Tracking progress through consistent use of DAV Class 8 English Literature Book Solutions Chapter 7 The Children’s Song is a helpful practice.
DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 7 Question Answer – The Children’s Song
Pre-Reading Task
Question 1.
Prepare a list of the qualities/virtues that you think an individual must possess. Grade these qualities in terms of requirement.
Answer:
An individual must possess the following virtues or qualities.
They must be loving, caring, responsible, fearless and brave, having motherly love and affection.
Now compare your list with that of your partner’s. Have you missed out on some important quality?
Answer:
For self-attempt.
Question 2.
Discuss with your friends and make a list of the duties and responsibilities that you have towards your motherland.
Answer:
We should protect our motherland from enemies’ attack. We serve our motherland in best of our ways. We should be patriotic and never cheat our country.
I. Understanding the Poem
A. The poem is a children’s prayer to God to enable them to serve their country. Complete the table given below by filling in column A the virtues/qualities that the children pray to God to bless them with and in Column B how these virtues/qualities will help them in serving their nation.
Answer:
| Column A | Column B | |
| stanza 2 | Help us whenever we need your help. | We may build a world free of all evils. |
| stanza 3 | Teach us to be focussed, responsible and firm in youth. | It will give us truth whereby nations live. |
| stanza 4 | Teach us to rule ourselves always. | We may make a useful sacrifice to bring freedom and dignity to the individual. |
| stanza 5 | Only we should be the judge of our actions. | We may walk fearlessly, uncowed by fear or favour of the crowd. |
| stanza 6 | We should have strength to do right deeds. | We should not harm the weak, and provide solace to those who are in misery. |
| stanza 7 | Teach us to seek happiness in simplicity and nobility, and to learn forgiveness. | We must forgive every one, and should live with love. |
B. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
Teach us to bear yoke in youth,
With steadfastness and careful truth;
That, in our time,
Thy Grace may give
The truth whereby the Nations live.
(a) What yoke is the poet referring to in the first line?
Answer:
The poet is talking about the responsibility of nation in which we live. The responsibility must be taken firmly.
(b) What does the poet mean by ‘careful truth’?
Answer:
‘Careful truth’ means to perform the duty towards nation with utmost care.
(c) What does the phrase ‘in our time’ in line 3 refer to?
Answer:
It refers to the time when the children would grow up to shoulder their responsibilities.
(d) Explain: The Truth whereby the Nations live’.
Answer:
The Truth whereby the Nations live’ means that the Nations may live long if it’s natives follow the path of truth.
Question 2.
Land of our Birth, our faith, our pride,
For whose dear sake our fathers died;
Oh, Motherland, we pledge to thee
Head, heart and hand through the years to be!
(a) Why does the speaker call their motherland ‘Land of…, faith…, pride’?
Answer:
The poet calls his motherland the land of faith and pride because she has rich culture, history and past where our forefathers have sacrificed their lives for the honour of the land.
(b) How does the speaker wish to serve his motherland?
Answer:
The poet pledges to serve the country by his whole heartedness as his ancestors did.
(c) What do the words “head’, ‘heart’ and Tiand’ in line 4 refer to?
Answer:
The words ‘head’, ‘heart’ and Tiand’ in line 4 refer to the entire dedication towards the motherland. It means eveiything would be dedicated to serve the nation.
(d) What purpose is served by the repetition of the word ‘our’ in line 1?
Answer:
The poet believes that everything of his country belongs to him whether it is faith, pride or birth. He is bom here, he has faith in his motherland and he is proud of her rich culture and past.
C. Explain the following.
Question 1.
…we pledge to thee
Our love and toil in the years to be.
Answer:
Children pledge that they would dedicate their love and labour to the motherland in the future.
Question 2.
That we may bring, if need arise,
No maimed or worthless sacrifice.
Answer:
In the hour of need we shall not hesitate in sacrificing anything to bring freedom and dignity to our countiy.
Question 3.
That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed
By fear or favour of the crowd.
Answer:
We, the youth of the nation will walk fearlessly in our nation.
Question 4.
Mirth that has no bitter springs.
Answer:
The poet wishes for such happiness where the people would not have any bitterness or hatred for one another.
D. The repetition of a sound to create a musical effect in a poem is called ‘alliteration’. Find at least four examples of alliteration in the poem.
