Get complete Father to Son Questions Answers English Class 11 NCERT with detailed explanations. Understand Elizabeth Jennings’ poem on the emotional gap between father and son, parental love, and longing for reconciliation. Perfect study material to prepare effectively for Class 11 English exams.
About the Poet:
Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001) was a renowned English poet recognized for her straightforward and emotionally rich poetry. Her poems often explore themes of love, family, faith, and human relationships, making her personal experiences relatable and universal. Father to Son reflects her style of expressing parental love, misunderstanding, and longing for reconciliation in clear and relatable language.
Summary:
The poem “Father to Son” by Elizabeth Jennings expresses the pain of a father who feels emotionally separated from his own child. Though they have lived together for many years under the same roof, the father realizes that he knows nothing about his son’s thoughts, feelings, or choices. He feels like a stranger to him. The father tries to rebuild their lost bond by recalling his son’s childhood days, but he wonders if he has failed as a parent. He compares his son to a seed that has been sown in another land, meaning that though he gave life to his son, the son has developed his own world, beliefs, and interests.
The father feels deep sorrow because there is no understanding or communication between them. He wishes his son would come back like the biblical prodigal son—repentant and seeking forgiveness. The father is ready to forgive him and start a new relationship based on love and understanding. Silence surrounds them, and the father’s heart is filled with longing for connection.
In the end, both father and son realize that although they live on the same earth, they are emotionally distant. The father cannot understand why anger and grief dominate their relationship. Both reach out with empty hands, longing for love and forgiveness. The poem beautifully portrays the universal theme of the generation gap, loss of communication, and the deep human desire for love, reconciliation, and understanding between parent and child. The tone is sad, emotional, and reflective.
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Central Idea
The central idea of Father to Son is the emotional distance and misunderstanding between a father and his growing son. The poem explores the generation gap, showing how changes in the son’s personality and interests create confusion, sadness, and helplessness in the father. Despite living together, they are like strangers, unable to communicate or understand each other. The poem also reflects the father’s longing for reconciliation and the hope of rebuilding their bond through love, forgiveness, and patience.
Critical Appreciation
Elizabeth Jennings uses simple and clear language to convey deep emotions, making the poem relatable to readers of all ages. The poem captures the complexities of parent-child relationships, emphasizing the challenges of understanding someone who grows and changes over time. Literary devices like alliteration (“seed I spent or sown it where”), contrast, and allusion (prodigal son) enhance its emotional depth. The poem’s tone is reflective, regretful, and tender, showing both the father’s love and his helplessness. Its universal theme of miscommunication, emotional estrangement, and the hope for forgiveness resonates across generations. The poem leaves a lasting impression by showing that love requires empathy, patience, and open dialogue, highlighting the timeless struggle to connect within families.
Appropriateness of the Title
The title Father to Son is very appropriate because the poem focuses entirely on the relationship between a father and his son. It highlights the father’s thoughts, emotions, and struggles in trying to understand his growing child. The poem explores themes such as misunderstanding, emotional distance, love, and the desire for reconciliation, all of which occur in a parent-child relationship. By keeping the title simple and direct, Jennings immediately tells the reader that the poem is a personal reflection on the challenges of fatherhood and growing up. It emphasizes that the poem is not just about one individual, but about a universal experience of generations trying to connect, making it meaningful and relatable.
Stanza 1 Summary (Lines 1–6):
The father expresses his sadness that he does not understand his own son, even though they have lived together for years. He feels like a stranger to his child. He tries to rebuild a bond by recalling how his son was in childhood. The father’s tone is full of confusion and helplessness. He wonders if he has failed in nurturing love between them. This stanza reflects the emotional distance that has grown between the two despite living in the same house.
Similar Words:
understand : comprehend
lived : stayed
together : jointly
relationship : bond
build : create
small : young
Literary Devices:
- Alliteration: “same house,” “so try to”
- Enjambment: The sentences continue to the next line without pause.
- Contrast: Living together but emotionally apart.
- Tone: Regretful and puzzled.
Stanza 2 Summary (Lines 7–12):
The father compares his son to a seed that may have been sown in the wrong soil. He feels that although the son has been shaped by him, he has developed an independent identity. There is no communication or mutual interest between them. The father realizes that his son’s choices and loves are different from his own, creating a painful emotional gap. The stanza highlights generation gap and emotional separation.
