📌 Poem Summary- The School Boy
“The School Boy” is a poem about a child who loves nature and wants to enjoy the fresh summer morning. He is happy when he hears birds singing and sees nature around him.
But he becomes sad when he has to go to school. The strict environment of school takes away his joy.
The child says he feels like a bird trapped in a cage or a plant that is damaged before growing.
He says if children are troubled and unhappy at a young age, then how will they grow happily in the future?
📌 Hindi
“द स्कूल बॉय” कविता एक ऐसे बच्चे के बारे में है जिसे गर्मी की सुबह में प्रकृति का आनंद लेना बहुत पसंद है। पक्षियों की आवाज़, हवा और आस-पास का प्राकृतिक वातावरण उसे खुश कर देता है।
लेकिन जब उसे स्कूल जाना पड़ता है, तो उसकी सारी ख़ुशी गायब हो जाती है। स्कूल का कठोर वातावरण उसे उदास कर देता है।
वह कहता है कि वह खुद को पिंजरे में बंद पक्षी जैसा महसूस करता है या ऐसा पौधा जिसे बढ़ने से पहले ही नष्ट कर दिया गया हो।
कवि कहता है कि अगर बच्चे बचपन में ही दुखी रहेंगे, तो उनका भविष्य कैसे खुशहाल होगा?
📌 Important Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning (Easy English) | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Huntsman | a person who hunts | शिकारी |
| Dismay | sadness, disappointment | निराशा |
| Drooping | feeling weak or low | झुका हुआ / कमजोर |
| Bower | shady place, shelter | छाया स्थान |
| Dreary | boring, dull | नीरस |
| Annoy | disturb, irritate | परेशान करना |
| Nipped | stopped early | शुरू में ही रोक दिया |
| Stripped | taken away | छीन लिया |
| Blossom | flower | फूल |
📌 Textbook Questions with Very Easy English Answers
1. Find 3–4 words from stanza 1 showing the child’s happiness.
Answer:
- rise in a summer morn
- birds sing
- sweet company
- skylark sings
2. In stanza 2, which words show sadness?
Answer:
- drives all joy away
- cruel eye
- sighing
- dismay
3. “A cruel eye outworn” refers to —
Correct Answer:
(iii) the dull, uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play
4. Paraphrase: “Nor sit in learning’s bower worn through with the dreary shower.”
Correct Answer:
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers keep explaining.
📌 Short Question Answers (Very Easy English)
1. Why is the school boy unhappy?
Answer:
He is unhappy because he wants to enjoy nature, but he is forced to sit in school which feels strict and boring.
2. Why does he compare himself to a bird in a cage?
Answer:
He feels trapped in school just like a bird that cannot fly in a cage.
3. Why does he compare himself to a plant that withers early?
Answer:
He feels that school takes away his joy just like a plant that is damaged before it grows.
4. Why can’t the child enjoy his books at school?
Answer:
Because he feels sad, anxious and not free. So he cannot enjoy learning.
5. What message does the poem give?
Answer:
Children should not be forced to study in a strict and joyless way.
They should grow freely, happily — like birds and plants in nature.