rain rises as water vapour and returns as rain (water cycle).
Rain gives life to latent seeds and removes drought.
Comparison of rain with a song.
Main Poetic Device: Personification (rain speaks like a human)
Also Metaphor (“I am the Poem of Earth”)
Poem 4: Childhood
Poet: Markus Natten
Summary:
The poet wonders when and where his childhood went. He thinks it left when he turned eleven, when he realised Hell and Heaven are not real places, when he saw the hypocrisy of adults (they talk of love but do not act lovingly), and when he realised his mind is his own. Finally, he concludes that childhood is hidden in an infant’s face.
Important Points:
Childhood is lost with growing up and loss of innocence.
Adults are hypocritical – they preach love but do not practise it.
Individual thinking marks the end of childhood.
True innocence remains only in an infant’s face.
Message:
Childhood (innocence) disappears as we grow, question things, and see the double standards of the adult world.
Quick Revision – All Four Poems
A Photograph – Tribute to mother + feeling of loss
The Laburnum Top – Temporary joy and emptiness
The Voice of the Rain – Water cycle + rain as poem of earth
Childhood – Loss of innocence and hypocrisy of adults
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How many poems are important for the Class 11 English half-yearly exam from Hornbill?
Most schools include the first four poems: A Photograph, The Laburnum Top, The Voice of the Rain, and Childhood.
2. What is the main theme of the poem “A Photograph”?
The poem reflects the poet’s deep affection for his mother. It shows the passage of time, childhood memories, and the pain of losing one’s mother.
3. What does the “cardboard” represent in the poem A Photograph?
The cardboard refers to the old photograph (photo frame) of the poet’s mother with her two girl cousins.
4. What is the central idea of “The Laburnum Top”?
The poem shows how the quiet and almost dead Laburnum tree becomes lively with the arrival of the goldfinch and becomes silent again when the bird leaves. It reflects temporary joy and emptiness in life.
5. What is meant by “bird face identity mask” in The Laburnum Top?
It refers to the distinctive black stripes on the face of the goldfinch that look like a natural mask and help in identifying the bird.
6. Who is the poet of “The Voice of the Rain,” and why is this poem important?
The poet is Walt Whitman. The poem is important because of the famous poet and its beautiful description of the water cycle.
7. What is the main poetic device used in “The Voice of the Rain”?
The main poetic device is personification, as the rain is given a human voice and speaks to the poet.
8. What is the central theme of the poem “Childhood”?
The poem explores the loss of childhood innocence, the hypocrisy of adults, and the stage when a person starts thinking independently.
9. According to the poet of Childhood, where did his childhood go?
The poet says his childhood went to some forgotten place that is now hidden in an infant’s face.
10. Are NCERT questions enough for Class 11 English Poems in half-yearly exams?
Yes, NCERT questions are very important. Along with them, students should also practice extract-based questions and previous year questions for better preparation.