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Coming

NCERT Class 11 · English Based on NCERT Class 11 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter presents Philip Larkin's poem 'Coming', which captures the transition from winter to spring and the speaker's emotional response to this change. The poem explores themes of renewal, childhood memory, and the mysterious joy of reconciliation. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that the arrival of spring triggers a complex emotional awakening in the speaker, blending nostalgia, confusion, and unexpected happiness.
Key Concepts (13)
Philip Larkin
A British poet (1922–1985), leader of the 'Movement' in English poetry in the 1950s, known for themes of love, change, disenchantment, mystery, survival, and death's inevitability.
e.g. Larkin's poem 'Coming' is from his volume 'The Less Deceived', which establishes a kinship with the environment.
Movement
A literary movement in English poetry in the 1950s, led by Philip Larkin, characterized by a return to traditional forms and a focus on everyday life and emotions.
e.g. Larkin's poetry, including 'Coming', reflects the Movement's emphasis on clarity and directness.
The Less Deceived
A volume of poetry by Philip Larkin from which the poem 'Coming' is taken, establishing a kinship with the environment.
e.g. The poem 'Coming' appears in 'The Less Deceived', which explores themes of nature and human emotion.
Serene foreheads of houses
A metaphor describing the calm, peaceful appearance of houses bathed in the evening light, as if they have foreheads that are serene.
e.g. In the poem, 'Light, chill and yellow, Bathes the serene Foreheads of houses' personifies houses with human-like foreheads.
Fresh-peeled voice
A metaphor for the thrush's song, suggesting it is new, clear, and vibrant, like the sound of a freshly peeled fruit or vegetable.
e.g. The phrase 'fresh-peeled voice' describes the thrush's song as astonishingly clear and new, contrasting with the bare garden.
Astonishing the brickwork
A phrase indicating that the thrush's song is so powerful and surprising that it seems to affect even the inanimate brickwork of the house.
e.g. The thrush's 'fresh-peeled voice' is so vivid that it 'astonishes the brickwork', emphasizing the impact of nature on the environment.
Forgotten boredom
A description of the speaker's childhood as a period of dullness and monotony that he has now largely forgotten or repressed.
e.g. The speaker says 'my childhood is a forgotten boredom', indicating that his early years were unremarkable and unmemorable.
Adult reconciling
A scene where adults are making peace or resolving a conflict, which the child speaker observes but cannot fully understand.
e.g. The speaker feels like a child who 'comes on a scene of adult reconciling' and can only grasp the 'unusual laughter'.
Unusual laughter
Laughter that is out of the ordinary, likely arising from the relief or joy of reconciliation, which the child finds puzzling yet infectious.
e.g. The child hears 'unusual laughter' from the adults reconciling and starts to feel happy, even without understanding the cause.
Haiku
A Japanese three-line poem, usually having 17 syllables, expressing a single thought; English imitations are also popular.
e.g. The chapter includes three haiku examples: 'Cobra', 'Night', and 'Alone', each with 17 syllables and a single thought.
Cobra (haiku)
A haiku about a cobra, describing its jewelled crown and hypnotic sway, warning of its lethal fangs.
e.g. The haiku 'Cobra' reads: 'His jewelled crown / and hypnotic sway enthral; / beware the lethal fangs.'
Night (haiku)
A haiku about night, describing clouds appearing and bringing a chance to rest while looking at the moon.
e.g. The haiku 'Night' reads: 'Clouds appear / and bring to men a chance to rest / looking at the moon.'
Alone (haiku)
A haiku about loneliness, comparing it to a single leaf from the Kiri tree.
e.g. The haiku 'Alone' reads: 'Won't you come and see / loneliness? Just one leaf / from the Kiri tree.'
How It Works
Transition from winter to spring in the poem
  1. Step 1 — The poem begins with 'longer evenings', indicating the lengthening days of late winter or early spring.
  2. Step 2 — The light is described as 'chill and yellow', suggesting the cold, pale sunlight of the season.
  3. Step 3 — The light 'bathes the serene foreheads of houses', creating a calm, peaceful atmosphere.
  4. Step 4 — A thrush sings in the 'deep bare garden', its voice 'fresh-peeled' and astonishing the brickwork.
  5. Step 5 — The speaker repeats 'It will be spring soon', emphasizing the imminent arrival of spring.
  6. Step 6 — The speaker reflects on his childhood as 'a forgotten boredom' and compares his current feeling to a child witnessing adult reconciling.
  7. Step 7 — The child hears 'unusual laughter' and 'starts to be happy', mirroring the speaker's own emotional response to spring's approach.
💡 Students often miss that the poem's title 'Coming' refers to the coming of spring, not just the bird's announcement. The entire poem builds towards this seasonal change.
Structure of a Haiku
  1. Step 1 — A haiku is a Japanese three-line poem.
  2. Step 2 — It usually has 17 syllables, typically arranged as 5-7-5.
  3. Step 3 — It expresses a single thought or image.
  4. Step 4 — English imitations of haiku are also popular and may not strictly follow the syllable count.
💡 Students often think all haikus must have exactly 17 syllables in English, but the chapter says 'usually having 17 syllables', allowing for flexibility in English versions.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Misinterpreting 'forgotten boredom' as a positive memory
