i
RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S VIEW
OF EDUCATION
IN HIS POEMS THE CHILD ANGEL, WHEN AND WHY,
AND BENEDICTION
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Martinus Sudartomo Student Number: 03 1214 004
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
I will run having legs
But, I will not stop for having the goal
I will fight for having hands
But, I will not lose for having the spirit
I will shout for having mouth
But, I will not shut it up for having the truth
Then, I will live for having love for everyone
(Kiyer D’great)
When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long.
Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then
look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past
cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.
(Phyllis Bottome)
GOD WILL NEVER GET YOU SO FAR
JUST TO SEE YOU DOWN
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGANAKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma :
Nama : Martinus Sudartomo
Nomor Mahasiswa : 03 1214 004
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :
“RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S VIEW OF EDUCATION IN HIS POEMS THE CHILD ANGEL, WHEN AND WHY,
AND BENEDICTION”
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 21 Agustus 2009
Yang menyatakan
vii ABSTRACT
Sudartomo, Martinus. 2009. Rabindranath Tagore’s View of Education in His Poems The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This study is conducted to analyze Tagore’s view of education from his three poems. They are The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction. These poems are the part of Tagore’s The Crescent Moon which was written in 1913. In these poems, the poet reveals some of his ideas on education.
There are two main questions which are going to be discussed in this study, namely (1) What is the explication of Tagore’s poems, entitled The Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction? and (2) What Tagore’s views of education are as reflected in his three poems, The Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction?
The study uses library research to gather the data. The primary source was taken from the poems. Some books, articles, the poet’s biography, reviews on Indian education in 1913, and some sources from the internet were selected as the secondary sources. This study uses socio-historical approach and biographical approach. The first approach was employed to answer the first question. This approach was used to find the explication of Tagore’s three poems. The second approach was employed to answer the second question. This approach was used to find Tagore’s view of education.
Through the analysis, the study discovers the explication of the poems. As any other poems in The Crescent Moon, these three poems present Tagore’s relation to child. The explication of The Child Angel shows Tagore’s love to the youth. In When and Why, Tagore presents his close relation to nature and the child. Then, Benediction shows Tagore’s spirituality that needs God’s help. In addition, the study found some of Tagore’s view of education. In The Child Angel, education is viewed as giving parents-children attention to the students. When and Why presents education that must be built based in a good atmosphere and long life learning. Benediction views education that needs spirituality. In this poem, the presence of God’s help must not be forgotten.
The last, the application of the poems in education. The study used the poems to teach reading. It focuses on the language program of the third grade of senior high school.
viii
ABSTRAK
Sudartomo, Martinus. 2009. Rabindranath Tagore’s View of Education in His Poems The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction. Yogyakarta: Program Study Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Studi ini disusun untuk menganalisa pandangan Tagore tentang pendidikan melalui tiga puisinya. Ketiga puisi tersebut adalah The Child Angel, When and Why, dan Benediction. Ketiganya merupakan bagian dari The Crescent Moon yang ditulis pada tahun 1913. Melalui ketiga puisi tersebut, penyair mengungkapkan ide-idenya tentang pendidikan.
Ada dua permasalahan mendasar yang akan dibahas dalam studi ini, yaitu (1) Apa explikasi dari puisi-puisi Tagore yang berjudul The Child Angel, When and Why dan Benediction? dan (2) Apa pandangan Tagore tentang pendidikan dalam ketiga puisinya, The Child Angel, When and Why, dan Benediction?
Studi ini menggunakan studi pustaka untuk menggali data. Sumber utama dari studi ini adalah puisi-puisi tersebut. Beberapa buku, artikel, biografi penyair, tinjauan tentang pendidikan di India tahun 1913, dan beberapa sumber dari internet digunakan sebagai sumber lain. Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan formalistik dan pendekatan biografi. Pendekatan pertama digunakan untuk menjawab pertanyaan pertama. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk mencari explikasi dari ketiga puisi Tagore. Pendekatan kedua digunakan untuk menjawab pertanyaan kedua. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk mencari pandangan Tagore tentang pendidikan.
Melalui analisa, studi ini menemukan explikasi dari puisi-puisi tersebut. Seperti puisi-puisi lainnya dalam The Crescent Moon, ketiga puisi tersebut menggambarkan hubungan Tagore dengan anak. Explikasi The Child Angel menunjukkan cinta Tagore pada kaum muda. Dalam When and Why, Tagore menunjukkan kedekatannya dengan alam dan anak. Sebagai tambahan, studi ini menemukan pandangan Tagore tentang pendidikan. Dalam The Child Angel, pendidikan berarti memberikan perhatian orangtua-anak kepada para murid. When and Why memberi gambaran tentang pendidikan yang dibagun dalam suasana yang bagus dan pendidikan seumur hidup. Benediction memandang perlunya spiritualitas dalam pendidikan. Dalam puisi ini, manusia tidak boleh melupakan pertolongan Tuhan.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Finally, I had done my thesis. All of the miracle from Him and the supports from others really help me in the process of writing the thesis. My deepest and greatest gratitude goes to Jesus Christ, for pouring His never-ending blessing on me and accompanying me all the time.
I am greatly indebted to V. Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., my major sponsor, for her guidance, patience, and kindness. I thank her for her advice, correction, and time to read my thesis thoroughly.
My deepest thanks are addressed to all of the English Language Education Study Program lecturers. I also would like to express thanks to Mbak Daniek, Mbak Tari, and all of the librarians for all of their assistance during my study.
I would like to extend my deepest and most sincere thanks to my parents, Y. Sugiman and A. Rokimah; it is because of them that I am who I am. I thank them for their love, care, patience, support, and never-ending prayer for me. They are my inspiration to be a better person and my motivation to finish my thesis. I thank my brother and sister, Th. Sugiyarti and St. Darmawan Wijaya for supporting me financially and psychologically.
