Dream-Children: ISC Class 11 Modern English solutions
Get summay, questions, answers, solutions, MCQs, notes, extras, PDF, competency-based questions of Charles Lamb’s essay Dream-Children: ISC Class 11 Modern English (Goyal Brothers Workbook: Full name “Dream-Children: A Reverie”), which is part of the present syllabus. These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
The essay “Dream-Children: A Reverie” is about a man named Elia who is daydreaming. He imagines he has two children, John and Alice, and tells them stories about their family. He begins with their great-grandmother Field, a kind and religious woman who took care of a very large, old house in Norfolk. Though she did not own the house, she was respected by everyone. The house had a wooden chimney-piece with a story carved on it, but a new owner replaced it with a plain marble one. The narrator remembers his great-grandmother was a graceful dancer in her youth before a disease made her weak. She was not afraid of the ghosts of two infants said to haunt the house.
The narrator then shares memories of his own childhood spent at the great house. He loved wandering through its big, empty rooms and gardens. He found more joy in the quiet atmosphere and old statues than in picking the forbidden fruit. He also tells his children about their uncle, John L., his brother. John was handsome, spirited, and brave. He was their great-grandmother’s favorite. John was very kind to the narrator, often carrying him on his back for miles when he was a lame-footed boy. The narrator feels sad that he did not always appreciate his brother enough, especially after John also became lame-footed later in life. He misses his brother very much since his death.
As he speaks, the narrator looks at his daughter, Alice, and sees the face of a woman he once loved for seven years, also named Alice. He begins to tell his children about her, but they start to fade away. They tell him that they are not his children or the children of Alice. They say, “We are only what might have been.” This means they are just a dream of a life the narrator wished for but never had.
He suddenly wakes up and finds himself in his bachelor armchair. His sister, Bridget, is beside him, but his children are gone because they were never real. The story is about looking back at the past with fondness, a feeling called nostalgia. It also explores feelings of loss for people who have died and regret for dreams that did not come true. The decaying house is a metaphor for how time passes and memories fade. The dream-children are a metaphor for the narrator’s unfulfilled desire for a family.
Workbook solutions
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What was the name of the narrator’s great-grandmother who lived in the great house?
(a) Lady C.
(b) Alice W–n
(c) Mrs. Field
(d) Lady Macbeth
Answer: (c) Mrs. Field
2. Why does Lamb’s great-grandmother continue to live in the great house even though she does not own it?
(a) She was secretly the heir to the property.
(b) The owner allowed her to manage it while he lived elsewhere.
(c) She inherited it from her ancestors.
(d) She had purchased the house from the owner
Answer: (b) The owner allowed her to manage it while he lived elsewhere.
3. What does the description of the decaying great house symbolise in the essay?
(a) The inevitability of ageing and the passage of time
(b) The negligence of the aristocracy
(c) The decline of religious devotion in society
(d) The Industrial Revolution’s impact on old buildings
Answer: (a) The inevitability of ageing and the passage of time
4. Which figure of speech is employed in the following sentence from Dream-Children: A Reverie? “The old marble heads would seem to live again, or I to be turned into marble with them.”
(a) Metaphor
(b) Simile
(c) Personification
(d) Hyperbole
Answer: (c) Personification
5. How does Charles Lamb depict his childhood in the essay?
(a) As a time of hardship and struggle
(b) As a mix of solitude, imagination, and admiration for the past
(c) As an entirely joyful and carefree period
(d) As a time filled with strict discipline and restraint
Answer: (b) As a mix of solitude, imagination, and admiration for the past
6. What does the presence of the imaginary children at the end of the essay indicate?
(a) The narrator’s belief in the supernatural
(b) The blurred line between reality and imagination in human emotions
(c) A literal haunting of the great house
(d) A warning from the spirits about his future
Answer: (b) The blurred line between reality and imagination in human emotions
7. What was the narrator’s relationship with his brother, John L.?
(a) They were rivals who disliked each other.
(b) They shared a close bond but had conflicts.
(c) They were indifferent to each other.
(d) John L. was much younger and idolised the narrator.
Answer: (b) They shared a close bond but had conflicts.
8. What does the narrator’s statement, “We are only what might have been” reveal about the children?
(a) They are imaginary figures representing lost dreams.
(b) They are ghosts of his past siblings.
(c) They represent his own lost childhood.
(d) They are the children of his late wife.
Answer: (a) They are imaginary figures representing lost dreams.
