Poem – Stanza 1
The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
English explanation (stanza‑wise):
The poet says parents must never allow children to go near the TV, and the best solution is not to have a television set in the house at all. He calls it an “idiotic thing” to show how strongly he hates TV for children’s minds.
Hindi explanation (stanza‑wise):
कवि कहता है कि बच्चों के लिए सबसे ज़रूरी बात यह है कि उन्हें टीवी के पास कभी नहीं जाने देना चाहिए, और बेहतर तो यह है कि घर में टेलीविज़न लगाना ही न हो। वह इसे “बेवकूफ़ चीज़” कहकर अपने गहरे विरोध को दिखाता है।
Poem – Stanza 2
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
English explanation:
The poet says that in nearly every home he has seen, children are staring blankly at the TV. They sit lazily, “loll and slop,” and stare so hard that it seems their eyes might pop out, showing how hypnotised they become.
Hindi explanation:
कवि कहता है कि जितने भी घरों में वह गया है, बच्चे टीवी स्क्रीन की ओर देखे जा रहे थे। वे आलस से बैठे थे और इतनी ताकत से स्क्रीन को देख रहे थे जैसे उनकी आँखें निकल ही जाएँ, जिससे उनकी मंत्रमुग्ध अवस्था दिखती है।
Poem – Stanza 3
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
English explanation:
He exaggerates by joking that last week he saw a dozen eyeballs on the floor, meaning children stare so hard that even their eyes seem to fall out. TV hypnotises them until they are “drunk” with cheap, shocking, meaningless programmes.
Hindi explanation:
वह अतिशयोक्ति करते हुए मज़ाक में कहता है कि पिछले हफ़्ते उसने किसी के घर ज़मीन पर बारह आँखें देखीं, यानी बच्चे इतनी ज़ोर से देखते हैं कि लगता है आँखें निकल ही जाएँ। टीवी उन्हें इतना मंत्रमुग्ध कर देता है कि वे उस सस्ते और बेकार मनोरंजन से “नशे में चौर” हो जाते हैं।
Poem – Stanza 4
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
English explanation:
The poet admits TV keeps children quiet and obedient, so parents get free time to cook and do housework. But he suddenly asks parents to think seriously about what this “quietness” is secretly doing to their child’s mind.
Hindi explanation:
कवि मान लेता है कि टीवी बच्चों को शांत और वैधानिक रखता है, इसलिए माता‑पिता को खाना बनाने और बर्तन धोने का आराम मिलता है। लेकिन अचानक वह माँ–बाप से पूछता है कि क्या उन्होंने कभी गहराई से सोचा है कि यह “चुप्पी” उनके प्यारे बच्चे के दिमाग पर क्या असर डाल रही है?
Poem – Stanza 5
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
English explanation:
In capital letters, the poet shouts that TV “rots the sense in the head,” “kills imagination dead,” and “clogs the mind.” A child becomes so dull and blind that he can no longer imagine fantasy or fairyland.
Hindi explanation:
कैपिटल लेटर्स में कवि ज़ोर से चिल्लाता है कि टीवी “दिमाग की सोच खराब करता है,” “कल्पना को मार डालता है,” और “दिमाग को बेकार जांच में भर देता है।” बच्चा इतना सुस्त और अंधा हो जाता है कि वह फ़ैंटसी या फ़ेयरीलैंड तक नहीं सोच पाता।
Poem – Stanza 6
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
English explanation:
He says the child’s brain becomes “as soft as cheese” and his thinking power “rusts and freezes.” The child stops thinking and can only see images; he turns completely passive.
Hindi explanation:
वह कहता है कि बच्चे का दिमाग “पनीर जितना मुलायम” हो जाता है और सोचने की शक्ति “ज़ंग खाकर जमी” जाती है। बच्चा सोचना बंद कर देता है और बस तस्वीरें देखता है; वह पूरी तरह निष्क्रिय हो जाता है।
Poem – Stanza 7
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
English explanation:
The poet imagines parents protesting: “But what will we do without TV?” He answers by asking what children did for fun before TV existed. He hints that the real answer is: they used to read books.
Hindi explanation:
कवि माता‑पिता की आवाज़ बनाकर प्रश्न करता है: “अगर हम टीवी हटा दें तो बच्चों को मनोरंजन कैसे देंगे?” वह इसका जवाब यह पूछकर देता है कि टेलीविज़न बनने से पहले बच्चे क्या करा करते थे? यह संकेत देता है कि उनका खेल था—किताबें पढ़ना।
Poem – Stanza 8
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
English explanation:
Dahl says that we have forgotten that children once read all the time. They loved books so much that half their lives were spent reading. This shows how central reading used to be in a child’s life.
Hindi explanation:
डाहल कहता है कि हम भूल गए हैं कि पहले बच्चे बार‑बार पढ़ते थे। उनकी किताबों से ऐसी लगाव थी कि उनके जीवन का आधा हिस्सा पढ़ने में बीतता था। यह दिखाता है कि पहले बच्चों के जीवन में पढ़ना कितना महत्वपूर्ण था।
Poem – Stanza 9
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
English explanation:
Every corner of the nursery and bedroom was full of books. Shelves and even the floor were covered, and by the bed more books waited to be read, showing how normal and rich a reading life was.
Hindi explanation:
बच्चों के कमरे और बिस्तर के आसपास जगह‑जगह किताबों का ढेर लगा रहता था। शेल्फ़, फ़र्श और बिस्तर के पास भी किताबें रखी रहती थीं, जो दिखाता है कि बच्चों के लिए पढ़ना एक सामान्य और समृद्ध जीवन था।
Poem – Stanza 10
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
English explanation:
He lists fantastic adventure stories children used to read—dragons, gypsies, queens, whales, treasure islands, pirates, sailors, and even cannibals. These rich stories developed imagination and language.