I would like to express thanks to my relatives in VL X Generation for coloring my life in black: Bhanu, Blacky, Bem-bem, Dionz, Jatee, Bawor and Top-X. Thank you for giving me experience that life is beautiful.
x
experiences. Also, SMP Maria Immaculata Yogyakarta, especially for Suster Ancilla, and Bu Ratmi for giving me chances to learn how to be a real teacher. Furthermore, I thank BEC for the experience in teaching and hard working.
My gratitude goes to Wiwik for giving me knowledge and let me learn his wonderful idealism. I also thank Brian, Nanang, Eko Kam, Shanti, Thulik, Adi, Ucok, Diah, and Lita for the experiences in Mudika. All that we have done together really inspire me to be a tough and independent person. I express my gratitude to PBI-98: Mas Topo and Mbak Maria for the translation work; PBI-02: Dedy Edogawa, Gede, Dhani, Galih Purnomo; PBI-03: Gaboo, Trek, Ji’i,
Lukas, Dono, Sukie, Edu, Ayu, Yusta, Layung; PBI-04: An, Jody, Marshel; PBI-05: Wahyu. Thank you for the experiences, madness, sadness and happiness. For EEPRO, I thank for the incredible works and experiences. My gratitude to the play performance crew, especially “Willow Creek”, thank you for let me learn to work in a team. Adiwijayanti, I thank you for filling my loneliness with your smile and fun experiences.
Then, my special thanks to my “little angel”, my beloved one, Euducia
Wening Rahayu Maharani. I thank her for the light in my life and much for being light of my life. I also thank her for her patience, understanding, care, and support.
Furthermore, I thank to everybody who has given me support in the process of writing this thesis that cannot be mentioned here.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
PAGES OF APPROVAL ... ii
PAGE OF DEDICATION ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
1.1 Background of the Study ... 1
1.2. Problem Formulation ... 3
1.3. Problem Limitation ... 3
1.4. Objectives of the Study ... 4
1.5. Benefits of the Study ... 4
1.6. Definition of the Terms ... 4
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7
2.1. Review of Related Theories ... 7
xii
2.1.2. Theory of Explication ... 10
2.1.3. Theory of Education ... 11
2.2. Biography of Rabindranath Tagore and His Views of Education ... 13
2.2.1 Biography of Rabindranath Tagore ... 13
2.2.2 Tagore’s View of Education ... 16
2.3. Review on Indian Education ... 19
2.3.1. Ancient Education ... 19
2.3.2. Modern Education ... 20
2.4. Theoretical Framework ... 22
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ... 23
3.1. Object of the Study ... 23
3.2. Approach of the Study ... 24
3.3. Method of the Study ... 25
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS ... 26
4.1. The Explication of the Poems ... 26
4.1.1 The Explication of The Child Angel ... 26
4.1.2. The Explication of When and Why ... 35
4.1.3. The Explication of Benediction ... 40
4.2. Tagore’s View on Education Reflected in His Poems ... 47
4.2.1. Tagore’s View on Education Reflected in The Child Angel ... 47
xiii
4.2.3. Tagore’s View on Education Reflected in Benediction ... 52
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 55
5.1. Conclusions ... 55
5.1.1. The Explication of The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction ... 55
5.1.2. Tagore’s View of Education on The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction... 56
5.2. Suggestions ... 57
5.2.1. Suggestion to Future Researchers ... 57
5.2.1. Suggestion for Teaching Reading ... 58
REFERENCES ... 61
APPENDICES ... 63
1. The Child Angel ... 64
2. When and Why ... 65
3. Benediction ... 66
3. Lesson Plan for Teaching Reading ... 67
4. Material for Teaching Reading ... 70
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The first chapter consists of six parts. The first part is the background of
study. It reveals the writer’s reason for conducting the study. The second part is
the problem formulation. It conveys the problems that are discussed in the study.
The third part is the problem limitation. It gives a clear border of the study being
discussed. The fourth part is the objective of the study. It shows the aims of the
study. The fifth part is the benefits of the study. It reveals the advantages of the
study for other researchers and the importance of the study to the English
Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. The definition
of terms, which clarifies the terms used in the study, is the last part.
A. Background of the Study
This study stems from the curiosity of the writer to reveal how a poet can
express his idea through poems. The writer thinks that it is interesting to study
someone’s thought which is expressed through literary works. Therefore, the
writer invites the readers to learn other’s thought to sharpen their knowledge.
As the part of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata
Dharma University, which trains someone to be a teacher, the writer feels that it is
necessary to deepen his knowledge on education. One way to deepen knowledge
of education is studying other’s thought of education. Therefore, other’s views
This study chooses to find view of education through poem for the reason
that both of them can be related to one another. Poem is one kind of literary works
that has unique elements and becomes a way to deliver someone’s thoughts,
views, and ideas. On the other hand, education relates to the process of delivering
knowledge from one to another. Poem might be one of the ways to deliver
knowledge or idea on education. There are some people who are able to express
their idea on education through poems. One of the people who can write down the
idea about education in poem is Rabindranath Tagore.
Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet and educator, has magnificent thought
in education. He is able to convey his thought in education through his works,
which most of them are on poems. Through the symbols, themes and the elements
of poems, Tagore conveys his profound thought on education. His works are
widely known by Indian people and other people all over the world. The Indian
education was also being influenced, due to the strength of Tagore’s writing. His
thought that the Indian should not forget tradition still influences the Indian
education up to the present. Therefore, the writer chooses Tagore’s poems.
There are more than thousands of poems of Tagore, but this study chooses
his three poems, namely The Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction. They
are part of his book, The Crescent Moon, which was written in 1913. The writer is
interested in those three poems because they convey Tagore’s thought in
education. Tagore’s thought of education conveyed on those poems are unique.
He uses symbols, simile, personification or any other poetic device to draw his
religious aspects, etc, appear in those poems. Thus, the uniqueness makes the
poems worth studying.
