If you're a student studying English in Class 8, you may have come across the poem "The School Boy" from the Honeydew textbook. Don't worry if you're struggling to understand it - we've got you covered with free NCERT solutions for Chapter.

Introduction to the poem "The School Boy".

The School Boy” is a poem written by William Blake. The poem is divided into five stanzas. In the first stanza, he wakes to the sound of birds and enjoys the pleasant summer morning. However, the tone shifts in the later stanzas as he expresses his dislike of going to school. He says that the children spend their days in utter despair under the “cruel eye” of their teacher. The speaker also compares his plight to a caged bird, and a tender plant whose life has been plucked away. He also poses several rhetorical questions to his parents and society, expressing the meaningless life of young students.

According to the speaker, a school is a place where a child's individuality and independence are snatched away. Schools are often associated with punishments and fear. As a result, the child's wings of imagination and possibilities are restrained, and he is made to forget his "youthful spring". The speaker asks his parents how can summer be enjoyable when there is a lot of destruction happening within him. He wonders how a plant can produce fruit when the bud and blossoms are plucked away. Likewise, how can a child grow into a talented and successful person if the very childhood is stolen away from them? The poem is a call to action against the constraining,

cage-like educational system and the intolerable pressure and expectations forced upon the kids by their parents.

Summary of the poem.

“The School Boy” tells the story of a young boy who is distressed with his life at school. He feels stifled by all the rules and regulations, and yearns to be outside where he can experience the exciting wonders of nature. The poem ends on an optimistic note as the boy finds solace in daydreaming about exploration and freedom, despite being confined within his school walls. Blake conveys a powerful message that reminds us to appreciate innocence and our connection to nature, no matter how difficult our situation might seem.

The school boy class 8 poem questions and answers

Question 1. Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.

Answer: The words or phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy are “love to rise in a summer morn”, “birds sing on every tree”, “distant huntsman winds his horn”, “the skylark sings with me” and “sweet company”.

Question 2. In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?

Answer: The words or phrases reflect the changed mood are “it drives all joy away”, “a cruel eye outworn” and “in sighing and dismay”.

Question 3. ‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza 2) refers to

a.     the classroom which is shabby/noisy.

b.    the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting.

c.     the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

Mark the answer that you consider right.

Answer:

c.     the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

Question 4.

‘Nor sit in learning’s bower

worn thro’ with the dreary shower’

Which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?

a.     Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.

b.    Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.

c.     Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.

Answer:

b.    Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.