Hindi explanation:
वह उन रोमांचक कहानियों की सूची देता है—ड्रैगन, गिप्सी, रानी, व्हेल, खज़ानों वाले द्वीप, डाकू, नाविक, हाथी और यहाँ तक कि मानव‑मांसाहारी भी। ये समृद्ध कहानियाँ बच्चों की कल्पना और भाषा दोनों को बढ़ाती थीं।
Poem – Stanza 11
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
English explanation:
He mentions famous children’s books like Beatrix Potter’s animal stories, Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, and tales of Mr. Toad, Rat, and Mole. These books gave children joy, imagination, and a deep love for stories.
Hindi explanation:
वह बीट्रिक्स पॉटर, रूड्यार्ड किपलिंग और “मिस्टर टोड,” “रैट और मोल” जैसी प्रसिद्ध कहानियों का नाम लेता है। ये किताबें बच्चों को खुशी, कल्पना और कहानियों के प्रति गहरा प्रेम देती थीं।
Poem – Stanza 12
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
English explanation:
The poet urgently begs parents to throw away the TV and put a bookshelf in its place. He says they should fill it with books and not be scared by children’s anger, protests, or even hitting, because in the end it will be good for them.
Hindi explanation:
कवि माता‑पिता से गुज़ारिश करता है कि वे टीवी सेट फेंक दें और उसकी जगह दीवार पर किताबी अलमारी लगाएँ। वह कहता है कि शेल्फ़ को किताबों से भर दें औ
Short Answer Questions (SAQ)
Q. Who is the poet of the poem “Television”?
A. The poet is Roald Dahl, the famous British writer known for children’s stories.Q. What is Dahl’s main opinion about television in the poem?
A. Dahl believes television is harmful to children because it rots the mind, kills imagination, and makes them passive and lazy.Q. Why does Dahl call television an “idiotic thing”?
A. He calls it “idiotic” because it gives children “ghastly junk” instead of real knowledge or creative thinking.Q. What does the poem say television does to a child’s brain?
A. The poem says television “rots the sense in the head,” kills imagination, and makes the brain “as soft as cheese,” so the child cannot think properly.Q. What does Dahl suggest parents should do instead of allowing TV?
A. Dahl suggests that parents should keep television away and encourage children to read books.Q. How do children behave when they watch too much TV, according to the poem?
A. The children “loll and lounge” and stare at the screen until they become hypnotised and “absolutely drunk” with the junk on TV.Q. Why does Dahl praise books so highly in the poem?
A. He praises books because they spark imagination, help children understand fantasy and fairyland, and make the mind active and creative.Q. What is the main message of the poem “Television”?
A. The main message is that children should read books instead of watching too much television, so that they grow up with strong imagination and clear thinking.
Long Answer Questions (LAQ)
Q. Summarise Roald Dahl’s poem “Television” in your own words.
A. “Television” is a poem in which Roald Dahl launches a strong, humorous attack on television as a harmful habit for children. He begins by telling parents never to let children near the TV set and suggests it is better not to have a television at all. He describes how children stare at the screen, become lazy and hypnotised, and feed on “ghastly junk.” Dahl says this destroys a child’s power of thinking and imagination. In contrast, he praises books as the best way to entertain and educate children. Books help them understand fantasy, fairyland, and real life, and keep their minds active. In the end, the poem urges parents to replace the TV with books so that children grow up as intelligent, creative readers.Q. How does Dahl use exaggeration and capital letters in the poem?
A. Dahl uses exaggeration and strong language to make his warning dramatic and memorable. He says children’s eyes might “pop out” and that their brains become “as soft as cheese,” which is not literally true but shows how badly TV can affect their minds. He also uses capital letters and exclamation marks, such as “IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!” and “IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!” This gives the poem the tone of a loud, angry speech, as if Dahl is shouting at parents to wake up. The exaggeration makes the harmful effects of TV seem shocking and urgent, while still keeping the poem playful and easy to remember.Q. Why does the poet consider books better than television for children?
A. Dahl believes books are better than television because they involve the mind instead of just the eyes. When children read, they must imagine the characters, places, and events, which develops creativity and thinking skills. Books help children understand stories, language, and emotions, while TV offers only ready‑made images and cheap entertainment. Dahl says that heavy TV watching makes children dull and blind to fantasy and fairyland, whereas books open up a rich inner world. For him, reading is an active, healthy habit, while binge‑watching TV is passive and damaging to the brain.Q. What advice does Roald Dahl give to parents in the poem “Television”?
A. In the poem, Dahl tells parents never to let children sit near the TV and, if possible, not to install a television set at all. He warns that even though TV keeps children quiet and lets parents work in peace, it harms the child’s mind and imagination. Instead of allowing TV, he urges parents to fill the home with books and to make reading the main source of entertainment. Dahl suggests that children who grow up reading books will be clever, imaginative, and mentally strong, while those who watch too much TV will become lazy, dull, and unable to think for themselves.Q. To what extent is the message of “Television” still relevant today?
A. The message of “Television” is very relevant today, even more so because children now spend even more time on screens—TV, mobile phones, and the internet. Like TV in Dahl’s time, modern screens can easily become a source of “ghastly junk” that damages focus, imagination, and real‑life relationships. Many children still prefer staring at screens instead of reading or playing outside. Dahl’s warning reminds us that digital entertainment must be balanced with books, conversation, and creative activities. The poem’s call for parents to protect their children’s minds by encouraging reading is as important now as it was when it was first written.
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