India and Indonesia have similar history in terms of history as the colony of
other country. This situation affects their education system and ideology. For that
reason, this study has the significance to Indonesian education. First, the
Indonesian can study Tagore’s view of education as a comparison to Indonesian
education. Second, Tagore’s view may inspire the Indonesian education of today.
The third, Tagore’s struggle in education and his spirit in developing education
also similar to some Indonesian education figures, such as Ki Hadjar Dewantara,
R. A Kartini and so on. Thus, the today’s Indonesian educator can learn from
them.
B. Problem Formulation
The study intends to answer the following questions.
1. What is the explication of Tagore’s poem, entitled The Child Angel, When
and Why and Benediction?
2. What Tagore’s views of education are as reflected in his three poems, The
Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction?
C. Problem Limitation
This part affirms limitations of the study in order to avoid broader focus.
his three poems, they are The Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction. This
study focuses on Tagore’s biography to find his views of education.
D. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem formulation above, the objectives of the study are
stated as follows.
1. The goal of the study is to observe the explication of Rabindranath Tagore’s
three poems, namely The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction.
2. The study is aimed to observeTagore’s views of education as reflected in his
three poems, The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction.
E. Benefits of the Study
The study has some benefits. The readers are able to get more knowledge of
someone’s view on education, especially Tagore’s view. The study presents
Tagore’s biography, hopefully his biography arise reader’s motivation, especially
in education. For the English Education Language Study Program, especially the
students, of Sanata Dharma University, this study may enrich the study program
with some education views from Tagore. The implementation of this study in
language teaching will be presented in the lesson plan to teach reading.
F. Definition of Terms
The writer states some terms in order to avoid misconception. The terms
1. Education
Education has many interpretations, but in this study, education means "to
lead out”. The word “education” came from Latin e-ducere. Education was about
drawing out what was already within the students. So, it means that education just
develops the talent which has been acquired by the students. Education, according
to Hornby (369), is “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction,
especially at a school or university”.
Other definition comes from Driyarkara (126-128). He states that
“education and to educate are fundamental problem”. They are activities which
changes human life, including the students and the educator. In addition from his
thought, education is a process to “born” a new human being. Mayer (11), quoted
from John Dewey, regards that “education is a reconstruction of experience which
gives meaning to our existence and which aids us in the direction of subsequent
experience”.
In this study, education’s goal is a way of making a full human being.
There are many aspects to concern in achieving the goal but this study only grasps
only to some aspects. The first is about how to treat the students. The second,
there must be religious aspect included in an education. The third, an educator
needs a willingness for a long life learning, where s/he can study from many
sources including his or her students and environment.
2. View
According to Hornby(1327), “view is a personal opinion or attitude; a
Philosophically, view defines as someone's way to understand and to think about
things happening around him in present or in past
(www.swami_krishnanendra.org/phil/phil_ola.html). Then, it will be resulted in
wisdom.
Here, in this study, view is considered as someone’s opinion or thought
about a topic. However, such opinion is implemented in such a way so that people
around him can also learn from him.
3. Explication
According to Barnet, Berman, & Burto (1258), “explication is a
line-by-line commentary on what is going on in a texts”. However, it is different from
pharaphrase. This kind of analysis is more detail. The detail includes allutions,
denotations and connotations of words, symbols, sounds and rhythms, irony and
other particular. Kennedy & Gioia (609) states that “explication tries to examine
and unfold all the details in a poem that a sensitive reader might consider”.
In this study, the writer regards explication as the analysis of the poem in
certain detail. There are many details can be seen. The details which is included in
7
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This study is divided into three main parts. First, review of related theories.
Second, review on the historical-biographical background. The last is the
theoretical framework. They are presented as follows.
A. Review of Related Theories
This part reveals some theories which relates to the study. They are Critical
Approach, Theory of Poetry, Explication Theory and Education Theories. The
theories are presented as follow.
1. Critical Approach
Critical approach in literature is commonly used since it is easy to conduct.
The theories of critical approach in this study are taken from two sources. They
are Rohrberger, and Diana and Gioia.
Rohrberger starts the theory of critical approach to literature by comparing
it to impressionistic approach. It is said that critical approach is different from
impressionistic approach in terms of viewing literature. Impressionistic approach
seems too subjective in studying a literary works. In contrary, there is critical
approach to literature. Critical approach to literature regards art to have esthetic
art and the nature of beauty. Therefore, this approach involves esthetic response to
find the esthetic value.
Critical approach regards that literature’s verbal structure has meaning.
Therefore, the process in critical approach begins with understanding that words
are used together to shape meaning. The meaning involves one’s experience and
knowledge which are valuable. It enables them to participate vicariously. Then, in
doing so, it leads the words to greater knowledge and eventual wisdom.
According to Rohrberger, critical approach to literature necessitates an
understanding of its nature, function and positive values. He divides critical
approach into six, namely formalist approach, biographical approach,
sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach, and psychological
approach. However, this study uses some of them which are appropriate to the
context of the study. They are sociocultural-historical approach, biographical
approach and sociocultural-historical approach.
The first approach, sociocultural-historical approach, regards that someone
must locate the civilization as the reference to study. This statement is based on
two reasons. The first reason is that literature is not created in vacuum. There is
always situation which becomes the background. The second reason is that the
ideas in the literature have significant meaning to the culture that produces it.
According to this approach, there are always philosophies of life which can be
expressed and viewed in moral terms.
The second approach, biographical approach, involves the author’s
personality. Therefore, the reader needs to find the information about the author’s
life as much as possible. The author’s life may have fascinated the reader, but the
reader may not present their judgment on author’s life in analyzing the literary
works.
Kennedy and Gioia state ten critical approaches to literature. Their finding is
different from Rohrberger, who only states five approaches. However, Kennedy
and Gioa have the same idea that criticism can be based on some disciplines.