Answer:
That they may build from age to age
(Sound of a)
Head, heart and hand through the years to be!
(Sound of h)
Forgiveness free of evil done
(Sound off)
E. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is aabb.
II. HOTS
Why is the poem titled The Children’s Song”?
Answer:
The poem is titled The children song’ because in the poem children pledge to serve their motherland when they will grow up. They urge God to teach them to bear responsibilities and wish to become strong with the qualities of truth and firmness because the nation lives on these qualities. They wish to serve their motherland, which is, the land of their birth, faith and pride and they want to live up to the expectations of their parents and elders.
III. Life-Skills
A. The Children’s Song’ has a definite message for the people of every countiy in every age. What is that message?
Answer:
The poem has a definite message which is universal in nature. The poet is trying to send a strong message through the poem that, it is the duty of every citizen to protect his motherland. He is born in that countiy, he should be proud of its rich culture and diversity. He should not shy away from sacrificing his life for the sake of nation.
B. How can we comfort a man in distress?
Answer:
We can comfort a man in distress by offering him help of any kind. We should wish for strength to help the people who are in pain, and should not do inything that can hurt the weak.
C. Why should we have more trust in God than in our friends?
Answer:
We should have more trust in God than in our friends, because He is our ultimate friend, he is our saviour. He is always with us there it help us whenever we need him. Nobody can be a better friend than God.
IV. Values
Almost all values find expression in the poem The Children’s Song’ – love for the countiy, shouldering, responsibilities, selflessness, compassion, forgiveness, etc. Throw light on the humanitarian aspect of the poem in the light of the above observation.
Answer:
For self-attempt.
IV. Writing Skills
Taking hints from the poem, prepare a speech to be delivered in the morning assembly on the topic: The Role of the Youth in Our Nation’s Development’.
Answer:
Good morning Principal, worthy teachers and my fellow friends!
Today, I, Parth am standing before you to express my views on The Role of the Youth in Our Nation’s Development’. Youth are the backbone of a nation. Today’s growing children will be tomorrow’s leaders and responsible citizens. The youth can purge all the social evils like corruption, nepotism etc. The youth should do their best in the respective field. Nation’s progress lies in their progress. They must develop iron will and determination to check invasion on their motherland.
Let us take a vow to serve our motherland with full devotion to make her a wonderful place by having love and peace all around.
Thanks
Have a nice day!
DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 7 Solutions – The Children’s Song
I. Reference to Context
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(A) Father in Heaven who lovest all,
Oh help Thy children when they call;
That they may build from age to age An undefiled heritage.
(i) To whom these lines are addressed to?
Answer:
These lines are addressed to God.
(ii) To whom Thy children’ refers to?
Answer:
Thy children’ refers to the natives of a nation specially the growing children who will grow into responsible citizens
(iii) What do the children wish to do?
Answer:
The children wish to make their motherland pure without any type of pollution and social evils.
(B) Teach us the Strength that cannot seek,
By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under Thee, we may possess Man’s strength to comfort man’s distress.
(i) What type of strength do the children want?
Answer:
The children in the poem want the strength that they can never hurt the poor, weak and deprived people by their actions or thinking.
(ii) What does man’s strength mean here?
Answer:
Man’s strength means the strength that should be used for right purposes. It should be used to uplift the deprived, and not to oppress them.
(iii) What do you think about the children in the poem?
Answer:
The children in the poem are true heroes. They wish to gain all the noble qualities to serve their motherland and the people.
(C) Teach us Delight in simple things,
THE CHILDREN’S SONG 45
And Mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And Love to all men ’neath the sun!
(i) What type of delight does the children wish for?
Answer:
The children wish for delight in small things and happiness and no bitterness among people.
(ii) Which noble ability is desired by the children?
Answer:
The children desire the ability of forgiveness so that they could forgive the people for their misdeeds and could love them.
(iii) What does the poet mean by all men neath the sun?
Answer:
The poet says that there should be no discrimination among people on the basis of caste, creed and the people who are living under the same roof.
II. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each.
Question 1.
What is the theme of the poem The Children’s Song?
Answer:
This poem is filled with the feelings of patriotism. The growing children should have such feelings so that, being grown up they could be able to shoulder their responsibilities, and could serve their motherland with utmost devotion. In hour of need they will not hesitate even to sacrifice their lives.