Similar Words:
seed : origin
sown : planted
land : ground
strangers : unknown persons
understanding : harmony
share : participate
Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “Seed I spent or sown it where the land is his” compares the son to a seed.
- Alliteration: “sign of,” “what he”
- Imagery: Visual image of seed and land.
- Symbolism: The seed and land symbolize growth and individuality.
Stanza 3 Summary (Lines 13–18):
The father feels trapped in silence and loneliness. He wishes his son would return like the biblical prodigal son who came back to his father’s home. He wants to forgive his son for their separation and rebuild love from their sorrow. The stanza expresses a deep desire for reconciliation and emotional connection. The father’s longing reveals his inner pain and his willingness to mend the broken bond.
Similar Words:
silence : quietness
surrounds : covers
prodigal : repentant
returning : coming back
forgive : pardon
sorrow : sadness
Literary Devices:
- Allusion: Reference to the “prodigal son” from the Bible.
- Alliteration: “He knew,” “make and move”
- Symbolism: “Home” symbolizes love, belonging, and reunion.
- Tone: Hopeful and forgiving.
Stanza 4 Summary (Lines 19–24):
In the final stanza, both father and son realize that although they share the same world, they fail to connect emotionally. The father cannot understand why anger and grief dominate their relationship. Both reach out for love and forgiveness but cannot bridge the emotional gap. The stanza ends with sadness and longing, showing that communication and love are necessary for understanding.
Similar Words:
live : exist
globe : world
anger : rage
grief : sorrow
empty : hollow
longing : yearning
Literary Devices:
- Repetition: “We each put out an empty hand” emphasizes longing.
- Antithesis: Anger vs. grief, father vs. son.
- Symbolism: “Empty hand” represents emotional emptiness.
- Tone: Sad, reflective, and yearning.
NCERT Hornbill Textual Questions Answers Class 11 [Page No 69]
NCERT Hornbill Textual Questions Answers Class 11 CBSE offers clear and accurate solutions to all textbook questions. These answers help students understand themes, characters, and literary devices with ease. Perfect for revision, exam preparation, and building strong conceptual knowledge.
1. Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
Ans. The poem explores a deeply personal relationship between a father and his son, but its theme is universal. It reflects the generation gap that exists in most families, where misunderstandings, emotional distance, and longing for connection are common. The poem shows how fathers often expect their sons to follow their wishes, leading to clashes of individuality. What happens in this poem is not unique — it happens in families all over the world.
2. How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?
Ans. The father’s helplessness is revealed through his inability to understand his son despite living together for many years. He tries to rebuild their relationship through childhood memories but fails to bridge the emotional gap. His helplessness is shown in his wish for his son to return home, even if it means forgiving him. He sadly admits that he cannot comprehend his son’s feelings or actions.
3. Identify the phrases and lines that indicate distance between father and son.
Ans. The following lines show the emotional distance between them:
(i) I do not understand this child
(ii) I know nothing of him
(iii) We speak like strangers
(iv) What he loves I cannot share
(v) Silence surrounds us
(vi) There’s no sign of understanding in the air
4. Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?
Ans. No, the poem does not follow a consistent rhyme scheme. Though some lines rhyme, the pattern is irregular, reflecting the disturbed and disconnected relationship between father and son.
Exam Pattern-Based Questions Answers
Exam Pattern-Based Questions Answers are designed according to the latest CBSE guidelines to help students score better. These include MCQs, short and long answers, and competency-based questions. They ensure thorough practice and clear understanding of the exam format
Extract-Based Questions: Father to Son Questions Answers
One Poetry extract from the book Hornbill, to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference and appreciation. 3×1=3 Marks
Extract 1
I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him, so try to build
Up a relationship from how
He was when small.
(i) What does the speaker of the above lines want?
Ans. The speaker, the father, wants to rebuild a close and loving relationship with his son, which has been lost over the years.
(ii) Select the correct option to complete the sentence:
The problem highlighted in the given lines is ____________.
Ans. (communication gap)
(iii) Read the following and choose the correct option:
Assertion (A): The poet wants to try to build up a relationship with his son.