Kennedy and Gioia state that the approaches are not mutually exclusive, the
reader may mix methods to suit their needs and interests. The ten approaches
mentioned by Kennedy and Gioia are formalist criticism, biographical criticism,
historical criticism, psychological criticism, mythological criticism, sociological
criticism, gender criticism, reader-response criticism, deconstructionist criticism,
and cultural studies. However, not all of them are included in this study. This
study emphasizes on historical criticism and biographical criticism.
The first approach, historical criticism, regards the social, cultural, and
intellectual context that produced literature play important role in analyzing the
literary work. The reader may use them to comprehend the literary works deeper.
It begins by exploring the possible ways in which the meaning of the text has
changed over time.
The second approach, biographical criticism, believes that literature is
written by actual people. Thus, the reader can comprehend the work thoroughly
underlines the important meaning of the poems. The focus of this approach is
explicating literary work using the insight provided by the author’s life.
2. Theory of Explication
There are many ways to analyze a poem. One of them is explication.
Explication has close relation to formalist approach since both of them
comprehend the form of literary works. Explicating, as stated by Kenedy and
Gioia (609), “explains the entire poem in detail, unravels any complexities to be
found in it”. The complexities can be found either in extrinsic element or in
intrinsic element of the poem. In this study, the explication unfolds every detail of
the poems in terms of forms, rhetoric, figurative language and its vocabularies.
Explicating a poem must be in a great detail. Abcarian, Klotz and
Richardson (39) state that an explication is essentially a demonstration of your
thorough understanding of a work. Similar to opening a book, explicating a poem
needs an extensive reading of the poem to understand its meaning. Therefore, the
writer must read the poem more than once. If necessary, reading aloud must be
done. The writer will find the soul of the poem as they read it again and again.
There are some steps in explicating poems. The first step is reading the
poem straight through once. The explication should follow the structure of the
poem itself. It starts with the first line and ends with the last. The second step is
making several general points about the poem’s structure and main purpose before
However, according to http://uwp.aas.duke.edu /wstudio, there are three
main tasks in explicating poem. The first is taking the poem apart into its smallest
units and study them on their own terms. The second discusses about how those
units relate to each other. The third is making connections between these smaller
units and the poem as a whole.
3. Theory of Education
The word “education” has been defined in the first chapter. However, there
is no perfect definition of education. Every expert has his or her own definition.
For that reason, this study only presents some education theories which support
the study.
Human life starts from baby, child, adult then old. Every stage is different
one to another. The first stage, baby, s/he learns by imitating their environment. In
the second stage, child, human being starts to learn from their environment and
needs encouragement from the people from their above stages. According to
Driyarkara, education is important in human life. It becomes the foundation of
human life. Starting from the human being born, they need education. He states
that education starts at the beginning of someone’s life. Therefore, his ideas in
education focused on the education for the young learner. Driyarkara (127) states
as follow.
To educate…is making the youth become a fully human being, by the means
of homonization and humanization….it means the promoting of the youth so
that they can live as a human being and culture himself.
Education is important in building a full human being. Therefore, Driyarkara
states two fundamental activities in education. They are hominisasi and
humanisasi. The main goal of those activities is creating a full human being.
Driyarkara states that “human life is established by education. Both educator
and learner, determine their own life through activities in education”. For the
educator, to educate means determining an attitude for the learner. In contrary, it
is obvious that the learner accept the knowledge from the educator.
Driyarkara states three principles in education. The first, to educate is an
influence from person who is responsible to the child so that they can grow into
adult. Second, education is life unity of father, mother and son, where the process
of making human happens. In short, family plays an important role in child’s
education.
Along with Driyarkara’s statement, UNESCO, as the international
organization which concerns with education, has its own statement on education.
It regards human as the perfect creature. Human beings have free mind and
thinking. However the people are still struggling to create the “perfect” human
being. They made their own limitation about education and also ways to educate
people to be full human being.
In order to support the statements above, the writer put UNESCO’s
statements on education. UNESCO is chosen since it is an international education
is not an object of education. They have their own status in education. Human
being is creative, so education must encourage human being to be creative.
Second, human being is inseparable from the society since they are social
creature. To conclude, UNESCO states that education must prepare human being
for their society including its social structure.
Education is not an instant way to make a full human being. Education is a
learning process. During the process, teachers and students are transferring
knowledge. It is not merely the teachers who transfer his ideas or knowledge to
the students. It is both sides transferring knowledge one another. One of the
theories of learning came from experiential learning. Kolb (38) states that
“learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation
of experience”. The process emphasizes on the process of adaptation and learning
as opposed to content or outcomes. Thus, Kolb regards knowledge as a
transformation process, being continuously created and recreated not as an
independent entity to be acquired or transmitted.
B. Biography of Rabindranath Tagore and His View of Education
In this part, the study presents two things. The first is biography of Tagore.
The second is Tagore’s view of education. It is presented as follows.
1. Biography of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore, a teacher and a poet, was born in Calcuta on 6 May
family. His father, Debendranath Tagore, was a leader of Brahmo Samaj, a
religious sect in Bengal which was based on Hinduism as laid down in the
Upanishad. His mother, Sarada Devi, died when Tagore was very young. His
family was a gifted family that has many talents and was genius. As we can see,
his brother Dweijendranath, Tagore’s eldest brother, was a philosopher.
Jyotirindra, his other brother was an amateur artist and known for his drawing.
The third brother was the first Indian to enter Civil Service. Then, his nephews,
Abanindranath and Gaganedranath were the Great Twin Brethren of Bengali.
Thus, Tagore lived and grew up in the house of India renaissance.
On his personal life, Tagore was a loyal man. His wife was Mrinalini Devi
Raichaudhuri. Tagore married her in 1883 and moved to East Bengal. He had two
sons; they are Rathindranath Tagore and Samindranath Tagore, and three
daughters; they are Madhurilata Tagore, Mira Tagore and Renuka Tagore. In
1941, Tagore died on his eighty. He never remarried after his wife passed away in
1902.