✗ The speaker's childhood was so happy that he forgot the boredom.
→ The phrase 'forgotten boredom' means the childhood was boring and the speaker has now forgotten that dullness, not that it was happy. The word 'boredom' explicitly indicates monotony and lack of interest.
✓ The speaker describes his childhood as 'a forgotten boredom', meaning it was a period of dullness and monotony that he has now largely forgotten or repressed.
⚠ Confusing the bird's announcement with the title
✗ The bird announces the coming of spring, which is why the poem is titled 'Coming'.
→ While the bird's song signals spring, the title 'Coming' refers to the broader arrival of spring itself, not just the bird's announcement. The poem's entire focus is on the season's approach, with the bird as one element.
✓ The title 'Coming' refers to the imminent arrival of spring, which is announced by the thrush's song and the changing evening light. The bird is a herald of this seasonal change.
⚠ Misreading 'fresh-peeled voice' as literal peeling
✗ The bird's voice sounds like a fruit being peeled.
→ The phrase is a metaphor, not a literal comparison. 'Fresh-peeled' suggests the voice is new, clear, and vibrant, like the sound of something freshly peeled, but it does not mean the voice sounds like peeling.
✓ The phrase 'fresh-peeled voice' is a metaphor for the thrush's song, emphasizing its clarity, newness, and vibrancy, as if it has just been revealed.
⚠ Thinking the speaker is literally a child
✗ The speaker is a child who sees adults reconciling.
→ The speaker is an adult reflecting on his childhood. He says 'I, whose childhood is a forgotten boredom, feel like a child' — the comparison is a simile, not a literal statement. He feels like a child, but he is not one.
✓ The speaker is an adult who compares his current emotional state to that of a child witnessing adult reconciling. He feels like a child, not literally being one.
⚠ Ignoring the haiku section as irrelevant
✗ The haiku section is not part of the poem and can be skipped.
→ The haiku section is part of the chapter and may appear in exam questions about poetic forms or comparisons. The chapter explicitly includes three haiku examples and a definition.
✓ The haiku section provides examples of the Japanese three-line poem form, which can be compared with Larkin's poem. It is part of the chapter content.
Compare & Contrast
The speaker's attitude towards childhood
Childhood as 'forgotten boredom'
Feeling like a child at the end of the poem
The speaker's childhood is described as a dull, forgotten period, but at the poem's end, he feels like a child again — not in terms of boredom, but in terms of innocent, inexplicable happiness at the 'unusual laughter' of adult reconciling.
Their effect on the speaker
Thrush's song
Adult reconciling scene
The thrush's song announces spring and astonishes the brickwork, creating a sense of renewal and surprise. The adult reconciling scene, with its 'unusual laughter', triggers the speaker's childlike happiness. Both evoke emotional responses, but the bird's song is natural and seasonal, while the reconciling is human and relational.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: 1-2 MCQs (1 mark each) on poetic devices or literal comprehension, 1 Short Answer (2-3 marks) on a metaphor or theme, 1 Long Answer (5 marks) on the poem's central idea or comparison with the haiku section.
Most asked: Interpretation of the title 'Coming' · Meaning of 'forgotten boredom' · Analysis of the metaphor 'fresh-peeled voice' · Comparison between the speaker's childhood and his present feeling · Significance of the thrush's song
Don't skip: Explain the significance of the title 'Coming' with reference to the poem.; Analyze the metaphor 'fresh-peeled voice' and its effect.; How does the speaker's childhood experience relate to his present emotions in the poem?
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. The poem 'Coming' by Philip Larkin describes the approach of spring through the image of a thrush's song and evening light.
  2. The title 'Coming' refers to the imminent arrival of spring.
  3. The speaker's childhood is described as 'a forgotten boredom', meaning it was dull and unmemorable.
  4. The phrase 'fresh-peeled voice' is a metaphor for the thrush's clear, vibrant song.
  5. The thrush's song 'astonishes the brickwork', emphasizing its powerful impact on the environment.
  6. The speaker feels like a child who witnesses 'adult reconciling' and hears 'unusual laughter'.
  7. The speaker starts to be happy without understanding the cause of the laughter.
  8. Philip Larkin was a leader of the 'Movement' in English poetry in the 1950s.
  9. Larkin's volume 'The Less Deceived' contains the poem 'Coming'.
  10. Larkin's themes include love, change, disenchantment, mystery, survival, and death's inevitability.
  11. A haiku is a Japanese three-line poem, usually having 17 syllables, expressing a single thought.
  12. The haiku 'Cobra' warns of lethal fangs despite the snake's hypnotic sway.
  13. The haiku 'Night' describes clouds bringing a chance to rest while looking at the moon.
  14. The haiku 'Alone' compares loneliness to a single leaf from the Kiri tree.
  15. The poem contrasts the speaker's dull childhood with his present childlike happiness at spring's arrival.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. What does the thrush announce in 'Coming'?

