Essay on Child is Father of the Man

The man reflects out to be what he has inculcated during his childhood. The proverb explains the same that the qualities and values attained during childhood make him what he is in adulthood. Childhood is the most crucial stage of development in the life of an individual. The values of love, kindness, respect, punctuality must be taught to the children and it will be carried till the last breath of the individual.

Many children are made to learn about violence and hatred during their childhood and the same gets carried on till after they grow which might bring destructing ideas in their minds. Elaborate information about the topic is provided in form of a long essay. It might be an aid to students in exams, essay writing, and completing assignments and projects.

Short and Long Essay on Child is Father of the Man in English

We have provided below some short and long essays on Child is Father of the Man in different words limit for students of classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. in very easy language:

10 Lines Essay on Child is Father of the Man (100 – 120 Words)

1) An important line of the poem “My Heart Leaps Up” is “Child is Father of the Man”.

2) This phrase was first used in 1802 by William Wordsworth and has been widely used since then.

3) The poem that consists of this line was published as a part of “Poems in Two Volumes” in 1807.

4) This phrase has a deep meaning and a lesson for everyone.

5) In this poem he said that he has the same feeling as his childhood on seeing a rainbow.

6) This states that whether we grow adults or old, there is always a child inside us.

7) The teachings and qualities learned in childhood helps in shaping our life.

8) This proverb means the values attained in childhood are reflected in adulthood.

9) Childhood is the age of learning that impact the whole life of a person.

10) Physically a man is an improved version of a child but psychologically everything remains the same.


Essay 1 – (250 words) – A Part of Man Always remains Child

“Child is the father of man” is an important line of the poem “My Heart Leaps up”. This poem is the creation of William Wordsworth in 1802. This line in the poem has a deep meaning that we need to know. The poet states that he felt the same joy after seeing the rainbow that he used to feel when he was a child. He is trying to explain that the glimpse of childhood gets reflected in all the other stages of life.

The meaning of the proverb is that the child inside a person remains alive even if he/she grows up. It can be said that we become older and mature by age but the childish character is always alive in us. There is a part inside us that always remains a child. It is only the child in us that brings innocence in us. It wants us to laugh openly, love, and enjoy everything. It instills in us the curiosity, humor, positivity that helps in making our life interesting. It is difficult to live our life without such emotions. It is important that we must be childish sometimes and enjoy life rather than leading a boring life. We must not let the child in us be lost.

This phrase gives a very important lesson to all of us. It explains that values we learn in childhood never diminish but remains in us till our last breath. Therefore it is important that parents must do good upbringing of their children. The right guidance and teaching good values in childhood helps in making the children of today in becoming responsible and good citizens of tomorrow.


Essay 2 (600 Words) – Origin and Explanation of the Phrase

Introduction

The phrase ‘The child is father of the man’ originated in 1802 and since then being used popularly. The phrase was first mentioned by a renowned British poet in one of his poems relating to his childhood and adulthood. In the poem, he had expressed his feeling towards a rainbow when he was a child. The same feelings have accompanied him to his manhood as well.

Origin of the Phrase

The phrase ‘the child is father of the man’ was first written by a British romantic poet William Wordsworth in his poem “My heart leaps up”, also called “The Rainbow”.

The poem was written by Wordsworth on the night of 26th March 1802 in his house, Dove Cottage, Grasmere. Wordsworth initially had thoughts of altering the poem but decided to leave it as it is. The poem “My heart leaps up” which had the phrase “the child is father of the man” was published in 1807 as part of “Poems, In Two Volumes”.

Explanation of the Phrase

The poem “My heart leaps up” or “The Rainbow” is a small poem of nine lines, written by Wordsworth. In the poem, he stated that as a child he felt extreme joy and happiness on spotting a rainbow and this feeling has continued till his adulthood as well. That is, as an adult, he felt the same joy in spotting a rainbow as he felt in his childhood.

“The child is father of the man” is the most important line used by Wordsworth in the poem. What he tries to convey is, that the qualities one inculcates as a child, or the preferences and all stay with the person throughout life. In this sense adulthood is nothing but only a face change version of childhood. It can thus be construed that thoughts and ideas of a man are inherited from his own childhood; therefore, it could be rightly said that “the child is father of the man”.

There have been several interpretations of the phrase ‘the child is father of the man’, by philosophers and poets around the world. The most popular interpretation, however, is that the qualities of a man are inculcated in his childhood. A child is the father of the man because childhood comes before manhood and the latter is only a progressive stage of the former.

Childhood-Manhood Relation

The real meaning of the phrase could be better understood by understanding the psychological connection between childhood and manhood. It is most likely that a man has carried his present thought, beliefs, and psychology from his childhood.

If as a child you had a particular affinity towards, say, nature, and then it is likely with all possibility that you will carry this affinity towards nature till you become a man and also till you died. This is the same logic that William Wordsworth tried to convey through his poem.

All in all, the phrase “The child is father of the man” states that a man is only a physically improved version of a child, while things large remain the same from the psychological point of view.

Conclusion

Today, the phrase “The child is father of the man” is used extensively in several contexts. It is widely quoted by writers, thinkers and even common persons from time to time. The main message of the phrase is that, in his heart, every man remains a child. It is from childhood that a man inherits his present preferences and psychology. Philosophically, a child is the origin of a man as well as the starting point of his psychological heritage; in other words – the child is indeed the father of the man.

Essay on Child is Father of the Man

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions on Child is Father of the Man

Q.1 Which poem does this proverb belongs to?

Ans. The proverb belongs to the poem “My heart leaps up” composed by William Wordsworth.

Q.2 How can a child become the father of man?

Ans. The child grows to become an adult person and therefore qualities inculcated during childhood are carried on till last breath.

Q.3 What made Wordsworth say ‘Child is the father of man’?

Ans. The joy he felt after seeing the rainbow during his childhood was felt in adulthood too that made him write the line ‘Child is the father of the man’.

Q.4 Is the poem “My heart leaps up” the shortest creation of Wordsworth?

Ans. Yes, and it consists of only 9 lines forming the shortest poem of his creativity.

Q.5 What does ‘Child is the father of the man’ signify?

Ans. The Child is the father of man signifies that whatever we are taught in childhood is depicted when we grow into adults. Every child must be given good values and teachings.

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