Reason (R): The poet doesn’t know his son well.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation for A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation for A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Ans. (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation for A.
Extract 2
Yet have I killed
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
(i) What does the father feel in the given lines?
Ans. (b) That he is responsible for the situation.
(ii) Which poetic device is used in the line “The seed I spent or sown it where”?
Ans. The poetic device used is alliteration.
(iii) What does the poet mean by the last line of the extract?
Ans. The poet means that although the son is shaped by his father, their interests and feelings are completely different, creating emotional distance.
Extract 3
Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.
(i) What is the tone of the above stanza?
Ans. (a) Regret.
(ii) Why was the father ready to forgive him?
Ans. The father was ready to forgive his son because he wanted to end their sorrow and rebuild love and understanding between them.
(iii) State, in one sentence, what the son feels when he spoke for the first time.
Ans. The son feels sad and guilty about the emotional distance that separates him from his father.
Extract 4
Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.
(i) What does the father mean by “We both must live on the same globe and the same land”?
Ans. The father means that although he and his son live in the same world, they are emotionally apart and unable to connect with each other.
(ii) What emotion does the father express in these lines?
Ans. The father expresses sadness and regret for the emotional gap that has caused both anger and grief in their relationship.
(iii) What does the phrase “empty hand” symbolize in the poem?
Ans. It symbolizes the emotional emptiness and longing for love, understanding, and forgiveness between father and son.
Extract 5
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
(i) What does the father mean by “built to my design”?
Ans. The father means that his son is his creation—he has raised and shaped him—but now the son’s likes, interests, and choices are completely different.
(ii) What does this line reveal about their relationship?
Ans. It reveals a painful generation gap and lack of emotional understanding between them.
(iii) Which literary device is used in these lines?
Ans. The lines use contrast — between the father’s expectations and the son’s individuality.
Extract 6
Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew.
(i) What does the phrase “Silence surrounds us” suggest?
Ans. It suggests emotional isolation and a lack of communication between the father and son, who have drifted apart emotionally.
(ii) What does the father wish for in these lines?
Ans. The father wishes his son would return home like the prodigal son from the Bible and restore their lost bond of love.
(iii) Identify the poetic device used in the reference to “prodigal.”
Ans. The poetic device used is Allusion, referring to the biblical story of the Prodigal Son who returns to seek forgiveness.
Short Answer Type Questions: Father to Son Questions Answers
One short-answer type question (one from Poetry from the book Hornbill), to be answered in 40-50 words. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. 3×1=3 Marks
Short Answer Type Questions Set 1
1. Give reasons why the father knows nothing about his son even though they have lived in the same house.
Ans. The relationship between the father and son is non-functional. The father fails to understand his son’s aspirations, feelings, and desires. They hardly communicate and behave like strangers, even while living under the same roof. This emotional distance and lack of dialogue cause the father to know nothing about his son.
2. The father is responsible for the present situation. Do you agree?
Ans. Yes, the father is partly responsible for the situation. He has allowed silence and misunderstanding to grow over the years. Instead of trying to understand his son’s individuality and emotions, he has remained distant. His failure to communicate has widened the emotional gap between them.
3. Interpret the poet’s use of “Silence surrounds us” and its meaning.
Ans. The phrase “Silence surrounds us” reflects the complete absence of communication between the father and the son. Their differences in thoughts, values, and temperament have built an invisible wall of silence. The lack of mutual understanding and love has deepened this silence, symbolizing emotional separation and loneliness.
Short Answer Type Questions Set 2
4. Describe the father’s attitude towards his son in the third stanza. Analyse.
Ans. In the third stanza, the father shows regret and a desire to mend their relationship. He wishes his son would return home like the biblical prodigal son. He is willing to forgive his son and rebuild their lost bond. This shows his love, patience, and emotional maturity.
5. The father is ready to have his prodigal son return. Draw an inference from this.
Ans. The word “prodigal” refers to the biblical story of the lost son who returned home after wasting his fortune. Similarly, the father in the poem is ready to forgive his son and welcome him back. He values love and peace over pride and wants to heal their relationship.
6. The root cause of the generation gap presented in the poem lies in the fact that it is the father only talking to his son rather than hearing or understanding him. Explain.