9. What is the central theme of Dream-Children: A Reverie?
(a) The supernatural world’s influence on human life
(b) The unavoidable impact of industrialization
(c) Nostalgia, loss, and the contrast between reality and imagination
(d) The importance of social status in the 19th century
Answer: (c) Nostalgia, loss, and the contrast between reality and imagination
10. Read the two statements given below and select the appropriate relation between them.
Statement A: The narrator’s children slowly fade away at the end of the essay, revealing them to be figments of his imagination.
Statement B: The narrator awakens alone in his chair, realizing he has never had children and is still a bachelor.
(a) Statement B is similar to Statement A.
(b) Statement B is a condition for Statement A.
(c) Statement B is the reason for Statement A.
(d) Statement B is the result of Statement A.
Answer: (d) Statement B is the result of Statement A.
11. Read the two statements given below and select the appropriate relation between them.
Statement A: The narrator was deeply attached to his brother John L., who took care of him when he was lame-footed.
Statement B: The narrator regrets not making enough allowances for John L. when he too became lame later in life.
(a) Statement B is similar to Statement A.
(b) Statement B is a condition for Statement A.
(c) Statement B is the reason for Statement A.
(d) Statement B is the result of Statement A.
Answer: (d) Statement B is the result of Statement A.
12. Read the two statements given below and select the appropriate relation between them.
Statement A: The narrator vividly recalls the grandeur of the great house with its carved chimney-piece, vast empty rooms, and fruit gardens.
Statement B: The narrator’s present reality contrasts with his memories, as the house has now decayed and lost its former beauty.
(a) Statement B is similar to Statement A.
(b) Statement B is a condition for Statement A.
(c) Statement B is the reason for Statement A.
(d) Statement B is the result of Statement A.
Answer: (c) Statement B is the reason for Statement A.
Fill the blanks/Complete Sentences
1. The narrator describes his grandmother Field as a religious and kind woman because ______
Answer: she was beloved and respected by everyone in the neighborhood, knew the entire Psaltery by heart, and her funeral was attended by a large crowd of both the poor and the gentry who came to honor her memory.
2. The great house was once filled with grandeur but later fell into decay because ______
Answer: its owner preferred to live in a newer, more fashionable house and, after the great-grandmother’s death, he neglected the old mansion, stripping it of its ornaments and allowing it to fall into ruin.
3. The narrator’s childhood experiences in the great house seem more vibrant than his present reality because ______
Answer: they are idealized memories from a nostalgic daydream, filled with imagination and wonder, which stand in stark contrast to the loneliness of his current life as a bachelor.
4. The carved chimney-piece in the great hall was important to the narrator because ______
Answer: it depicted the entire tragic story of the “Children in the Wood,” connecting the house to history and folklore, whereas the modern marble replacement that a “foolish rich person” installed had no story on it at all.
5. The narrator regrets not appreciating his brother John L. more when he was alive because ______
Answer: he only realized the full depth of his love for John after his death and felt he had not been considerate enough when his brother was in pain, especially remembering how kind John had been to him as a lame-footed boy.
6. The children in the essay fade away at the end because ______
Answer: they are not real but are “dream-children,” imaginary figures from a life the narrator wishes he had, and their disappearance marks his waking from the reverie back to his solitary reality.
7. The busts of the Twelve Caesars fascinated the narrator as a child because ______
Answer: in his solitude and with his powerful imagination, he would gaze at them for hours until the old marble heads seemed to come alive, allowing him to feel a direct and vivid connection to the grand figures of the past.
8. The narrator chooses to recall his childhood memories through a dream rather than direct narration because ______
Answer: the reverie allows him to blend past memories with unfulfilled desires, creating a comforting space where he can imagine the family he never had and process the real-life losses of his brother and his love, Alice.
9. The presence of fruit in the garden that the narrator never plucked is symbolic because ______
Answer: it demonstrates his preference for imaginative and contemplative pleasures over simple, material ones; he found more joy in the atmosphere of the garden and his own thoughts than in the “common baits of children” like peaches and nectarines.
10. The narrator’s comparison of the great house’s old decorations to tombs in Lady C.’s drawing-room is significant because ______
Answer: it emphasizes that historical artifacts lose their dignity and meaning when stripped from their proper context, suggesting that their value is tied to their heritage, which cannot be replicated in a “tawdry” modern setting.