  • A. The arrival of spring and emotional awakening ✓
  • B. The end of winter and animal migration
  • C. The speaker's childhood memories returning
  • D. The breaking down of adult relationships

Answer: A — The thrush's song signals spring's arrival, which triggers the speaker's emotional transformation from childhood numbness to joy and wonder.

Q2. Which phrase best captures why the speaker's childhood is 'a forgotten boredom'?

  • A. The speaker actively rejected childhood experiences
  • B. The speaker has suppressed childhood wonder due to adult disenchantment ✓
  • C. The speaker never enjoyed playing as a child
  • D. The speaker's parents were uninterested in him

Answer: B — The speaker has lost touch with or buried childhood feelings until spring reawakens them, showing how adulthood can numb earlier wonder.

Q3. What is the primary effect of Larkin's repetition 'It will be spring soon—It will be spring soon'?

  • A. Creates a sense of boredom and monotony
  • B. Emphasizes inevitability and builds emotional anticipation ✓
  • C. Suggests the speaker doubts spring will arrive
  • D. Indicates the speaker is confused about seasons

Answer: B — The repetition reinforces the certainty and emotional weight of spring's approach while intensifying the speaker's growing anticipation and transformation.

Q4. In the line 'Light, chill and yellow, / Bathes the serene / Foreheads of houses,' which literary device is primarily used?

  • A. Simile comparing light to water
  • B. Personification giving human qualities to light and houses ✓
  • C. Metaphor equating houses with living beings
  • D. Alliteration emphasizing the 's' sound

Answer: B — The passage personifies light as something that 'bathes' and houses as having 'foreheads,' attributing human features to inanimate objects to convey gentle transformation.

Q5. How does the speaker's emotional state in 'Coming' differ from a typical romantic poet's celebration of spring?

  • A. The speaker despises nature and natural cycles
  • B. The speaker finds spring intellectually interesting but emotionally distant
  • C. The speaker experiences personal psychological awakening through ordinary observation, not idealized nature worship ✓
  • D. The speaker prefers winter and rejects seasonal change

Answer: C — Larkin grounds the poem in realistic, psychological experience where spring triggers personal emotional recovery rather than philosophical or escapist celebration.

Q6. Which of the following is NOT correct about Larkin's use of imagery in 'Coming'?

  • A. Sensory details anchor the poem's emotional significance
  • B. The thrush's 'fresh-peeled voice' contrasts with the dead garden
  • C. Yellow light symbolizes danger and warns of approaching hardship ✓
  • D. The garden's barrenness mirrors the speaker's inner isolation

Answer: C — Yellow light represents gentle spring warmth and brightness, not danger; it is associated with hope and awakening, not hardship or warning.

