Television: What can a television do to children…

Television: What can a television do to children…

Class VIII:

Stanza 1: “The most important thing…..the idiot thing at all.” The poet Ronald Dahl appeals to the parents in the most emphatic manner that the children should not be allowed to watch television. It would be better if a TV set is not installed in the house.

Stanza 2: In almost every house, the children are seen glued to the screen of the TV. They are so much lost in watching the programmes that their mouths remain gaping and eyes fixed to the screen until they seem to be popping out of their sockets. The children watch TV in different postures, i.e. in half-lying position while relaxing and in some odd manner also. In the last line of this stanza, the poet humorously points out the seriousness of the matter by saying that a dozen eyeballs were found scattered on the floor in a house the previous week.

Stanza 3: They sit and keep on staring until they get fully lost in the visuals. They sit fixedly at one place as if they were hypnotised by some power. The parents feel and think that they have relief from their children as they would not jump from the window sill if they watch TV. They would not make any disturbance in the house and the parents feel relaxed and peaceful. The poet asks the parents if they know what damage actually they are causing to their beloved tots (little children).

Stanza 4: It gradually stops the progress of their power of understanding and imagining things around them. Watching TV fills their mind with so much with material and other stuff that they hardly think and imagine freely of their own. The originality of their thoughts is completely lost. A child’s mind becomes blocked to the natural world. They no more enjoy the natural scenery. They fail to enjoy the world of fantasy and fairyland.

Stanza 5: In this stanza, the poet replies to the parents question as to what they should do to entertain their children if they do not allow their children to watch TV. To reply this, the poet makes another question to them as to what they used to do to make their children busy before the invention of TV.

Stanza 6: In this stanza, the poet himself explains as to what the children did before the invention of TV. The poet repeats the word READ to make its effect on the mind of the reader. He says that the children used to read a lot. They used to read about great poets like Scott and Gadzooks. They passed half of their lives reading wonderful tales of dragons, gypsies, queens, whales, treasure islands, distant shores (the edge of the sea) where smugglers rowed their boats with muffled (without creating sound, hushed-up) oars and  sea-pirates (sea robbers) would come to loot ships wearing purple-coloured pants.

The young ones had with them the famous book of Beatrix Potter and they read the famous characters like Mr. Rat, Mr. Ted and Mr. Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s book ‘The Wind in the Willows.’ They also read Rudyard Kipling’s popular stories like ‘How the Camel got his ump’ and ‘How the monkey lost His Rump’. Those were the wonderful books for the children.

In the last four lines the poet ends the poem making an appeal again to the parents to throw away the TV and in its place a lovely bookshelf is to be installed.

Questions:

1.     What is the most important thing the poet has learnt?

Ans. The poet has learnt that the children should not be allowed to watch television. It would be better if a TV set is not installed in the house.

2.     How does the television keep the children still?

Ans. In almost every house, the children are seen glued to the screen of the TV. They are so much lost in watching the programmes that their mouths remain gaping and eyes fixed to the screen until they seem to be popping out of their sockets.

3.     What should the parents do for the entertainment of their children?

Ans. In the last four lines the poet ends the poem making an appeal again to the parents to throw away the TV and in its place a lovely bookshelf is to be installed.

4.     Name some of the things that the poet has seen in houses which have televisions.

Ans. The poet humorously points out the seriousness of the matter by saying that a dozen eyeballs were found scattered on the floor in a house the previous week.

Page 101:  Exercise B

1.     IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!  

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!

a.     What has been referred to as ‘it’ here?

Ans. The television has been referred to as ‘it’ here.

b.     Whose imagination and the head the poet is talking about here?

Ans. The poet is talking about the children’s imagination and head.

c.      Why has the poet used capital letters? How do you think he is feeling?

Ans. The poet has used capital letters in the above lines to highlight the damage done to the children by watching television. The poet feels concerned or worried about the children.

2.     How used they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?

a.     What has been referred to as monster here?

Ans. The television has been referred to as monster here.

b.     Why has the poet called it a monster?

Ans. The poet calls the television a monster because it does a huge damage to the mind and imagination of the children.

c.      Who are they? How did ‘they’ keep themselves busy earlier?

Ans. ‘They’ are the children of the earlier time before the invention of television. They kept themselves busy in reading books of great writers.