11. The phrase “We are only what might have been” is important in the essay because ______
Answer: it is the moment the central truth of the reverie is revealed, confirming that the children are manifestations of the narrator’s unfulfilled dreams and regrets, particularly his failure to marry Alice and have a family.
12. The narrator’s realization that Alice’s children are not real affects the tone of the essay because ______
Answer: it shifts the tone sharply from one of tender, sweet nostalgia to one of profound melancholy and loneliness, underscoring the painful contrast between the imagined happiness of the dream and the stark reality of his bachelor armchair.
13. The funeral of the narrator’s great-grandmother was attended by many because ______
Answer: she had been such a good, religious, and respected woman that people from all social classes, including the local gentry and “all the poor,” traveled for miles to attend and show their respect for her memory.
14. The old house losing its grandeur over time serves as a metaphor because ______
Answer: its physical decay and neglect mirror the abstract themes of the passage of time, the fading of memories, and the loss of the narrator’s loved ones, such as his grandmother and brother.
15. The narrator’s dream-like experience in the essay reflects his deepest regrets because ______
Answer: the dream is constructed entirely from the people and experiences he longs for in his waking life: a family with his lost love, Alice, and a renewed connection with his deceased brother, John.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Why was the great-grandmother Field so respected by the local people? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) Her religious devotion and kind nature.
(b) The way she cared for the great house.
Answer: Great-grandmother Field was beloved and respected by everybody because she was a very good and religious woman. Her religious devotion was well-known, and at her funeral, everyone praised her faith, as she could recite all the Psaltery and a great part of the Testament from memory. She was seen as a kind and loving figure, respected by both the poor and the gentry of the neighborhood for many miles round, which was shown by the large crowd that attended her funeral to show respect for her memory.
She was also respected for the way she cared for the great house in Norfolk. Although she was not the owner and only had charge of it, she lived in the house and kept up its dignity as if it had been her own. She continued to maintain the dignity of the house even in her old age when it was beginning to fall into decay. Her responsible and dignified care for the property earned her the admiration of all.
2. How does the narrator describe his childhood experiences in the great house? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) His fascination with the grand architecture and decorations.
(b) His sense of wonder and imagination.
Answer: The narrator describes his childhood experiences in the great house as a time of solitary wonder and imagination. He was fascinated with the grand decorations and architecture, spending many hours by himself gazing upon the old marble busts of the Twelve Caesars, the former Emperors of Rome. He would stare at them for so long that the old marble heads would seem to live again, or he would feel himself turning into marble with them. He was never tired of roaming about the huge mansion, with its vast empty rooms, worn-out hangings, fluttering tapestry, and carved oaken panels.
His sense of wonder extended to the gardens, where he found more pleasure in what he called busy-idle diversions than in eating fruit. He enjoyed strolling among the old yew trees, picking up red berries and fir apples, lying on the fresh grass, or basking in the orangery, where he would fancy himself ripening with the oranges and limes. He would also watch the dace darting in the fishpond, finding these simple activities more satisfying than the common baits of children.
3. What is the symbolic significance of the river Lethe in the essay ‘Dream-Children’? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details: (a) Their representation of history and permanence. (b) Their contrast with the fleeting nature of human life.
Answer: The river Lethe, from Greek mythology, is known as the river of forgetfulness in the underworld. Its symbolic significance in the essay is tied to the unreality and non-existence of the dream-children. When the children fade away, they explain that they are not real children of Alice or the narrator, but are only what might have been. They state that they must wait upon the tedious shores of Lethe for millions of ages before they can gain existence and a name.
This allusion to Lethe clarifies that the children are mere figments of the narrator’s daydream, not beings with a place in history or any kind of permanence. Their fate is to return to a state of oblivion and be forgotten, which contrasts with the tangible, though fleeting, nature of real human life. The river symbolizes the boundary between the narrator’s lonely reality and his imagined world of happiness, a world that must dissolve back into nothingness.
4. Why does the narrator regret his treatment of his brother, John L.? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) John’s past kindness and care.
(b) The narrator’s realization of his own shortcomings.
Answer: The narrator’s regret stems from his failure to fully appreciate his brother John’s past kindness and care. He recalls with fondness how John, who was handsome, spirited, and a good bit older, used to carry him on his back for many a mile when he was a lame-footed boy and could not walk because of pain. John was a hero to the narrator and was always kind and considerate to him during his childhood ailment.
