Write the explanation of the essay entitled "Dream Children

Write the explanation of the essay entitled “Dream Children: A Reverie”.

Ans.

EXPLANATIONS

(1) Children love to listen to stories about their elders, when they were children; to stretch their imagination to the conception of a traditionary great uncle, or grandame, whom they never saw.

Reference: These are the opening lines of the essay ‘Dream Children: A reverie.’ written by Charles Lamb.

Context:- In these lines Lamb tells us about children’s liking for listening about their elders. He presents before his dream children-Alice and John the pen-pictures of their great grand mother Field, their uncle John, and their mother Alice W-n (Ann Simmons).

Explanation:- the author gives us some idea of his understanding of child psychology, inspite of the fact that he could never become father Children always like to listen to the facts about their elders, when they (the elders). were children. They want to know the activities of their elders of that period when they themselves were young children. With the help of their imagination. they try to form an idea of a great uncle or grandmother about whom they often hear but whom they have never seen.

(2) Certain it is that the whole story of the children and their cruel uncle was to be seen fairly carved out in wood upon the chimney piece of the great hall, the whole story down to the Robin Redbreasts; till a foolish rich person pulled it down to set up a marble one of modern invention in its stead, with no story upon it. Here Alice put out one of her dear mother’s looks, too tender to be called upbraiding.

Reference :- These are the opening lines of the essay. ‘Dream Children A reverie,’ written by Charles Lamb, a famous essayist of the Romantic Age, also called the prince among essayists’.

Context:- In these lines Lamb visualizes that his two dream children Alice and John -come to him and request him to tell them about their great grand mother Field, who lived in a great house in Norfolk. The house was believed to have been the scene of the tragic murder of the two children of the wood.

Explanation:- Lamb tells his dream children that the whole story of the ‘children in the Wood’ was engraved in wood upon the chimney piece in the great hall. the story of the murder of the two children at the hands of their cruel uncle and the role of Robin Redbreasts could be seen, but a foolish rich man who purchased that house, replaced it with another marble chimney-piece of modern style, and the Carved story disappeared. When Alice heard this cruel story, she put on a contemptuous look. But it was not a chiding look. It was a reproachful look of an innocent child. It reminded Lamb of the girls dear mother who also used to put on such tender looks.

N.B.-Children in the Wood: The balled included in Percy’s ‘Reliques’. the story of this ballad is about two children whose father had left a vast property. They were given to the charge of their cruel and greedy uncle, who planned to usurp the property by murdering the children. he hired two murderers to kill them in a wood. But one of them, being more tender hearted, killed the other murderer, and then left the children in the wood. The children died and the Robin Redbreasts covered them with leaves. The wrath of God fell upon the wicked uncle who lost his sons and his property and died in jail.

(3) The I told how good she was to all her grand children, having us to the great house in the holidays, where I in particular used to spend many hours by myself, in gazing upon the old busts of the twelve Caesars, that had been Emperors of Rome, till the old marble heads would seem to live again, or I to be turned into marble with them.

Reference:- These are the opening lines of the essay ‘Dream Children: A reverie,’ written by Charles Lamb, a famous essayist of the Romantic Age, also called the prince among essayists’.

Context:- Lamb tells his dream children-Alice and John- that their great grand mother Field lived in a big house in Norfolk. She lived all by herself in that big house. She herself had seen the ghosts of two infants gliding up and down the staircase at midnight, but she was not afraid because she believed that those infants would do her no harm.

Explanation: In these lines Lamb tells his dream children-Alice and John about the good temperament of their great grandmother Field. She was very affectionate and kind to all her grandchildren. During holidays she would invite all of them to her great house in Norfolk. The house had all the attractions for the children. There were twelve busts of the Roman Emperors form Julius Caesar to Domitian. Lamb would go on gazing upon alive, or he felt that he himself had become lifeless like the statues there.

(4) I had more pleasure in these busy-idle diversions than in all the sweet flavours of peaches, nectarines, oranges, and such like common baits of children. Here John slyly deposited back upon the plate a bunch of grapes, which, not unobserved by Alice, he had meditated dividing with her, and both seemed willing to relinquish them for the present as irrelevant.

Reference :- These are the opening lines of the essay ‘Dream Children: A reverie, written by Charles Lamb, a famous essayist of the Romantic Age, also called the Prince among essayists.

Context:- Lamb describes to his imaginary children that he used to spend his time at the big palatial house where his grandmother Mrs. Field lived. He was very shy by nature, so he spent most of his time all by himself. He often wandered about the house for hours all alone. He would gaze upon the twelve statues of the Roman Emperors. He also used to stroll in the or chard adjoining the big house.

Explanation:- Lamb told his dream children that he used to spend hours in the beautiful orchard full of peaches, nectarines, oranges and such other fruits which were very tempting to the children. But Lamb had no interest in them; he never tried to pluck and eat them. At this point of the story, John had taken a bunch of grapes intending to share it with his sister Alice. But when Lamb told them that he had no interest in fruits of the garden, John was affected. He put down the grapes cunningly which he had taken. Lamb’s description shows that he was a keen observer of the children’s activities. He had understanding of child psychology. John was so much influenced by the story of Lamb’s childhood that he thought it better to leave the grapes for the present.

(5) I bore his death as I thought pretty well at first, but afterwards it haunted and haunted me; and though I did not cry or take it to heart as some do, and as I think he would have done it I had died, yet I missed him all day long, and knew not till then how much I had loved him.

Reference :- These are the opening lines of the essay ‘Dream Children: A reverie, written by Charles Lamb, a famous essayist of the Romantic Age, also called the prince among essayists.

Context:- In these lines Lamb tells his dream children-Alice and John about their uncle john Lamb. He was so brave, handsome, kind and considerate that all admired him very much. Great grandmother Mrs. Field loved all the children equally, but she had special affection for him. When Lamb had be come lame-foot, John Lamb was very considerate to him. Then John Lamb died.

Explanation :- When author’s elder brother John Lamb died, he thought that presently he had endured the shock of his death very well, but afterwards his memory haunted the writer very much again and again and again. The writer did not weep at the death of his brother or he did not take it serious by as others do on the death of their near and dears ones. Lamb also thought if he had died first, his john Lamb would have felt it very deeply. Yet, the author remembered his dead brother all the day and found that he had loved him very much.

(6) We are nothing: less than nothing, and dreams. we are only what might have been, and must wait upon the tedious shores of Lethe millions of ages before we have existence, and a name.

Reference :- These are the opening lines of the essay ‘Dream Children: A reverie, written by Charles Lamb, a famous essayist of the Romantic Age, also called the prince among essayists’.

Context:- Having told his dream children about their great grand mother Mrs. Field, uncle John Lamb and their mother Alice Winterton (Ann Simmons), Lamb began to stare at the face of Alice which resembled her mother. The dream children gradually grow fainter to the view. Though they spoke nothing, yet they seemed to be saying that they were not the children of Alice, and not of the author. They were not children at all. The children of Alice Winterton called bartrum their father.

Explanation:- (A though Charles had courted Alice for seven long years, he could not succeed in marrying her. She was married to bartrum, a pawnbroker of London.) Now the dream children seemed to be saying that they were nothing less than nothing. They were only dreams. If lamb had succeeded in marrying Alice, they would have been their real children. They further told Lamb that they had to wait for millions of ages on the tiresome banks of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. Only after that they would be able to get existence and a name.

N. B.-Lethe: In Greek mythology Lethe is the river of forgetfulness. After death, the soul passes through this river. One who drinks its water forgets one’s past life.