Father to Son Class 11: Full Notes, Poem & MCQs
Welcome to the complete study guide for Class 11 English Hornbill chapter, “Father to Son”. Written by Elizabeth Jennings, this emotional poem highlights the universal problem of the generation gap and the painful lack of communication between a father and his grown-up son.
The Poem: “Father to Son” by Elizabeth Jennings
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him, so try to build
Up a relationship from how
He was when small. Yet have I killed
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.
Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.
Complete Summary of Father to Son
The poem is a direct confession of a father who is deeply unhappy about the broken relationship with his son. The summary can be divided into four key parts:
Phase 1: Strangers in the Same House
The father complains that even though he and his son have lived in the same house for years, he does not understand his child at all. He knows nothing about his son’s likes or dislikes. In a desperate attempt, the father tries to rebuild their relationship by remembering the time when his son was a small child, but he feels he has failed.
Phase 2: The Generation Gap
The father uses a metaphor of a seed and land. He feels that although he gave birth to the son (“the seed”), the son has grown up with a completely different mindset (“the land is his”). Physically, the son looks like his father (“built to my design”), but mentally, they are completely different. They speak to each other like strangers, and they do not share the same interests.
Phase 3: The Father’s Desire (The Prodigal Son)
Absolute silence surrounds their relationship. The father wishes for his son to be “prodigal” (wasteful but returning, referring to a Biblical story). He wants his son to come back to his father’s house instead of moving away and creating a separate world. The father is ready to forgive all his son’s mistakes to start a new bond of love shaped out of their current sorrow.
Phase 4: Mutual Helplessness
In the final stanza, the son’s perspective is briefly introduced. The son also admits that he doesn’t understand himself and realizes that his anger is born out of his sadness (grief) over their broken relationship. Both the father and the son want to reconcile. They both extend an “empty hand” towards each other, wanting to forgive, but neither knows how to bridge the gap.
Important Word Meanings
| Word/Phrase | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Sown | Planted a seed (Here, giving birth to and raising the child). |
| Prodigal | Spending money wastefully. (Refers to the Biblical story of the prodigal son who returns home after wasting his wealth and is forgiven by his father). |
| Grief | Deep sorrow or sadness. |
| Empty hand | A symbol of helplessness and the desire to make peace without knowing how. |
Important Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Practice these highly important exam-oriented MCQs based on the poem.