CBSE Class 8 · English · Honeydew
The School Boy
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for Class 8 English.
Free online summary and notes (Class 8 English). Read it here, no PDF download needed.
About the author
William Blake (1757–1827) was a Romantic English poet. This poem voices a child's love of nature and dislike of rigid school on summer days.
Summary
I love to rise on a summer morning and hear birds sing on every tree.
I love to rise on a summer morning and hear birds sing on every tree.
The distant huntsman's horn and skylark bring delight in the green field.
The distant huntsman's horn and skylark bring delight in the green field.
But to go to school on a summer day drives all joy away under cruel eye.
But to go to school on a summer day drives all joy away under cruel eye.
The child sits drooping; anxious fears and distress strike through.
The child sits drooping; anxious fears and distress strike through.
Joy born on trees is stripped like blossoms blown by a storm.
Joy born on trees is stripped like blossoms blown by a storm.
Parents should not strip summer joy and give sorrow to their tender child.
Parents should not strip summer joy and give sorrow to their tender child.
Learning should nurture, not cage, the child's spirit.
Learning should nurture, not cage, the child's spirit.
Hard words & meanings
| skylark | a singing bird |
| stanza | group of lines in a poem |
| rhyme | words ending with similar sounds |
| imagery | word pictures |
| metaphor | comparison without like/as |
| refrain | repeated line |
| morning | see chapter context |
| distant | see chapter context |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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