Q7. The speaker compares himself to a child because:

  • A. He wishes to escape adult responsibilities permanently
  • B. He behaves immaturely and lacks emotional control
  • C. He observes 'adult reconciling' without full understanding but grasps the emotional joy ✓
  • D. He has never grown up emotionally or psychologically

Answer: C — The speaker, like a child witnessing adults reconcile, cannot comprehend the full meaning but is moved by the unusual happiness and laughter present.

Q8. Read the haiku: 'Clouds appear / and bring to men a chance to rest / looking at the moon.' What is the central image expressing?

  • A. Humans fear clouds because they block the sun
  • B. Clouds provide respite and allow people to find peace in contemplation ✓
  • C. The moon is more beautiful than the sun
  • D. Clouds symbolize sadness and isolation

Answer: B — The haiku suggests clouds create an opportunity for rest and reflection, enabling people to pause and find tranquility through viewing the moon.

Q9. Which statement best explains the relationship between 'Coming' (the poem) and the concept of 'Movement' poetry?

  • A. Larkin's poem rejects Romantic idealism and uses everyday scenes to reveal profound psychological truths ✓
  • B. The poem celebrates grand philosophical ideas about nature and human destiny
  • C. Larkin focuses exclusively on historical events and social criticism
  • D. The poem emphasizes mysticism and supernatural imagery

Answer: A — Movement poetry, led by Larkin, rejected Romantic escapism; 'Coming' demonstrates this by grounding emotional revelation in ordinary, realistic observation.

Q10. Compare the tone and purpose of 'Coming' with a typical Romantic spring poem. How does Larkin's approach differ? Provide at least two specific textual details to support your analysis.

  • A. Romantic poets celebrate spring's external beauty; Larkin explores spring's role in triggering internal emotional awakening through irony and realistic imagery ✓
  • B. Romantic poets emphasize spring's harshness; Larkin celebrates only pleasant sensations
  • C. Both Romantic and Larkin use identical imagery and tone to express similar ideas
  • D. Larkin's poem is merely a shorter version of traditional Romantic spring poetry

Answer: A — Larkin uses specific, ordinary details ('fresh-peeled voice,' 'light, chill and yellow') and psychological realism to show how spring recovers lost childhood wonder, contrasting Romantic idealization with personal transformation.

Flashcards

What does the thrush's song symbolize in 'Coming'?

The thrush announces spring's arrival and triggers the speaker's emotional awakening from childhood numbness.

Why is the speaker's childhood called 'a forgotten boredom'?

The speaker has suppressed or lost touch with childhood experiences, viewing them as tedious and meaningless until spring reawakens wonder.

What is the significance of 'fresh-peeled voice'?

This phrase uses personification and sensory imagery to suggest the bird's song is raw, newly exposed, and strikingly alive against the dead garden.

How does the speaker compare himself to a child?

The adult speaker resembles a child who observes adults reconciling but cannot understand their words, only feeling the unusual happiness.

What does 'adult reconciling' mean in the poem?

It represents spring's arrival bringing harmony, renewal, and resolution after winter, symbolizing broader human emotional and relational healing.

Analyze the effect of repeating 'It will be spring soon.'

Repetition emphasizes the inevitability and certainty of spring's arrival while building emotional intensity and anticipation in the speaker.

What does 'Light, chill and yellow' reveal about the season?

These sensory details depict early spring—cool but brightening—creating an atmosphere of gentle transformation and quiet beauty.

How is Larkin's 'Coming' different from traditional Romantic spring poems?

Larkin grounds the poem in ordinary scenes and psychological realism rather than idealized nature; spring triggers personal emotional recovery, not philosophical escape.

What is the role of the garden in the poem?

The garden represents barrenness and isolation that spring gradually transforms, mirroring the speaker's inner emotional landscape.

What is a haiku and how many syllables does it contain?

A haiku is a three-line Japanese poem with 17 syllables (5-7-5 pattern) that expresses a single, precise thought or moment.

Important Board Questions

According to the poem 'Coming,' what does the thrush's song symbolize, and how is this connected to the poem's title? [2 marks]

Consider what the thrush announces (spring's arrival) and how spring relates to the speaker's emotional 'coming' or awakening from childhood numbness.