As a Bengal Poet, Rabindranath Tagore wrote most of his poem in Bengali
language. But, some of them have been translated into English. At the age of six,
he studied classical poetry of Kalidasa. Thompson (4) said that he had been the
representative man of his time, in touch with fullness of his intellectual heritage.
He was able to combine the style of great Sanskrit Literature and good diction.
As a teacher, Rabindranath Tagore had various education backgrounds.
When he was a child, he was educated by some tutors and variety of schools. He
Mohammedan, and British". Those three cultures enriched Tagore’s view.
However, much of Tagore's ideologies came from the teaching of the Upanishads
and from his own beliefs that God can be found through personal purity and
service to others. He stressed the need for the new world order based on
transnational values and ideas, the "unity consciousness." He studied history and
culture in Bengal Academy. He travelled to England in 1878 in hope of becoming
a barrister. He studied law at University College London. However, he left
University College London and was back to India in 1880 for the reason that his
father had arranged his marriage to Mrinalini Devi Raichaudhuri. Though he had
various formal educations, there was not any place for his real education.
Thomson (6) states, “his real education came, not from the desultory and
experimental alternation of tutor and school… but from the whole circumstances
of his life”.
Through his thought, education could be obtained through many ways and
the freedom of mind. He founded a school at Santiniketan (Abode of Peace). His
school was built in 1901. It was an independent school since the school never had
much money for the low fees. The government did not pay attention to this
school. However, the school grew into an international university, Visva-Bharati,
in 1921. Thomson (35) states that “this school was founded for his thought that
his country seemed to him so broken and scattered, that the first need was to give
it some centre where it might concentrate”. So, the school uses both imaginative
and innovative system of education. He combined the western and eastern
I consider the three years I spent in Santiniketan as the most fruitful of my
life…. Santiniketan opened my eyes for the first time to the splendorous of
Indian and Far Eastern art…Santiniketan made me the combined product of East and West that I am.
At this school, where he wrote many of his works, Tagore tried to combine
traditional Indian culture with Western ideas. All the children contributed
significantly to Bengali literature and culture. His writings influence the students
and teachers of the school and lead the school to take a major part in India’s
social, political and cultural movement.
As one of Indian hero, Tagore fought the freedom of India through his own
way. It was different from his friend, Mahatma Gandhi, who fought the freedom
of India through political movement. He struggled for the freedom of India with
his poems, novels, short stories, plays and songs. His works helped the Indian to
gain their independence by burning their spirit, as stated by
http://www.terebess.hu/english/tagore4.html (accessed on Monday, May 20 2008)
As a multifaceted genius and renaissance man par excellence, he not only carried the literature and arts of Bengal, virtually single-handedly, to dizzying heights of creativity, but, by his inspiring words, his lyrically unequalled songs, his unstinting support for the cause of India's freedom during a long and turbulent phase of her history, he lifted Indian culture and the Indian psyche to an unprecedented level of revitalization.
2. Tagore’s View of Education
Tagore, education, culture and religion are four integral things. Many of
Tagore’s thought are the combination of those things. The philosophy of Indian
are presented in many practical aspects, as stated by Sardi (66) quoted from Ki
Hajar Dewantara as follows.
Tagore menekankan segi religious sebagaimana biasa dalam system filsafat India, dan juga segi-segi praktis atau ketrampilan.
Tagore stresess on religious aspects as stated in Indian philosophy and also practical aspects and skills.
As an educator, Tagore often criticized the education in Europe. He stated
that western education as a huge bag which contains many papers and lessons but
forget the human soul. Sardi (66) states, “It creates emptiness in human soul”. He
does not reject the thought from western culture but he assimilates it with the
eastern view. His thought is that the Indian needs to be educated in both the best
of their own tradition and the best of the western tradition. Tagore quoted in
Palmer, Bresler, & Cooper (192) states that “education is a living, not a
mechanical process, and is a truth as freely admitted as it is persistenly ignored”.
In addition, he states, “education should be more or less the same quality for all
humanity needful for its evolution of perfection”, as said by Tagore to Leonard K.
Elmhirst.
Tagore sees education in two ways. The first, he sees education from the
student’s view. He regards his students as the future of his country because they
have their dreams. However, a dream is just a dream when people do not work for
it. So, Tagore expects his students to reach their dream and work for it. Tagore
and guided. In addition, the society in their educational environment has to be able
to support them, as stated by Tagore in Chakravarty (208) as follows.
… Today the human soul is lying captive in the dungeon of a Giant Machine, and I ask you, my young princes, to feel this enthusiasm in your hearts and be willing to rescue the human soul from the chains of greed.
The students are the youth that must be carefully guided and developed. They
must be filled with knowledge and skills for their life. Tagore expresses his
guidance through the appreciation of culture. He digs up his own culture and
teaches it to the students.
The second, he sees education from the teacher’s view. Tagore warns the
teachers that the students are so much precious for the country. He does not want
to torture the students with machined-made lessons. Otherwise, a life lesson is
necessary to build the students. Therefore, he dreams about education which
enables the students to obtain their own educational value from the nature. They
will be able to gain the value from the nature. In his idealism, classroom is not the
most important thing. The most important thing in this education is creating a
good atmosphere for the students.
The two ideas above are represented in Tagore’s school, Visvabharati. It is
the citizen school which never chase for wealth, as Chakravarty (220) quotes from
Tagore “wealth is a golden cage in which the children of the rich are bred into
artificial deadening of their powers”. In its simplicity, the school leads the
students to personal experience of the world.
In addition, the mixtures of the western and eastern ideas on education are
each other. Through ashram life, the students learn about life, and the teachers are
helping the students as a part of their life and not of their profession.
C. Review on the Indian Education
This part discusses the Indian education. The discussion starts with the
ancient Indian education. Then, the discussion continues to the modern Indian
education system, especially around 1913.
1. Ancient Education
Indian education unifies with religion and philosophy. There are many
education thought in India. However, the study only mentions the two thoughts of
education which are the most well developed. They are Upanishad and Buddhism.
