Summary And Analysis of Television by Roald Dahl

Here is a Summary And Analysis of Television by Roald Dahl. This would provide learners with a proper detail of the poem to comprehend it properly.

Summary of Television by Roald Dahl

“Television” by Roald Dahl is a poem that expresses the author’s disdain for the effects of television on society. The poem describes the way in which people are mesmerized by the television, neglecting their responsibilities and relationships in favor of watching it.

Here the poem also highlights the negative impact of television on children, suggesting that it promotes laziness and a lack of imagination.

The poem concludes with the line “Turn off your television set. It’s ruining your home.” suggesting that the reader should turn off the television in order to improve their life.

Summary of Television Lines-1-11

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set -
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.

The poem “Television” by Roald Dahl highlights the negative impact of television on children. The author suggests that the most important thing that should be learned, especially when it comes to children, is to never let them near a television set or better yet, not to install it at all.

The poem describes the way in which children become mesmerized by the television, lolling, slopping, lounging and staring at the screen until their eyes pop out.

The author is conveying the message that television is detrimental to the development and well-being of children.

Summary of Television Lines-11-20

(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,

In these lines of the poem “Television” by Roald Dahl, the author describes the negative effects of television on children and how it can hypnotize them.

The author mentions that in someone’s house, they saw a dozen eyeballs on the floor, which is a way to show how children’s eyes are glued to the TV.

The children are sitting and staring at the screen and becoming hypnotized by it, becoming drunk with the “shocking ghastly junk” that is on the TV.

The author also points out that while the TV may keep children still and prevent them from climbing out of the window or fighting and kicking, it is not a positive outcome for the children.

Summary of Television Lines-21-34

They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink -
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK - HE ONLY SEES!

The poem “Television” by Roald critiques the effects of television on children, suggesting that it rots their sense, kills their imagination, clogs and clutters their mind, makes them dull and blind, and hinders their ability to understand fantasy and fairyland.

The speaker argues that television causes children’s brains to become soft like cheese, their powers of thinking to rust and freeze, and they can no longer think, they only see.

Summary of Television Lines-34-44

'All right! ' you'll cry. 'All right! ' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain! '
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented? '
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:

The poem “Television” by Roald continues to critique the negative impact of television on children and addresses the counterargument that television is necessary for entertaining children. The speaker presents the hypothetical response of parents who argue that without television, they wouldn’t know how to entertain their children.

The speaker then asks the parents to remember how their children used to entertain themselves before television was invented and reminds them that children used to find entertainment through their own imagination and creativity.

The poem ends with the statement that the speaker will remind the parents in a very loud and slow manner, suggesting that the message is important and should not be ignored. Overall, the poem argues that television is not necessary for children’s entertainment and that it hinders their imagination and intellectual development.

Summary of Television Lines-45-56

THEY... USED... TO... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

The poem “Television” by Roald suggests that before television was invented, children used to spend a lot of time reading books. The speaker emphasizes this point by repeating the phrase “They… used… to… read!” and then goes on to say that children would read a lot of books and that half of their lives were spent reading.

And the speaker paints a picture of a nursery and bedroom cluttered with books, and the nursery shelves overflowing with books. The speaker also mentions the types of books that children used to read such as tales of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales, treasure isles and distant shores.

The imagery used in these lines emphasizes the richness and variety of the literature children used to have access to, and the richness of their imagination it would have fostered.

The poem suggests that before television, children had access to a wide range of literature that would have helped them to develop their imagination and creativity.

Summary of Television Lines-57-70

And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-

The poem “Television” by Roald continues to reminisce about the types of literature that children used to read before television was invented. The speaker lists a variety of books that children used to read, such as tales of pirates wearing purple pants, sailing ships, elephants and cannibals.

Here we find the speaker uses vivid imagery to describe the books and the stories they contained. The speaker also mentions Beatrix Potter’s books such as Mr. Tod, Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and others.

The speaker also lists other classic books like “Just How The Camel Got His Hump” and “How the Monkey Lost His Rump” and mentions Mr. Toad, Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole.

The poem suggests that before television, children had access to a wide range of literature that would have helped them to develop their imagination and creativity, and it was a rich and diverse selection of books that children used to read.

Summary of Television Lines-71-80

Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-

The poem “Television” by Roald concludes by urging parents to throw away their TV sets and replace them with bookshelves filled with books.

The speaker reflects on the vast knowledge that children used to have when they read books and how different it is from the limited exposure children have to literature when they watch television.

The poem encourages parents to prioritize literature and reading for their children, despite the difficulty and resistance they may encounter from their children.

And the poem ends with the imagery of children hitting their parents with sticks, suggesting the resistance and frustration they may have when first being asked to give up TV and read books, but ultimately emphasizing the importance of reading and literature in the development of children’s imagination and intellectual development.

The poem highlights the importance of books and the wealth of knowledge, entertainment and imagination they can provide, instead of the limited exposure children get from watching Television.

Summary of Television Lines-81-94

Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start - oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

The poem “Television” by Roald concludes by assuring parents that if they throw away their TV sets and replace them with bookshelves filled with books, their children will eventually start to feel the need for reading. The poem promises that within a week or two of not having television, children will become eager to read.

The speaker notes that once children start reading, they will experience a growing joy and appreciate the books more than the TV. The poem emphasizes that children will eventually come to realize the benefits of reading and the limited exposure they have from watching TV.

Here the poem suggests that the children will appreciate the parents more for what they did, and the parents will be seen as heroes in the eyes of their children.

The poem concludes by urging parents to prioritize literature and reading for their children, as it will greatly benefit their intellectual and imaginative development.