The narrator’s realization of his own shortcomings came later in life when his brother John also became lame-footed. The narrator confesses, with regret, that he did not always make enough allowances for John when he was impatient and in pain. He feels he did not sufficiently remember how considerate John had been to him under similar circumstances. This feeling of guilt for not reciprocating the kindness he had received and not appreciating his brother enough while he was alive is the source of his sorrow after John’s death.
5. Why does the narrator describe his grandmother Field with such reverence? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) Her strong moral character and religious devotion.
(b) The respect she commanded in the community.
Answer: The narrator describes his great-grandmother Field with reverence because she is remembered as a kind, religious, and respectable woman who represents goodness, selflessness, and piety.
Her strong moral character and religious devotion were evident to all. She was a good and religious woman who knew all the Psaltery by heart and a great part of the Testament besides. Even when a cruel disease, cancer, bowed her down with pain, it could never bend her good spirits or make them stoop; they were still upright because she was so good and religious.
She commanded great respect in her community from both the rich and the poor. Though she was not the mistress of the great house but only had charge of it, she kept up its dignity as if it were her own. When she died, her funeral was attended by a concourse of all the poor and some of the gentry from many miles around, who came to show their respect for her memory.
6. How does the narrator contrast the past and present state of the great house? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) The grandeur of the house during his childhood.
(b) The current state of decay and loss of heritage.
Answer: The narrator contrasts the past and present state of the great house by showing its journey from a place of grandeur and history to one of decay and neglect.
In the past, the house was a grand and huge mansion, a hundred times bigger than the one the narrator lived in. It was full of history, with vast empty rooms, worn-out hangings, fluttering tapestry, and carved oaken panels. A significant feature was the wooden chimney-piece in the great hall, which had the whole story of the Children in the Wood carved upon it.
The current state of the house is one of decay and loss. The house afterward came to decay and was nearly pulled down. Its heritage was lost when a foolish rich person pulled down the carved chimney-piece and set up a modern marble one with no story upon it. All the old ornaments were stripped and carried away to the owner’s other house, where they looked awkward, symbolizing how the passage of time erases even the important past.
7. What is the significance of the narrator’s memories of his brother, John L.? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) John’s kindness and support during childhood.
(b) The narrator’s regret for not appreciating him enough.
Answer: The narrator’s memories of his brother, John L., are significant because they reveal a deep bond of love and kindness, which is now tinged with the narrator’s sorrow and regret after his brother’s death.
John was a handsome and spirited youth, and he showed great kindness and support to the narrator during childhood. The narrator recalls how John, who was a good bit older, used to carry him on his back for many a mile when he was a lame-footed boy and could not walk for pain. John was a hero in the narrator’s eyes, admired by everyone.
The narrator’s regret stems from not appreciating his brother enough while he was alive. He reflects on how he did not always make sufficient allowances for John when he, too, became lame-footed later in life and was impatient with pain. It was only after John’s death that the narrator knew how much he had loved him, and he missed both his kindness and his crossness, wishing him to be alive again.
8. Why does the narrator experience deep longing and regret at the end of the essay? Write the answer in about 100-150 words, incorporating the following details:
(a) His realization that Alice’s children were never real.
(b) The contrast between imagined happiness and real loneliness.
Answer: The narrator experiences deep longing and regret at the end of the essay because his beautiful daydream of family life is shattered, forcing him to confront his lonely reality and unfulfilled desires.
His realization that the children were never real comes when they begin to fade away from his view. They speak to him, saying, “We are not of Alice, nor of thee, nor are we children at all… We are only what might have been.” This reveals that the children, John and Alice, were just a part of his daydream, imaginary figures representing lost dreams.
This realization creates a stark contrast between the imagined happiness of his reverie and his actual life. He awakens from his dream to find himself quietly seated in his bachelor armchair, all alone. The warmth of his imagined family is replaced by the cold reality of his loneliness as a bachelor, with his love Alice married to another and his brother John L. gone forever. This gap between the life he dreamed of and the one he lives is the source of his longing and regret.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. “I found myself quietly seated in my bachelor armchair, where I had fallen asleep, with the faithful Bridget unchanged by my side.” What is the significance of this closing line in understanding the narrator’s life and choices? Write your answer in about 250 words.
Answer: The closing line of the essay is significant because it abruptly shifts the narrative from a dream to the narrator’s reality, revealing much about his life and choices. The line confirms that the entire preceding narrative, including the conversation with his children, John and Alice, was a reverie or daydream. The children, who represent his unfulfilled desires for a family, fade away, leaving him in his actual state.