The history of teaching Upanishad was started in 800-400 B.C. It is not
stated who started this thought. In ancient time, the teaching of Upanishad was
held in some schools. There are six kinds of schools. The first is private school.
The second is Pashasd. This school regards teacher as the center of education.
The third is Forest College that focuses on contemplation. The fourth is temple
school. This kind of school focuses on religious instructions and it was developed
after 500 A.D. The fifth is Matha. In this school, the students learn about Vedas
and Upanishad through Brahmin learning. The sixth is Vidyapatha. This school is
more liberal than Matha.
The main aim of Upanishad is to liberate the unique capacity of human
However, this thought constraints the education in caste system. The real
education, in Upanishad, should teach human beings to beware of sense of
objects.
In Upanishad, teacher has the greatest contribution in education. Teachers
get the great respect from the students. Teachers become the center of teaching
learning process. Thus, the students learn from the teacher’s life and behavior.
The second religion that affects Indian education thought is Buddhism. The
education thought of Buddhism is different from Upanishad. Buddhism does not
select the students based on caste. It has strict law in education that children start
their studies at the age of six and complete at the age of twenty. Buddhism is
divided into three sects. They are Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and
Zen Buddhism. In Buddhism, education implies the clearing away of all biases and
prejudices. Mayer (45) states that “The real knowledge is based on intuition and
unities an understanding of nature with a comprehension of the self”.
2. Modern Education
The study discusses the modern education in India around 1900-1920. It
was the time when Britain ruled India. Thus, all social aspects were ruled by the
government. Education would not be the exception. Britain made their education
system that created new strata in India. It was the strata of intelligent people who
would work in the British government for the sake of Britain interest. This
condition made the caste system became worst.
The British government introduced modern education concept. The British
language to study. The British government also brings the concept of studying in
the classroom. Thompson (197) states that “modern education in Bengal is
machine-made and spurious, mere memorization in a foreign tongue”. This
situation regards human as “machine” which can be controlled or ruled and
education was deserved as transferring teacher’s knowledge to the students. It
emphasizes on the cognitive aspect in education but forgets the affective aspect
and religious aspect in education. Such condition was the opposite of Indian
native education system. The ancient Indian education was more emphasize on
affective aspect. The model of ancient Indian can be found on Tagore’s school. It
used the open-air class, religious emphasis, and a close relationship between pupil
and teacher.
Though the modern education brought new caste and emphasized on
cognitive aspects, there were some advantages for the Indian. Smith (757) stated
that “Western Education had made them what they were and provided them with
new ideals, new hopes and new ambitions”. It opened the thought of the people in
India about new idea in education. The system brought new concept of education.
Western Education in India gave hope to the people of India about their
independence. Many people in India are able study that made them cleverer than
before and realized the condition of their country. The intelligent people of India
got their new ambition on India’s independence.
The development of Indian education cannot be separated from the
educational policy. There was new movement in Indian education. The
brought a very significant change in the Universities and constituted an important
landmark in the progress of higher education in India. In 1910, the government
shoed the importance of education by creating a new department of education
under separate member of Viceroy’s council. This step was the beginning of
government’s interference in Indian education after the University Act.
As a conclusion, the modern education, which was brought by British
government, is a two-sides-sword to the people of India. It has two effects for the
Indian. They are positive and negative effect.
D. Theoretical Framework
There are some theories applied in the study. They are the tools to answer
the problems stated in problem formulation. The first theory presented in this
chapter is explication theory. The explication theory is used as the way to reveal
every detail of the poem. Along with this theory, the formalist approach is used.
Formalist approach is used to study the poem from its form.
Then, to answer the second problem, the poet’s view towards education in
the poems, biographical approach is employed. This theory gives information
about Tagore’s background on his life, education, school and works. Biographical
approach provides a review of Tagore’s life which influences his works. However,
some education theories are employed in this study. The theories are used as the
instrument to find Tagore’s view of education. The theories are compared to
Tagore’s biography and other educator movements in western, Indonesia, and
23
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In chapter three, the study discusses methodology used in this study. The
study is divided into three parts. They are object of the study, approach of the
study, and method of the study. The first part, object of the study, discusses about
the poems and the background of the poet. The second part explains the
approaches used in this chapter. It presents the approaches employed in the study,
its description, reasons for selecting them, and the procedure taken in its
application. The third part presents the method of the study. It describes the steps
taken in analyzing the poem.
A. Object of the Study
The primary data of this study are poems written by Rabindranath Tagore,
an Indian poet, novelist, play writer, song conductor, and painter, who had written
thousands of poems, almost a dozen of short stories, some plays, conduct songs
and draw some pictures. This study analyzes three poems; they are The Child
Angel, When and Why and Benediction. Those poems can be found in Tagore’s
The Crescent Moon published in 1913. This book is one of his famous books,
even Nobel Prize Organization (2008) states that “The Crescent Moon is one of
Tagore’s sensational works”. It is also one of his works which is translated into
English. His other books are Gitanjali, Sadhana, The Hungry Stones and many
The three poems on the study present some views and thought in education.
The first poem, The Child Angel, is presented in free verse. It is a poem which
reveals a fighting spirit in education. This poem presents the condition in India,
which was in chaotic situation. Along with the poem, the poet persuades the
reader to keep their fighting spirit. He invites the readers to be brave and to face
the world with the head stands up. The second poem, When and Why, consists of
four stanzas. In general, the poem presents the humbleness in education. It
presents that even a teacher can learn new things from the students. The third
poem, Benediction, reveals the spirituality in education. The form of the poem is
more likely a prayer of a teacher for their students.
B. Approach of the Study
This part explains about the approach employed in the study. There are five
approaches presented by Rohrberger in critical approaches, which are formalist
approach, biographical approach, sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic
approach, and psychological approach. However, the study chooses some
approaches. This study uses socio-historical approach and biographical approach.
