5.

Television
Roald Dahl

ASSIGNMENTS
ww.w.w.

I. () The most important thing that the poet has learnt is that
children should never be allowed to watch television as it fills
their mind with junk. He has learnt that a better solution to
the problem would be not to install a television set in their
homes in the first place.
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MS)
14
Television set is referred to an "idiotic thing'". The poet advisa.
ess
ses
and produces
dullnes.
i) because it hypnotises
not to install it
watch it.
who
of those seen lazin.
i n the minds
television,
children
were
ing
n almost every
house with television
screen witho
(11) at the
about all day and staring him
because he considers

productive
work. It upsets imagination.
doing any children's

monster that kills

television a s a which uses
is hyperbole,
speech used here on the
The figure of To put emphasis
(1V) o r effect.
exaggeration for
emphasis that previous week
the poet says
television,
hypnotic effects of rolling about
dozen eyeballs
seen a
at someone's place he had
on the floor.
extract to emphasise that
used in the above
watch television as they
Repetitions are
( allowed to
should n e v e r be
children
without doing
anything productive.
sit and stare at it
just
let
NEVER, NEVER,
(a) Is never,
television s e t -
Them near your
stare and sit
They sit and stare and
followed throughout is aa,bb,cc,dd and
(b) The rhyming scheme
so on.
them
the children still as it hypnotises
II. () The television set keeps
telecasts.
with all the junk that it
Television proves to be useful
for the parents because it keeps
(ii) The children then do not
their children still and occupied.
and let their parents do their
indulge in unnecessary fights
household chores peacefuly.

(i It produces dullness in their minds,

I t kills their imagination and thinking ability,
It hypnotises them and fills them with junk.
under Themes, Page 71.
(iv Refer to Death of Imagination
to
The figure of speech used here is personification. (Refer
Personification under tyle, Page 73).
be critical of television because he seems
seems to
(vYes, Dahl
to highlight only the negative effects of television on children,
such as: It rots their senses,-kills their imagination, -clogs
of
their mind, makes them dull, makes them incapable
understandingworlds offantasy,freezes their thinking power
Television

15
III. The
poet here answers
television set the
away, parents' query that if
to their what type of
children to keep them entertainment they they take the
would give
The poet
replies occupied.
kept themselves by asking parents to recall how
was invented. entertained by reading books children had
before television
1) The poet refers to
television set as a monster
imagination. Before television
that kills children's
actively engage themselves was
invented, children would
found in only
in everywhere- on the nursery reading. Books could be
the bedroom or shelves, on nursery fioor,
by the children's bed.
ii) The following lines use repetition to create a
put emphasis on the fact that smooth flow and to
before monstrous children used to only read books
television was invented.
capital letters stresses on the Moreover the use of
word READ
of reading books. implying importance
(iv) This is done to catch
the reader's
instead of watching attention andemphasise that
in
television, children should engage themselves
reading as
they used to do before television
(Note: Use of invented. was
capital letters is
equivalent to
shouting).
(v) Once children start reading
there would be books
they get so involved in reading that
such a
everywhere. The last four lines describe
scenario. There would be books
every where. The nursery
shelves would be filled with books. Books
would scattered on
the floor and by the children's bed.
IV. () Refer to Synecdoche under Style, Page 73.
Example of rhyming scheme: Potter, rotter.
(ii) The poet remembers the time when children used to
books. They used to read books filled with tales of
only read
treasure
islands, voyages, smugglers, pirates, ships, elephants and
cannibals. It was a time when young children travelled to an
all new adventurous world of animals with Mr. Tod,
Squirrel
Nutkin, and Piglin Bland.
(iii) The reference is important because it transports the readers to
a time before the television was invented when children used
to read.
(iv The poet suggests that TV sets should be thrown out and
should be replaced with bookshelves.
His suggestion does not seem to be practical as television is
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16 MS

Children can be guided to wato

tch
also a medium for education.
educational and newscasts.
programs
out of the houses. Dal mentions
(v) TV sets should not be thrown
Television has educational
only the negative aspects of television.
benefits as it is an audio-visual medium
and can help children
However, there is
a need to maintain a
earn by watching.
and other activities.
balance between watching television
V. He gave this advice in continuation of his suggestion of throwing
TVsets away. According to the poet replacing TV sets with
bookshelves would be best as far as children are concerned.

when their TV sets

(1 Children will give dirty 1looks to their parents
Would be replaced with bookshelves filled with books. Children
Would then scream and yell and fight with their parents.

(11 The parents are advised to "fear not" because their children's
tantrums would be temporary; what would be permanent is
their love for books which would soon follow.

(iv) Yes.
Refer to Importance of Reading Books; under Themes, Page 71.
(v) To develop a habit of reading books is an important advice
that the poet gives. Reading transfers one to a beautiful world
of imagination and fantasy. Reading fills one's heart with true
joy and happiness.
But the poet appears to advice reading for entertainment, which
seems to be a limited approach. There are other artistic fields
that a child can venture into like painting, theatre, games,
dance, singing etc.
VI. i) It refers to children's act of starting to read books once television
is uninstalled from their houses. The poet feels very excited
about it as he enmploys an easy, delightful and cheering tone
while talking about books. His excitement is reflected
through:
"oh boy, oh boy"
(i) Refer to Importance of Reading Books; under Themes, Page 71.
However the medium of children's joy cannot be limited to one
activity. Children should be able to experience other artistic
fields too.
(ii) Refer to Didactic Poem under Critical Remarks, Page 74.
(iv) Refer to Importance of Reading Books under Themes, Page 71.
Daffodils
17

(v)The television is a "ridiculous machine"-a silly invention of

modern science that does not have any positive effect. It is
"nauseating" and disgusting to watch. It is "foul", morally bad
and offensive. It is "unclean" as it telecasts
only "junk". The
television screen thus is
repulsive.
OOO