Question 2.
What does the poet mean by true happiness in a nation?
Answer:
True happiness does not lie in individual progress or personal happiness but in the happiness of everyone. Such happiness can be felt only when there is no bitterness among people on the basis of any discrimination. When the people gain the ability to forgive others there will be love all around, and there will be true happiness in the entire nation.
The Children’s Song Summary in English
The Children’s Song is a poem composed by ‘ Joseph Rudyard Kipling. In this poem, the children pledge to serve their motherland when they will grow up. They ask for the strength from God to serve their motherland. They pledge that when they grow up, they will give love to people and their motherland. Children urge God to bless them with strength , and help them to make their country a pure and pious place.
Further, they urge God to teach them to bear responsibilities and wish to become strong. with the qualities of truth and firmness because the nations live on these qualities. They want courage from God so that they could not hesitate to do any sacrifice for the t sake of their motherland. They want to live without fear and meet their goals with the true actions judged by God.
They wish for the strength to help the people who are in pain, and no action to hurt the weak. They also wish to learn to forgive people for their misdeeds and to love all the people who live under the same sun and sky.
They urge God to teach them to be happy in small things and not to have bitterness with any people.
Lastly, they pledge that they would serve their motherland which is, the land of their birth, faith and pride for which their ancestors have sacrificed their lives through the coming years.
The Children’s Song Summary in Hindi
‘द चिल्ड्रन्स सांग’ के रचयिता जोसेफ रुडयार्ड किपलिंग हैं। इस कविता में बच्चे बड़े होने पर अपनी मातृभूमि के प्रति उत्तरदायित्वों को निभाने की शपथ लेते हैं। इसके लिए वे ईश्वर से शक्ति माँगते हैं। वे प्रतिज्ञा करते हैं कि जब वे बड़े होंगें तो वे लोगों तथा मातृभूमि से प्रेम करेंगें।
बच्चे भगवान से यह प्रार्थना करते हैं कि वे उन्हें शक्ति दें जिससे कि वे अपनी मातृभूमि को स्वच्छ एवं पवित्र बना सके ।
ईश्वर से यह प्रार्थना करते हैं कि वे उन्हें ऐसी प्रेरणा दे जिससे कि वे अपने उत्तरदायित्वों का निर्वाह सच्चाई एवं दृढ़ता के मार्ग पर चलकर पूरा करें क्योंकि इसी पर राष्ट्र निर्भर करता है। वे ईश्वर से प्रार्थना करते हैं कि वे उन्हें इतनी साहस प्रदान करें जिससे कि अपनी मातृभूमि की रक्षा करने के लिए किसी भी तरह के बलिदान से संकोच न करे। वे निडर होकर रहना चाहते हैं जिससे वे अपने कार्यों का संपादन सुचारू रूप से कर सके।
वे चाहते हैं कि उनके किसी भी कार्य से कोई निर्बल व्यक्ति आहत न हो बल्कि वे उन लोगों के सहायक बने जो मुश्किल में हो। वे गलत कार्य करने वाले लोगों को क्षमा करने की बात करते हैं जो एक ही सूर्य और आसमान के नीचे रहते हैं ।
वे छोटी-छोटी उपलब्धियों में प्रसन्न होना सीखें और उन्हें सच्ची खुशी तब हो जब लोगों के बीच किसी तरह का खटास न हो ।
अंत में वे शपथ लेते हैं कि वे अपनी मातृभूमि की सेवा करेंगें जो उनके जन्म, विश्वास और गर्व का प्रतीक हो तथा जिसके लिए उनके बुजुर्गों ने अपने आपको बलिदान कर दिया है।
- Toil – hard labour – कड़ा परिश्रम;
- Undefiled – unpolluted, pure – स्वच्छ;
- Yoke – responsibility – जिम्मेदारी;
- Steadfastness – resoluteness – स्थिरता;
- Thy – your – तुम्हारा;
- Thee – you – तुम;
- Uncowed – unafraid – अभयभीत;
- Distress – in pain – पीड़ा;
- Delight – happiness – खुशी;
- Nooth – beneath – नीचे;
- Heritage – the traditions, qualities and culture of a country that have existed for a long time and that have great importance for the country – विरासत, धरोहर;
- Mirth – happiness – खुशी ।