4. Chivvy (Poem) Honeycomb English
By Michael
Rosen
Working with the Poem(Page No: 70)
1. Discuss these questions in small
groups before you answer them.
(i) When is a grown-up likely to say this?
Don’t talk with your mouth full
Ans: A grown-up is likely to say this
when children start talking in between the meal with food in their mouth.
.
(ii) When are you likely to be told
this?
Say thank you.
Ans: We are likely to
be told to say thank you when someone helped us or given us something.
(iii) When do you think an adult would
say this?
No one thinks you are funny.
Ans: When children act
weird or do something funny to gain the attention then adult would say no one
thinks you are funny.
2.
The last two lines of the poem are not prohibitions or instructions. What is
the adult now asking the child to do? Do you think the poet is suggesting that
this is unreasonable? Why?
Answer
In the last two lines, adult is now asking the child to make up their own mind
and take decision by themselves to be independent which is unreasonable because
earlier adults were not allowing the child to take any decision by themselves
and they were always taking decision for the child. But now, they are asking
them to take their own decision which is surely unreasonable.
3. Why do you think grown-ups say
the kind of things mentioned in the poem? Is it important that they teach
children good manners, and how to behave in public?
Answer
The grown-ups say such kind of things to their children in order to teach them
good manners. They want their children to be a responsible citizen and behave
good in public. Yes, it is important to teach the children all these things so
that they learn good manners and how to behave in the society, at home and with
their elders and youngsters. Our elders are our teachers and we can learn a lot
from their experience.
4.
If you had to make some rules for grown-ups to follow, what would you say? Make
at least five such rules. Arrange the lines as in a poem.
Answer
I would make rules
like:
Don’t abuse anyone.
Respect the elders and
youngsters also.
Time will be allowed
for playing.
Keep the neighbour
clean.
Don’t smoke or spit.
Allow time for
watching T.V.
No physical
punishments.