Explain why the speaker describes his childhood as 'a forgotten boredom' and how spring's arrival changes his emotional state. Use two specific images from the poem to support your answer. [5 marks]

Show how the speaker has lost touch with childhood wonder due to adult disenchantment; then explain how sensory images ('fresh-peeled voice,' 'light, chill and yellow') trigger emotional recovery and happiness.

Analyze how Larkin's 'Coming' differs from traditional Romantic spring poetry. Explain how the poem's use of realistic imagery, personification, and the speaker's psychological detachment create a modern approach to depicting nature's transformative power. What is the significance of the speaker feeling 'like a child' while observing 'adult reconciling'? [6 marks]

Contrast Larkin's grounded, psychological realism with Romantic idealization; explain how personification ('foreheads of houses,' voice 'astonishes') serves personal awakening rather than philosophical escape; clarify the paradox that the speaker's incomprehension mirrors the actual power of emotional transformation beyond rational understanding.

Assertion-Reason Questions for Coming

Q1. Assertion (A):

The speaker in 'Coming' transitions from emotional indifference to joy as spring approaches.

Reason (R):

The contrast between 'forgotten boredom' of childhood and 'starts to be happy' at the poem's end demonstrates this emotional transformation triggered by seasonal renewal.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true, and the reason directly explains how Larkin uses spring's arrival as a catalyst for the speaker's emotional awakening. The progression from past detachment to present happiness is the poem's central movement.

Q2. Assertion (A):

Philip Larkin's poetry exclusively celebrates traditional romantic themes.

Reason (R):

The biography describes his themes as love, disenchantment, the mystery of survival, and death's inevitability.

Answer: D — A is false but R is true — The assertion is false because Larkin's themes are much broader than traditional romanticism, encompassing existential concerns and disenchantment. The reason contradicts the assertion by listing themes beyond romantic celebration, making both statements' relationship false.

Q3. Assertion (A):

'Coming' uses personification to create vivid natural imagery.

Reason (R):

Houses are described as having 'serene foreheads' and being 'bathed' by light, attributing human qualities to inanimate objects.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true—the poem does use personification, and the examples correctly illustrate it. However, the reason is not the primary explanation for why personification matters in the poem; rather, it creates an intimate connection between the human speaker and the natural world that facilitates emotional awakening.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for Coming

Case Study:

A literature class studied Philip Larkin's 'Coming' alongside contemporary poetry about environmental change. Students noticed that while traditional Romantic poets used nature to explore human emotion, Larkin's approach was more subtle. In 'Coming', the speaker doesn't directly praise spring but rather observes it with detachment initially, then experiences an unexpected emotional awakening. A student noted that the poem seemed to suggest that personal emotional renewal was possible even for those who felt their childhood was dull or meaningless. The class discussion revealed that Larkin's genius lay in using modest, everyday natural observations to trigger profound shifts in human consciousness.

Q1. According to the passage, how does Larkin's approach to nature differ from traditional Romantic poets?

  • A. Larkin directly praises spring with elaborate romantic language
  • B. Larkin uses subtle observation of nature to trigger emotional transformation rather than explicit celebration ✓
  • C. Larkin rejects nature entirely as a subject for poetry
  • D. Larkin emphasizes only scientific descriptions of seasonal change

Answer: B

Q2. What does the class discussion suggest about the emotional journey of the speaker in 'Coming'?

  • A. The speaker's joy is predetermined and constant throughout the poem
  • B. Even those with mundane or forgotten childhoods can experience unexpected happiness through connection with nature ✓
  • C. The speaker rejects all possibility of emotional change or growth
  • D. The speaker's happiness is temporary and will not last beyond spring

Answer: B

Q3. Which literary quality does the passage identify as Larkin's 'genius' in 'Coming'?

  • A. Using complex, philosophical language to explain human psychology
  • B. Creating elaborate nature descriptions without emotional significance
  • C. Using modest, everyday observations of nature to trigger profound emotional shifts ✓
  • D. Avoiding any connection between natural and human worlds

Answer: C

Q4. How does the student's observation about 'forgotten boredom' support the poem's broader theme?

  • A. It suggests that people with dull childhoods cannot experience happiness
  • B. It proves that spring is irrelevant to human emotional experience
  • C. It demonstrates that personal renewal and joy are possible despite past indifference or lack of meaning ✓
  • D. It indicates that childhood memories are more important than present experiences

Answer: C

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