Write the explanation of the essay entitled "Dream Children".

Write the explanation of the essay entitled “Dream Children”. (Part-2)

Ans.

Explanations

(6) Then I told……………baits of children.

Reference to the Context: These lines presenting goodness of great grandmother’s Field and Lamb’s experience of spending holidays, have been extracted from the essay entitled Dream Children: A Reverie, written by Charles Lamb.

Here Lamb tells his dream children that their great grandmother Field loved all her grandchildren very much. She felt very happy to see them at her house during holidays. Here Lamb depicts how he enjoyed holidays to his grandmother.

Explanation: Lamb told his dream children that great grandmother Field invited them at her house during holidays. She expressed her unbounded love for her grand children. Lamb often passed his holidays there. He often wandered about the house for hours, all alone. He gazed upon the old busts of the twelve Caesars that had been Emperors of Rome, till they seemed to be living again or he to be turned into marble with them. He was never tired of roaming in the vast empty rooms. He liked to walk in the huge gardens. While roaming about in the gardens, he always remained alone. Sometimes he met an odd gardener. There were many fruit trees in the garden such as peaches and nectarines, but Lamb never tried to pluck them under temptation. His grandmother did not allow him to pluck any of the fruits just as Adam and Eve were forbidden by God to eat fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though Adam and Eve disobeyed God. but Lamb never went against the command of his grandmother. Lamb sometimes enjoyed to lie down on the soft green grass and smelt sweet fragrance pervaded in the atmosphere. Sometimes he got into the gardens of orange and lime trees and enjoyed pleasure-giving teat of the sun there. He enjoyed basking the sun until he himself felt ripened like limes and oranges growing there. Sometimes he looked into the fish-pond which was situated at the lowest level of the garden. He enjoyed the sight of small fresh water fish sporting in the fish-pond. Sometimes he looked at the big pipe who, in silent state, gazed at the purposeless and frivolous movements of the dance with great contempt and anger. Due to being a big fish, it maintained its dignity by not participating in their gambols. Due to being busy in his childish past times, he was never tempted by the sweet fragrance of the fruits.

Critical Comments: 1. The twelve Caesars: The Roman emperors, from Julius Caesars to Domitian. ‘Caesar’ was their common title.

2. Forbidden fruit: It reminds one of the temptations of Adam and Eve who were ordered by God not to touch the forbidden fruit’ of tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

3. Busy idle: An oxymoron reminiscent of Horace’s strenua thertia which means energetic idleness. Lamb did nothing and yet engrossed in his trivial past times.

(7) Here John……………..most especially.

Reference to the Context: These lines presenting grandmother’s special affection for John Lamb and his different nature, have been extracted from the essay entitled Dream Children: A Reverie, written by Charles Lamb.

Here Lamb tells his dream children about their great uncle John Lamb.

Explanation: After telling about his grandmother Mary Field to his dream children, he tells them about his elder brother John Lamb in a more sentimental or emotional manner. Although grandmother Field was a very good and pious lady and showed her great fondness and love for all her grandchildren, yet she had a special affection for John Lamb. Its reason was that he was a more handsome and courageous youth than other children of the family. He had vigorous spirits. He did not like to wander in solitary places, but he liked a life of liberty and adventures. He did not want to remain confined at one place. When other children were roaming sullenly in solitary corners of the house or gardens, he would choose the most spirited horse and take round of half of the country in the morning. He was also great fond of hunting. He used to join hunting expeditions. Although he loved the great house and gardens, yet he escaped from the bounded life. When his brother grew up to manhood, he was so brave and handsome that all the persons appreciated his attractive personality, particularly his grandmother Mary Field.

Critical Comments: 1. Lamb’s being emotional while depicting about John Lamb.

2. Here Lamb shows his broad-heartedness in appreciating John Lamb whereas he (John Lamb) was entirely indifferent for him.

(8) And how…………….lame-footed.

Reference to the Context: These lines presenting Lamb’s recollections about his elder brother’s sympathetic and kind attitude for him (Lamb), have been extracted from the essay entitled Dream Children: A Reverie, written by Charles Lamb.

Here Lamb tells his dream children about the generous nature of their great uncle John Lamb who had been great kind and sympathetic during his foot-injury.

Explanation: Lamb told his dream children that their great uncle John was a man of great generous nature. He loved Charles Lamb very much. He looked after him in pain and suffering. Whenever he found Lamb in trouble, he gave him his helping hand. (Here Lamb mystifies the reader by calling John Lamb a kind and sympathetic whereas John was a man of stern nature. When Lamb and his family members fell in great trouble, he, instead of helping, left them supportless and went away from house.) When Lamb, in some accident, got injury in his leg and was incapable to move because of severe pain, he used to carry him for many miles on his back. But Lamb regretted to think that in after life John became lame footed and he could not help him. He did not look after him as much as John had done earlier.

Critical Comments: 1. Lamb’s great fondness of mystification when he tells about generous nature of John Lamb.

2. Lamb mystifies the reader when he tells that he helped him a lot during his foot injury.

3. In fact Charles Lamb had always been kind and affectionate towards his brother but John did not reciprocate in a befitting manner.

(9) And how when……………..limb.

Reference to the Context: These lines presenting Lamb’s recollections about his brother John’s death, have been extracted from the essay entitled Dream Children: A Reverie, written by Charles Lamb.

Here Lamb tells his dream children how he missed his elder brother John. After his death, he greatly longed for his kind and sympathetic nature.

Explanation: Lamb told his dream children about the death of his brother John. Although his death had occurred less than an hour back, yet it appeared to him as if centuries had passed since his brother’s died. Lamb wants to emphasis the vast difference between life and death. When a man dies, he belongs to the past. Thus, even a recent death gives rise to the impression that a long time has passed since one’s death. In the beginning he took his death quite courageously. He did not immediately break down But afterwards the thought of his brother’s death occurred to him again and again as if it were a troublesome ghost. Lamb feels that if his brother had died after him, he would have taken his death much more seriously than he had taken his brother. (In fact, here Lamb presents unreal facts about the nature of his elder brother John. He appreciates his brother’s love, generosity and sympathetic attitude. He claims that John was a loving brother and he was an embodiment of goodness. But John had never been good, kind and sympathetic for Lamb and the member of his family. He had entirely indifferent attitude towards Lamb and his family. He never thought to make welfare for his younger brother and any member of the family. He was selfish. He lived for his self-interest. Hence, Lamb mystifies the reader.) Lamb further says that after his death, he missed not only his good qualities but also his fits of peevishness and quarrels with him which used to occur not often. Lamb was as unhappy at the death of his brother as he had been when one of his limbs was amputated by the surgeon. (This is also entirely fictitious because no limb of his elder brother was amputated by the surgeon.)

Critical Comments: 1. Lamb’s great fondness of mystification.

2. The repetition of the verb ‘haunted’ indicates the persistent return of the feeling.

(10) Then I told……………..hair was.

Reference to the Context: These lines presenting an account of Lamb’s first love, Alice Winterton (Ann Simmons), have been extracted from the essay entitled Dream Children: A Reverie, written by Charles Lamb.

Here Lamb tells his dream children about their supposed mother, Alice Winterton or Ann Simmons (whom, in fact, he never married).

Explanation: Lamb, then began to tell his dream children about their pretty dead mother. He told them that he courted Alice Winterton for seven years with great patience. Indeed, it was a long period which he spent in hope and despair. Sometimes he was hopeful of winning her hand and sometimes he remained the victim of despair for fear of losing his love. Then he told the children as much as they could understand what shyness, denial and unwillingness to respond to love in maidens meant. As he was telling his experience of love affair with Alice Winterton, he suddenly felt that the eyes of Alice Winterton were gazing from the face of the little Alice, sitting before him. He found in the eyes of his daughter, Alice, a realistic reincarnation of her mother. Both his daughter and his late wife seemed to be standing right in front of him but so mixed up with each other that it became difficult for him to be sure to whom really the bright hair of his daughter belonged to his daughter or to his wife. Indeed it is a part of reverie.

Critical Comments: 1. For seven long years: Cf. Coleridge, Love:

“for ten long years he wooed

The lady of the land.”

2. Alice W-n: Alice Winterton the fictitious name under which goes Ann Simmons, Lamb’s early love. She is the same as Anna of his sonnets.