Socio-historical approach sees literary works from the situation arround the
poet or writer. Relating the poems with the situation arround the poet enable the
writer to find the meaning of the poems. Then, in order to see the poet’s view of
education, biographical approach is employed. It sees literary works from the
poet’s biographical background. It enriches the reader’s appreciation through
C. Method of the Study
This study used library research to gather the data. Library research is
selected because the data used are mostly in literary sources. In order to add some
sources, the study also presented some data from the internet.
There were two kinds of sources used in this study. They were primary
source and secondary source. The primary source is the poems itself. They are
The Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction by Rabindranath Tagore. They
are part of Tagore’s book, The Crescent Moon, which was published in 1913.
The second sources were the books, articles, the poet’s biography, reviews
on the condition of India in 1913, and some other sources. Some of the sources
also were taken from the internet. It is because the writer found difficulty in
finding Tagore’s biographical data.
There were some steps taken in the study. The first step was reading the
poems. This process could not be done one time, but the writer needed to read the
poems for many times to get deeper understanding about the poem. The next step
was finding the topic to be analyzed in the study. The third step was looking for
the poems’ detail as a part of explication. The fourth step was finding the
biographical data of the poet since the study uses Biographical approach. Next,
the writer tried to answer the problems. The last step was concluding the results of
26
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In the fourth chapter, the study presents the analysis of the poem. The first
analysis is about the explication of each poem. This is also the analysis of the
surface meaning of the poem. The second analysis is about Tagore’s view of
education, which also analyze the deeper meaning of the poems. The analyses are
presented as follows.
A. The Explication of the Poems
There are three poems, which are being explicated in this part. They are The
Child Angel, When and Why, and Benediction. The explication focuses on the
poem’s form, figurative language, and vocabularies. Then, the discussion of each
stanza will follow.
1. The Explication of The Child Angel
The Child Angel is one of Tagore’s poems. The poem consists of 15 lines. It
consists of six stanzas and one additional stanza in form of line. Therefore, the
total stanzas of this poem are seven stanzas. The language of the poem is a
combination between imperatives and figurative language. The poet mostly uses
imperative at the beginning of a stanza (see line 3, 7, 10 and 12). The Child Angel
is a part of Tagore’s The Crescent Moon. This poem presents a relation between
Moon. In addition, the poem has three sentences statement that tell the situation
around the child. They can be seen in the first, third, and the last stanza. In short,
this Tagore’s poem shows the child’s character as a loveable and pure creature.
Starting with the title, The Child Angel, the writer finds it full of meaning.
The combination between two creatures, “Child” and “Angel”, arouses the
writer’s idea that the poet uses simile in the title. The simile compares two
creatures. They are the child and the angel. A child often has the connotation of
the beginning level of human beings. It has some characteristics, namely weak,
pure, and inexperienced. They know nothing about what happen in its
environment or around them. As a weak creature, child still needs guidance from
the adults and encouragements to face their life and become good things or agent
of change for their society. There are some encouragements on the second, fourth,
fifth and sixth stanza. However, since the child is still pure, they have yet
understood the situation around them. Therefore, the poet gives clear situation
around the child. They are the image of cruelty and chaotic situation. The images
are obviously seen by the writer at the first time reading the poem.
The other creature to compare is angel. The word “angel” always excites the
writer. It arouses the curiosity and excitement about this kind of creature. Though
God creates human as a “perfect” creature, this kind of creature has a special
ability compared to human beings. That is why many people believe that angel is
a God’s messenger. The angel often reminds human of God’s will and there are
some examples about its presence. The bible tells about the presence of angel at
that she would be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Many stories depict angel as a
very kind and good creature. No one will deny those truths, even Hornby (39)
states that “angel” is a spirit who is believed to be the servant of God. In addition,
this term is also being used to depict a very good and kind person.
In addition, the bible often depicts angel as the creature that fights Satan. Its
bravery saves human beings from Satan, which symbolizes anger, cruelty, horror,
and many other bad things. The bible uses Michael as the symbol of angel that is
depicted as a good creature. However, some of the angels turned to be bad.
Passion had made them turn into bad creature. One that is well known is Lucifer.
He turns into bad as he wishes to be like God. His greed and envy to human also
become the reason of his becoming bad. The power and authority that God gave to
him made him lost control.
“Child” and “angel” are compared because they have some similarities.
Basically, both of them are pure. Like a piece of paper, they are still white.
However, a child still needs guidance so that they will not choose the wrong way
of life. The child is similar to the angel that has two types. They are good angel
and bad angel. However, the angels are good basically. Some of the angels turn
into bad because they are greed. It is their passion that changed them. In the title,
the poet uses simile to explain the similarities of those two creatures. The poet
arouses readers’ interest to see the pureness of child and ask them to guide the
child, who is pure, to be a good person like a good angel. The depiction of them is
In the discussion of each stanza, the study starts from the first stanza. The
first stanza of The Child Angel explicitly explains the situation of the society.
This situation will continue to the third stanza. In those two stanzas, the poet
presents “they” to point out to the society. In the first stanza, the poet tells about
many people demanding for something that makes them fight one another. They
doubt and despair of what happens around them. The people told in the poem are
those who has lost their hope and do not know when they are going to stop their
fight and quarrell. They doubt and despair of their life. The poet makes the iambic
meter predominate the first stanza, as if he wants to talk to the reader. However,
the writer found anapestic in the first stanza. The poet uses anapestic to stress the
condition of the society. It functions as a door which opens the condition of the
fights, clamor, doubt, despair and quarrelling to the stage that the reader can see it
as if it is in front of them. The spirit that the poet brings cannot be seen without
entering the gate of the first stanza.
They clamour and fight, they doubt and despair, they know no end to their wranglings.
Next, in the second stanza, the poet invites the child to be the “flame of
light”. The symbol of flame means light for around it. It makes the situation
around visible. In addition, the light means awareness of the situation around. The
symbol draws the poet’s expectation for the child to become the agent of change
towards the situation of the society. For that reason, the poet presents the child
child’s character is still present. The poet uses the word “pure” to depict the
child’s character.
The symbolization of spirit through “flame of light” is a simile. The poet
compared “the flame of light” with living among the chaotic society. The poet’s
simile draws an invitation for the child. The poet invites the youth to burn their
spirit and become a flame of light which could light up the people around them.
The youth must not be afraid of the situation around him/her. The poet reflects the
situation in the society by using the word “unflickering”. Therefore, the poet
invites the child to be brave in facing their life.
The poet has another expectation too. His other expectation is presented in
the final goal of “light”. It is located in the last part of the second stanza, “delight
them into silence”. This part actually presents the idea to avoid any confrontation
and act calmly so that a peaceful situation appears. This idea is in agreement with
the poet’s life.
The second stanza has variation in meter. The poet uses iambic in the
beginning of the stanza and ends with anapestic in the second line of the second
stanza. Variations on the second line of the second stanza portray persuasion. The
poet persuades the child to act calmly and peacefully. In addition, the variation let
the readers see the poet’s spirit. Thus, the persuasion in this stanza is presented
using the variation of meter.
Another situation around the child continues on the third stanza. The poet
symbolizes a society that is full of greediness and envy. The representation of
chaotic situation and fearful situation is presented in a simile. It compares “words”
with “hidden knives”. A knife is often described as a short weapon used to attack
enemy that is nearby. It is an effective weapon to attack the enemy. Like the
words, a knife also has another good function. Both knife and word are things, can
be usefull or dangerous for others according to its user. The similarity of the
words and knives might be the reason of the poet to compare them. Then, a
personification follows. “knives thirsting for blood” is a personification for knives
as a dead thing which cannot feel thirsty unlike human. However, the poet
represents them as thirsty things. The word “thirsty” may be interpreted as
someone who is never satisfied with the things they got, as an adult who always
chases power and anything that can be done by them. The anapestic meter in this
stanza presents terror to the reader. It brought up the chaotic situation which could
kill someone inside the society. The lyrics of the stanza bring the reader deeper
into the situation of chaos.
They are cruel in their greed and their envy, their words are like hidden knives thirsting for blood.
In the fourth stanza, we can find another persuasion towards the child. The
poet uses the imperative go and stand. The imperatives show direct order to the
children. The poet orders the child to go in the middle of unkind situation as
presented in the second stanza. A peace movement to end the chaotic situation is
necessary. In this stanza, the poet stresses more about that situation. This stanza
ends up with retelling the situation of the society which is full of conflict as stated
“The strife of the day”, which means conflict between people.
Another simile appears in this stanza. The poet compares “gentle eyes” and
“the forgiving peace” in the second line of the stanza. Gentleness is related to
kindness or good will. Then, a person who acts gently means a person who is able
to show mild movement like a child’s character that is gently. The gentleness of
the people hopefully makes them create peaceful situation. Those characters
belong to the child. If the characters are followed by the people, there will be
peace in the society. The simile presents poet’s expectation that the child is able to
bring peace to the society.
In this stanza, the poet is talking to the reader at the first line of the stanza.
The poet shows his talking through iambic meter. Then anapestic appear in the
last line of the stanza. It slows the rhyme of the stanza. This stanza flows as a tired
condition after arguing or fight for something.
Go and stand amidst their scowling hearts, my child, and let your gentle eyes fall upon them like the forgiving peace of the
evening over the strife of the day.
The fifth stanza of The Child Angel depicts the poet’s persuasion towards
the child as also appears in the second stanza. It shows the poet’s persuasion to the
child so that he/she could show up to the society and tell them that there is love
do not. It is love. It is also poet’s expectation for the people that they can follow
the love that the child taught. The use of “let” soften the persuasion. “Let,” means
a direct attention to other people. It also means a polite instruction to others. In
addition, the poet draws his persuasion for the society. The poet wants them to
love one another. Thus, the stanza presents poet’s expectation to the child and the
society.
This stanza combines anapestic and iambic meter. The combination of
anapestic and iambic presents a harmony which flows calm but full of love. The
image is strengthened through the use of child’s character which is loveable. It is
stated in the last line of the stanza. That is why the imperative looks mild. It does
not persuade the people harshly, but just slowly.
Let them see your face, my child, and thus know the meaning of all things; let them love you and thus love each other.
Just before coming to the last stanza, the poet presents an additional line.
This line is located between the last stanza and the fifth stanza. It functions to
implicitly draw another character other than the child and the society. It is a
character of an adult who becomes the child’s protector. The poet uses the word
“bosom”. It means women breast. This symbol means the mother in child’s world.
“The bosom of the limitless” means an unlimited love of mother towards the
child. This also means that the child would be ready to face the world when the
adults or mother taught them. The word “bosom” can also be interpreted as
child needs love, care and protection from adults. So, creating a peaceful situation
as the poet’s expectation is necessary.
This line contains trochaic and anapestic meter. The combination makes the
reader feels that they are invited to the mother’s hug. The combination of the
meter creates an effect of affection.
Come and take your seat in the bosom of the limitless, my child.
To end the poem, the poet uses simile to compare things with the nature.
The poet presents flower, sunrise and sunset as the comparison with heart and
head. Sunrise is often symbolized as a new hope or the beginning of a working
day. When the sunrise comes, hopefully the child’s heart could grow mature or
have been ready to face the world. Sunset often symbolizes the end of days. For
Moslems, sunset means the time to pray. It is also the time for people to come
home and meet their family. The last sentence of the stanza “complete the worship
of the day” means that the poet regards life as a prayer. Everything he did is
presented to God. So, it must be the best thing that we do since it is for God. The
religious aspect of the poem is presented smoothly in the last paragraph.
At sunrise open and raise your heart like a blossoming flower, and at sunset bend your head and in silence complete the worship of the day.
In conclusion, the poet presents the condition of a chaotic situation around
the child. There are three characters presented in the poem. They are the child, the