Introduction: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
“A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling first appeared in The Sussex Edition of the Works of Rudyard Kipling, published in 1939, a posthumous collection that compiled his later and often overlooked poems. The poem reflects Kipling’s characteristic blend of childhood perspective and mature reflection, capturing the voice of a sick child suffering from tuberculosis (“T.B.”) who finds solace and escape in his imagination while confined to a garden. The main ideas of the poem revolve around illness, the encroachment of modernity, and the yearning for freedom. The child’s dislike for cars—described as making “an angry-hooty noise” and “growl and shake”—represents a discomfort with the mechanical world, contrasted with the graceful flight of the “Croydon aeroplane” that symbolizes hope, aspiration, and transcendence. The poem’s popularity stems from its poignant blend of innocence and irony, as well as its subtle critique of industrialization through the eyes of a vulnerable narrator. The final stanza, where the child dreams of flying “round and round” and seeing “the angel-side of clouds,” reflects Kipling’s gift for channeling imaginative escapism in the face of suffering.
Text: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
1
Now there is nothing wrong with me
Except—I think it’s called T.B.
And that is why I have to lay
Out in the garden all the day.
2
Our garden is not very wide,
And cars go by on either side,
And make an angry-hooty noise
That rather startles little boys.
3
But worst of all is when they take
Me out in cars that growl and shake,
With charabancs so dreadful-near
I have to shut my eyes for fear.
4
But when I’m on my back again,
I watch the Croydon aeroplane
That flies across to France, and sings
Like hitting thick piano-strings.
5
When I am strong enough to do
The things I’m truly wishful to,
I’ll never use a car or train
But always have an aeroplane;
6
And just go zooming round and round,
And frighten Nursey with the sound,
And see the angel-side of clouds,
And spit on all those motor-crowds!
Annotations: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
| Line | Simple Annotation | Literary Devices |
| Now there is nothing wrong with me | The speaker feels mostly fine | Irony (downplaying a serious illness) |
| Except—I think it’s called T.B. | Mentions tuberculosis (T.B.), a serious disease | Euphemism, Irony |
| And that is why I have to lay | Explains why the speaker must lie down all day | Plain diction |
| Out in the garden all the day. | Spends the entire day outside due to illness | Imagery |
| Our garden is not very wide, | Describes a small garden | Understatement |
| And cars go by on either side, | Mentions traffic on both sides of the garden | Imagery |
| And make an angry-hooty noise | