Television by Roald Dahl
Summary of Television by Roald Dahl
In this article, you will be reading Television Summary. It is one of the best poems written by the most prolific writer, well-known author of children named Roald Dahl. The author inspires and advises the youths to read books instead of watching the television. He explains that watching the television excessively blocks one’s power of imagination. Also, it has adverse effects on the health and creative powers of a child. Furthermore, it makes one dumb and blind. He emphasized reading more and more books so that they can discover and learn many new things. He says reading a way to add joy and fulfilment in life and to explore an exciting world.
Television Summary in English
The article Television Summary explains about the poem in brief. The poet begins with advice. He advises to not install the television in the home. He calls it an idiot thing. Throughout the poem, he attempts to answer the question as to why television is an idiot thing.
Then, he shares his experience where he has seen many children watching television with eyes wide open and full concentration. They do not care even on getting too tired of watching. They keep on watching television until their eyes pop out. Moreover, they become still for long hours. They even forget the real world. The one happening on the television becomes real for them.
Thus, they are almost captivated by this idiotic box. They are ‘drunk’, their minds are filled with those ‘shocking ghastly junk’ which are mostly artificial and unsuitable for the generation. Those TV shows kill their valuable time making them lazy too. They don’t find time for their physical play and exercise. Moreover, they find no time for books and nature, and to interact with others.
The poet says that television keeps the naughty children quiet as they don’t climb out the window sill, fight, kick or punch, and let mother free to cook food and wash the dishes. However, he adds, it cannot be a defence and let them sit in front of a TV. He understands that it does more damage than good.
Furthermore, the poet asks the parents if they exactly understand what are they doing with their lovely child. He answers the question himself. He tells that television damage their senses. A child becomes unaware of the real world. He takes whatever it shows as real. It kills his imagination power and creativity. A child views different shows with contradictory ideas. This, they get messed up in their thoughts.
Moreover, he is unable to utilise his time in thinking over other things as he is already messed up with the thoughts of the fictional world. He could not make efforts for the development of his personality thus making him dull and blind. Also, children fail to understand a fairy tale as they are captured by virtual reality. Also, their brain becomes soft as cheese. They could not think on their own. Their thought process freezes and gets rusty.
Now, he answers the question that parents would ask him as to how to keep their children engaged in the absence of TV. He answers that they should be motivated to read and read and read. He adds that children in earlier times used to read a lot. The nursery shelves were full of books. Also, books were scattered everywhere. Moreover, the poet talks about popular books on the adventure of his time. These included books of dragons, gipsies, Queens and many others. Also, the youth in earlier times used to read stories written by Helen Beatrix Potter. Some of his stories like ‘How the Camel got its hump’ and its characters are also mentioned.
The poet, thus, requests the parents to throw away the television set and install a bookshelf in its place. However, the children would resist the change by giving dirty looks, yelling, screaming or biting, yet, they should be overlooked.
The poet says that the children will have no option left but to read books in the absence of television. Then, slowly they would start finding joy and would even thank their parents in the future to fill them with knowledge and wisdom.
Conclusion of Television
The poem tells about the damages caused due to watching Television. Moreover, it focusses on the importance of reading books.
Television Question Answer
1. What important thing does the poet say about children and the television?
Ans: The poet despises television to the core. He considers them to be worthless idiotic boxes that nobody should waste their precious time on. He is particularly concerned about the little children who usually stay glued to the screen. He doesn’t wish the budding minds to get sucked in by the television and recommends parents to not have such tele-boxes at their disposal.
2. How do children spend their time with the television?
Ans: Fanciful contents are incessantly streamed on the television. Children naturally enjoy watching the stuff tailored to be in tune with their interests. One show leads to the other and the curious minds, knowing no better, are left craving for more. They simply lay about lazily staring at the television screen, binging on unhealthy junk.
3. How do children behave while watching TV?
Ans: Children are completely absorbed in the thrill that television provides them all day long. They get annoyed at anything that enforces even a momentary obstruction in the flow of their viewing pleasure. They act as mortal beings possessed by a non-living entity.
4. How does TV become a harmful addiction for children?
Ans: Anything that’s repeated for a few days turns habitual for human beings. If the habit is a bad one, it can have lasting detrimental effects on a person. Children are individuals in the making and sacrificing important life skills for entertainment on television will ruin their future. As the saying goes, ‘As you sow, so you shall reap’. By unconsciously practicing addiction, a horrid foundation is laid for their development.
5. Why do parents let their children watch TV?
Ans: The period of childhood is marked by innocence, playfulness, desire to explore and most importantly, restlessness. Managing children is a real tough ask and as human beings, we always pick the easier alternative. In this case, instead of losing their peace looking after the children all day long, parents choose to sit them before a television to momentarily put their troublesome toddler instincts to rest.
6. Do you think TV does the role of a babysitter? Justify.
Ans: Unquestionably, it does. I’d go ahead and claim that it does play the role of a babysitter a little too well. Television provides an all pleasure, no pain experience which children are particularly fond of. The search for pleasant experiences drives a child’s curiosity. A TV provides the same without him having to move anywhere.
7. What are the undesirable consequences of watching the television?
Ans: Devoting too much time to watching television stalls one’s mental and intellectual development. It strips us of our imaginative abilities. The content streamed on the television is not always educational and productive. So watching TV always carries the risk of feeding our mind with piles of useless information that has no practical usage or importance. A mind that’s used to watching TV fails to resonate with the actual pieces of texts like fantasies.
8. Why does the poet use all capital letters to end his poem?
Ans: The poet wants the readers to pay more attention to the concluding section of his poem. He ends the poem with what he thinks are the grave consequences of watching TV and is hopeful that his message doesn’t go unnoticed.
9. What comparison does he make to prove his point?
Ans: He compares the brains of the TV addicted children with cheese. To him, the addiction prevents the proper development of their brains by reducing them to mere dopamine receptors.
10. ‘HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!’ – what does ‘he’ refer to?
Ans: ‘He’ here refers to anybody that is obsessed over TV. The poet emphasizes the terrible effects it inflicts on the children but the message is applicable for individuals of any age group.