Ans. The main cause of the generation gap is the lack of communication and empathy. The poem presents only the father’s point of view until the end, showing that he has not truly listened to his son. Parents often dominate conversations, ignoring children’s emotions. True understanding requires listening as well as speaking.
Short Answer Type Questions Set 3
7. Write the significance of the words “an empty hand.”
Ans. The phrase “an empty hand” symbolizes emotional emptiness and longing for reconciliation. Both father and son wish to forgive each other but are held back by ego and hesitation. Though they reach out for love and understanding, neither takes the first step, leaving their hands empty and their hearts unfulfilled.
8. How does the poem present the theme of the struggle of parenting?
Ans. The poem explores the pain and complexity of parenting. It shows the father’s struggle to understand his growing son, whose personality and interests have changed. This emotional struggle represents what many parents experience as they try to balance authority with love while dealing with generational differences.
9. How is the theme of silence portrayed in the poem?
Ans. The poem uses silence to symbolize emotional isolation. The father says, “Silence surrounds us,” highlighting their inability to communicate. Their quietness is not peaceful but painful—it shows the absence of understanding, love, and warmth in their relationship. Silence becomes a barrier between them.
Short Answer Type Questions Set 4
10. What does the father mean when he says, “We speak like strangers”?
Ans. The father means that even though they live together, their communication has lost emotional warmth. Their conversations lack understanding and love, just like strangers talking without connection. It shows the emotional alienation between the two.
11. What message does Elizabeth Jennings convey through this poem?
Ans. The poet conveys that love and communication are essential for a healthy relationship between parents and children. Misunderstanding and ego lead to emotional distance. Jennings emphasizes forgiveness, empathy, and open dialogue as the keys to bridging the generation gap.
12. What emotion dominates the father’s tone throughout the poem?
Ans. The dominant emotions are sadness, regret, and longing. The father feels helpless about the emotional wall between him and his son. Despite his sorrow, he still hopes for reconciliation and forgiveness, revealing deep love beneath his pain.
Long Answer Type Questions: Father to Son Questions Answers
One Long answer type question, from Poetry of Hornbill, to be answered in 120-150 words. Questions can be based on incident / theme / passage / extract / event, as reference points to assess extrapolation beyond and across the text. The question will elicit analytical and evaluative response from the student. 1×6=6 Marks
Long Answer Type Questions Set 1
1. Generation gap is a universal problem. Give reason for its existence. How can someone avoid such confrontations?
Ans. The generation gap is a psychological and emotional distance between parents and children. It leads to misunderstandings, conflicts, and lack of attachment. Earlier, life was simple and slow-paced, so people of different generations shared similar experiences. But today, with rapid technological progress and changing lifestyles, this gap has widened. Parents often find it difficult to understand their children’s interests, thoughts, or habits. To reduce such conflicts, both sides should be flexible and patient. Parents must stay updated with the changing world and give time to their children. Open communication, mutual respect, and emotional support are essential to bridge the gap and maintain a loving family relationship.
2. In the fast-moving materialistic world of today, parents are busy in earning while their children grow without them giving enough time to them. This is a major factor in creating a generation gap. Discuss.
Ans. In today’s fast-paced materialistic society, parents are often preoccupied with work and career goals, leaving little time for their children. This neglect leads to emotional distance and misunderstanding. Children grow up feeling lonely and misunderstood, while parents fail to notice the changes in their children’s attitudes and needs. Over time, this lack of communication creates a wide generation gap. To overcome this, parents must learn to balance their professional and family lives. Spending quality time, listening to children, and understanding their thoughts are crucial. Emotional bonding cannot be replaced by money or comfort. Only through love, care, and communication can families stay connected and happy.
Long Answer Type Questions Set 2
3. How does the poem ‘Father to Son’ highlight the emotional pain caused by the generation gap?
Ans. The poem Father to Son by Elizabeth Jennings beautifully captures the emotional suffering that comes from the generation gap. The father feels helpless and alienated because he no longer understands his son. Although they live under the same roof, they seem to be strangers to each other. The father’s words reflect sadness and longing for a bond that once existed. He wants to forgive and rebuild their relationship but struggles to communicate. The poem highlights how love and closeness can fade when understanding and patience are lost. The emotional pain of separation between two generations is the core of the poem’s message.
