My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

William Wordsworth, in his poem "My Hearts Leaps Up When I Behold" he talks about the nature and its conservation. In this poem, the poet recollects/remembers an experience of his childhood days and gives his emotion and feelings a meaning. The poet also expresses his love towards nature. He feels great joy when he sees a rainbow in the sky. He used to enjoy a lot when he saw the rainbow in the sky in his childhood. He hopes he will still get pleasure at seeing the rainbow when he becomes old and if such feeling stops in the future he wishes to die.

According to the poet, the child is the father of man because childhood is the beginning of the manhood. In other words, the qualities of the grown-up men are all derived from childhood. At last, the poet wishes that his remaining days would be bound by his love to nature.

A paradox is a statement containing opposite ideas that make it unlikely although it may be true. The above statement is paradoxical in the sense that it contains opposite ideas for normal people. The child cannot be the father; he is the man who can be the father. But, the poet through his statement “The Child is the Father of the Man”, wants to say that childhood is the beginning of manhood. The thing we do and feel as children affect the way we feel when we are adults. The poet also wants to say that the present is the result of the past.

Understanding (page-53)

1. Write in one sentence what the poem is about.
Ans. The poem is about time. The present is the outcome of our past and our future will be the outcome of what we do today.


2. Explain the paradox in "The child is father of the Man".
Ans. The paradox in "The child is the father of the Man" means that, if a person needs to be a man, he first needs to be a child. Meaning that without a person reaching his child hood, he cannot become a father. In simple words, the author is trying to say that a person must be well in every aspects in his childhood as it would determine the fate of his future.


Discussion Questions (page-54)

1. Interpret the poem in any way you like.
Ans. According to me, the poem "My heat leaps up when I behold" is mainly written by the author in such a beautiful and a meaningful manner which will teach each and everyone of us a very good lesson that whatever you did in your past will always be the reason for your situation of your present, and what you are gonna do at present will determine how well your future will be written. He uses the paradox "The child is the father of the Man" which well describes the entire poem in a sentence.


2. What does the poet mean by "natural piety"?
Ans. By the term "natural piety", the poet means that he wishes that if his day could still be bound up with a deep respect towards God & Religion


Tips for exam 

* The same above questions are asked in exam but for 5 marks or sometime for 10 marks
You should elaborate the answers.

* To Elaborate Every time you write a short summary in 1st paragraph,

* Now give the answer of asked questions in 2nd paragraph,

* If you don't feel bore writing answers you can make it of 3 paragraphs by concluding the main theme of answer in 3rd paragraph.

Example::1. Interpret the poem in any way you like.
William Wordsworth, English poet and worshipper of nature and simplicity.
Since, he was nature friendly from his childhood he was nature lover poet and this poem is about  the nature and its importance ti human beings.
According to me, the poem "My heat leaps up when I behold" is mainly written by the author in such a beautiful and a meaningful manner which will teach each and everyone of us a very good lesson that whatever you did in your past will always be the reason for your situation of your present, and what you are gonna do at present will determine how well your future will be written. He uses the paradox "The child is the father of the Man" which well describes the entire poem in a sentence.
The child is the father of man because childhood is the beginning of the manhood. In other words, the qualities of the grown-up men are all derived from childhood. At last, the poet wishes that his remaining days would be bound by his love to nature.