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Summarising and explaining the poem the television by Roald dahl.
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The televisionRoald dahl
About the poet :
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is a famous British novelist, poet and short story writer
whose novels are still one of the bestsellers amongst children and have sold more
than 250 million copies. His novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and
many others are still hot favourites to children because of their imaginary
characters, of the intricate fantastical plots and above all their loveable characters.
He, himself being a writer for children, could perceive the anguish of children as
they got glued to the technological devices such as television sets which made them
lose their senses and rot in peril as the parents got busy in their own lives as well
as in looking after the household chores as we are mostly living in nuclear families.
In the poem "Television," Roald Dahl presents the plight of modern day children
glued to their television sets and urges the parents to uninstall them and give books
to them so as to provide them the joy of life.
Poem at a glance :
~The poet says that the most important thing that he has learnt is not to allow
children to come in front of the television sets.
~He moreover urges parents to uninstall the television sets from homes.
~He says that it is true that when children are in front of television they sit still
which gives time to parents to finish their household chores.
~But watching television rots the children's minds and makes them lose their
senses.
~So parents ask the poet what they should do to provide the children with some
entertainment if they take out television sets from their homes.
~The poet suggests that before the television was invented, children used to read
books and therefore more and more books should be given to children.
~Reading is not only entertaining but also make children sharper.
~Children may react in an awkward manner if television sets are uninstalled, but
as they start reading, they will have the joy of life.
Summary :
Roald Dahl's poem "Television" is a prosaic poem which presents an imaginary
dialogue between parents and the poet where the poet urges the parents to throw
away their television sets from their houses as it rots the minds of the children
and makes them individuals who can just see but cannot think. Moreover, he urges
the parents to take out televisions and install book shelves in the house so that the
children can be given the treasure house of imagination that the children's
literature is all about. It may be that children will initially react in a very unruly
manner when one uninstalls a television set, but gradually the same children will
start reading the books and will love their parents for taking such an initiative.
, Justification of title :
Roald Dahl's poem "Television" is a recommendation by the poet to the parents to
uninstall television sets and give books to children as books are not only more
entertaining but more pragmatic thing to give to the children. Television is a
monstrous thing for the children as it takes away their ability to think and mars
their imaginative powers. The poem thus is a plea to the parents to uninstall the
television set as it has idiotic effects on children. Therefore the title of the poem
"Television" is justified.
Paraphasing and explanations:
STANZA 1
The poet Roald Dahl begins the poem with a view regarding children that they
should never be allowed to sit before the television set. The poet further
emphasizes that the better thing to do is not to install a Television set at all and
refers to television as an 'idiotic' thing. The poet says this becasue in almost every
house that the poet had visited, he had seen children sitting in a casual careless
manner before the television set and staring at the television. They were watching
the television in such a manner as if their eyes would pop out and fall on the floor.
The poet then uses a bit of exaggeration to say that in the previous week when he
visited someone he saw a dozen eyeballs on the floor of the house.
The poet further describes that children sit before the television set and keep on
staring at the terrible 'junk' that the television programmes are mostly about. The
poet says that it is true that when the children are before the television set they are
mostly still and are not up to some pranks such as climbing out of window sill or
fighting or kicking or punching. It is also true that it gives time to the parents to
cook their lunches or wash their dishes. Then the poet asks a question to such
parents if they have ever pondered over what such watching of television does to
the tiny children (tots).
STANZA 2
The poet uses Capitalization as a device to emphasize the effects of watching
television on children as he says that watching television decays their minds and
senses to such as extent that their power of imagination is almost killed. It blocks
their minds in such a way that the children become dull and blind to the interesting
things all around them. The poet further adds that it affects the child such that s/he
is not able any more to undertand the notion of a 'fairyland' or fantasy which is
very significant for a growing child. The poet thinks that the brain of a child who
watches television excessively becomes soft like cheese as he loses all his power of
thinking. What such a child can do is to merely watch, but he cannot anymore
think and as such, a child almost loses his mind.
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