The “bachelor armchair” is a symbolic reference to his loneliness and unmarried life. It signifies the reality of his choice, or perhaps his failure, to marry Alice W–n, the woman he courted for seven years. The dream of a life with her and their children was a temporary comfort, but the armchair represents the solitary life he actually leads. This highlights his regret and the missed opportunities that haunt his waking thoughts.
In contrast to the imaginary children, the “faithful Bridget” represents the constant and real presence in his life. Bridget, based on Lamb’s real-life sister Mary, is described as “unchanged,” signifying loyalty, love, and stability. While his brother John is gone and his dream-children were never real, Bridget remains a steadfast companion. This juxtaposition shows that while the narrator’s life is marked by loss and unfulfilled dreams, it is not entirely devoid of love and companionship. The line, therefore, encapsulates the narrator’s existence: a bachelor living with his memories, his regrets, and the unwavering presence of his devoted sister.
2. How does the decay of the great house reflect the passage of time in Dream-Children: A Reverie? Write your answer in about 250 words.
Answer: The decay of the great house in Norfolk serves as a powerful reflection of the passage of time and its inevitable consequences. The house, which represents the narrator’s childhood, heritage, and past, is described in two contrasting states. In the narrator’s memory, it was a place of grandness and history, most notably featuring a wooden chimney-piece carved with the story of the “Children in the Wood.” This represented a connection to tradition and a storied past.
However, as time passed, the house fell into decay. The narrator describes its “vast empty rooms,” “worn-out hangings,” “fluttering tapestry,” and “gilding almost rubbed out.” Eventually, the house was neglected, nearly pulled down, and its old ornaments were stripped away. The historical chimney-piece was replaced by a “marble one of modern invention” with “no story upon it.” This physical deterioration symbolizes how the passage of time erases things, including history, beauty, and heritage. The house is no longer the same as it was in the narrator’s childhood, showing how time alters and diminishes even the most significant places.
The decay of the house also functions as a metaphor for fading memories and the process of aging. The empty rooms suggest loneliness and loss, while the worn-out decorations mirror how memories can become weak and fade over time. The house’s decline from a grand and lively place to a decaying, neglected structure directly parallels the changes in the narrator’s own life, from the vitality of youth to a present filled with loss and nostalgia.
3. What role does memory play in the narrator’s reflections on his past in Dream-Children: A Reverie? Write your answer in about 250 words.
Answer: Memory plays a central role in the narrator’s reflections, serving as the very foundation of the essay. The entire narrative is a product of the narrator, Elia, reminiscing about his past and shaping these recollections into a story for his imaginary children. Memory in the essay is not a simple recall of facts but a complex force that brings both comfort and pain.
On one hand, memory is a source of comfort and fondness. The narrator looks back at his childhood spent at the great house with a sense of nostalgia, idealizing the past. He remembers his great-grandmother Field with love and respect, and his brother John as a handsome and spirited youth. These memories of people and places he loved are precious to him, providing a sweet connection to a time of happiness and innocence.
On the other hand, memory is also a source of sorrow and regret. The recollection of his brother John’s death is marked by sadness and the guilt of not having appreciated him enough while he was alive. Similarly, the memory of his lost love, Alice W–n, whom he courted but never married, is filled with a sense of unfulfilled desire and missed opportunity. These memories are painful because they remind him of what has been lost and what might have been. The entire reverie is an act of engaging with these memories, allowing the narrator to process his feelings of love, loss, and longing. Thus, memory is the mechanism through which he confronts his past and constructs the dream-like reality of the essay.
4. How does the imagery of the garden contribute to the narrator’s sense of nostalgia? Write your answer in about 250 words.
Answer: The imagery of the garden in the essay is central to the narrator’s sense of nostalgia, as it represents an idyllic and contemplative childhood that he longs for. The narrator recalls the “spacious old-fashioned gardens” as a place of solitude and imagination, a personal sanctuary where he was “almost to myself”. This solitude was not lonely but filled with what he calls “busy-idle diversions”.
The specific images he describes contribute to this nostalgic feeling. He remembers strolling among “old melancholy-looking yew trees, or the firs” and picking up berries and fir apples that were “good for nothing but to look at”. This detail shows his preference for quiet observation over material gain, a characteristic of his reflective nature. He found more pleasure in these simple activities than in eating the “nectarines and peaches” on the walls, which he considered “common baits of children”. This contrast shows that his joy came from the experience and the atmosphere of the garden, not from simple gratification. The sensory details of lying on the “fresh grass, with all the fine garden smells” or “basking in the orangery” create a vivid picture of peaceful contentment. The garden, with its quiet corners, forbidden fruits, and gentle activities, becomes a symbol of his lost innocence and a time of imaginative freedom. The fond memories of the garden reflect the narrator’s wish to relive this past, making it a powerful source of his nostalgia.