4. What message does the poet convey through the poem ‘Father to Son’?
Ans. The poem conveys a strong message about love, understanding, and reconciliation between parents and children. The poet shows that lack of communication can lead to emotional distance, even between family members who love each other deeply. The father represents all parents who fail to understand their children as they grow independent. The poem reminds us that both generations must make efforts to communicate and accept each other’s differences. The message is universal — that relationships must be built on empathy, forgiveness, and dialogue. Only through mutual understanding can love and harmony be restored between parents and children.
Long Answer Type Questions Set 3
5. Suggest some practical steps that can help bridge the generation gap between parents and children.
Ans. To bridge the generation gap, both parents and children must take responsibility. Parents should listen patiently, respect their children’s opinions, and try to understand modern trends instead of criticizing them. Similarly, children must value their parents’ experience and avoid arrogance or disrespect. Spending quality time together, sharing hobbies, and having open discussions about important issues can strengthen the bond. Using technology positively, such as watching educational content together or chatting regularly, can also help. Love, patience, and communication are the real keys to reducing the generation gap. A strong relationship grows when both sides learn to accept and support each other.
Sample Question Paper Set 1
Extract-Based Questions
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.
(i) Select the correct option to fill in the blank:
The poet expresses a sense of mutual ______ between himself and his son for forgiveness.
(a) hurt (b) longing (c) pride (d) distance
(ii) Read the Assertion (A) and Reason (R) below:
Assertion (A): The poet’s son feels his anger comes from the sadness of a lost bond.
Reason (R): Both father and son wish to rebuild their broken relationship.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
(iii) What is stopping the poet and his son from seeking each other’s forgiveness?
Answer: Their pride and lack of communication prevent them from expressing their love and forgiveness.
Short Answer Type Questions
- What is the cause of the problem between the father and the son?
- “Physically the son resembles his father, yet they are strangers.” Explain.
- “Communication is an essential part of any relationship.” Discuss in the context of the poem.
- Where did the father fail? How could he have avoided this failure?
- What do both father and son yearn for by the end of the poem?
Long Answer Type Question
1. The poem Father to Son describes the strained bond between a father and son. Imagine yourself as a teacher addressing parents on Father’s Day. Write a short speech in 120–150 words on how a father can be a role model for his son and the kind of relationship they should share.
You may begin like this:
Good morning, parents and students! A father’s actions, values, and character shape not only his son’s personality but also his view of life…
Sample Question Paper Set 2
Extract-Based Questions
“I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him.”
(i) Choose the correct option:
The father expresses his feeling of ______ towards his son.
(a) pride (b) confusion (c) closeness (d) amusement
(ii) Assertion (A): The father feels alienated despite living with his son.
Reason (R): There is a lack of emotional communication between them.
Choose the correct answer:
(a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A correctly.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
(iii) What feeling does the father express in these lines?
Short Answer Type Questions
- Why does the father feel like a stranger to his own son?
- How does Elizabeth Jennings use the house as a symbol in the poem?
- What do the father’s repeated attempts at communication suggest?
- Why does the father still long for reconciliation?
- How does the poem reflect a universal parent-child conflict?
Long Answer Type Question
1. Imagine you are the son in the poem Father to Son. Write a letter to your father expressing your feelings of misunderstanding and your wish to rebuild your relationship. (120–150 words)
Sample Question Paper Set 3
Extract-Based Questions
“We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design,
Yet what he loves I cannot share.”
(i) The phrase “We speak like strangers” shows ______.
(a) physical distance (b) generation gap (c) emotional unity (d) love
(ii) Assertion (A): The father fails to understand his son’s interests and choices.
Reason (R): The father never tried to accept his son’s individuality.
Choose the correct answer:
(a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A correctly.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
(iii) What does the line “Yet what he loves I cannot share” reveal?
Short Answer Type Questions
- How does the father’s pride affect his relationship with his son?
- What lesson can be learned from the poem Father to Son?
- How does the poem reflect the poet’s view on human relationships?
- Describe the tone and mood of the poem.
- How is reconciliation hinted at the end of the poem?
Long Answer Type Question
1. The poem Father to Son highlights communication failure between generations. Write an article (120–150 words) on “The Importance of Understanding Between Parents and Children” for your school magazine.