5. How does Lamb use the dream-like setting in Dream-Children: A Reverie to emphasise the themes of memory, regret, and loss? Write your answer in about 250 words.
Answer: Charles Lamb uses the dream-like setting of the reverie as a framework to explore the themes of memory, regret, and loss. The entire narrative is a daydream, allowing the narrator to blend past memories with imagined realities, which makes the feelings of loss and regret more immediate.
The dream allows memory to become an active experience. The narrator does not simply remember his great-grandmother Field and his brother John L.; he brings them to life by telling their stories to his imaginary children, Alice and John. This act of narration within a dream makes the past feel present and tangible.
The setting is most powerful in illustrating regret and unfulfilled desires, particularly concerning his lost love, Alice W–n. The “dream-children” themselves are the ultimate symbols of this regret—they are “what might have been.” The dream allows him to experience the fatherhood he never had. This imagined happiness, however, is fragile. When he sees the “soul of the first Alice” in his daughter’s eyes, the dream begins to collapse, showing that the pain of his loss is inescapable.
Finally, the dream-like state makes the theme of loss starkly clear. The children’s fading forms and their words, “We are nothing; less than nothing, and dreams,” shatter the illusion. The narrator awakens to the cold reality of his “bachelor armchair,” with his brother John L. “gone forever.” The dream provides a temporary comfort but ultimately serves to highlight the permanence of his losses and the deep sorrow of his lonely reality, making the contrast between his imagined life and his real one all the more moving.
Extras/additionals
MCQs: Knowledge-based
1: In which county was the great house where the great-grandmother lived located?
A. Suffolk
B. Cambridge
C. Norfolk
D. Essex
Answer: C. Norfolk
28: The narrator’s name for himself in the essay is __________.
A. Charles
B. Lamb
C. Elia
D. Bartrum
Answer: C. Elia
MCQs: Competency-based
29: (I) The narrator feels a profound sense of loss and loneliness at the end of the essay.
(II) His dream-children fade away, stating they are not his and belong to another man.
A. II is the cause of I.
B. I is the cause of II.
C. I and II are contradictory.
D. I and II are unrelated statements.
Answer: A. II is the cause of I.
40: The final revelation that the children are “what might have been” establishes the entire narrative as a(n):
A. Allegory of lost dreams
B. Historical fiction
C. Satirical critique
D. Gothic horror story
Answer: A. Allegory of lost dreams
Questions and Answers
1. Why is the title ‘Dream-Children: A Reverie’ central to understanding the essay? You are required to answer in 100-150 words by incorporating the following details:
- The meaning of the word ‘reverie’ and its connection to daydreaming.
- The imaginary nature of the children, John and Alice.
Answer: The title ‘Dream-Children: A Reverie’ is central to understanding the essay because it immediately explains the nature of the narrative. The word ‘reverie’ means daydream, which tells us that the narrator, Elia, is not describing a real event but is lost in a deeply personal daydream. This framing device allows him to explore memories and feelings that might otherwise be too difficult to confront directly.
The title also clarifies that the children in the story are not real. They are ‘dream-children’, products of the narrator’s imagination. The entire scene of him telling stories is a fabrication of his mind. Therefore, the title reveals that the essay is about Elia daydreaming of telling stories to his imaginary children, John and Alice, which sets the stage for the themes of memory, loss, and unfulfilled wishes.
31. How does the narrator’s relationship with his brother John change after John’s death? You are required to answer in 100-150 words by incorporating the following details:
- The narrator’s initial lack of tears.
- His later realization of deep love and regret.
Answer: When his brother John died, the narrator “bore his death as I thought pretty well at first,” and he “did not cry or take it to heart as some do.” This initial lack of tears did not mean he was not sad, but that the full weight of the loss took time to settle in.
Afterward, the grief “haunted and haunted me,” and he “knew not till then how much I had loved him.” He realized he missed everything about his brother, including his “kindness” and his “crossness.” He felt a deep sense of regret for not appreciating John enough when he was alive. His feelings changed from a quiet sadness to a strong sense of love and longing for his brother.
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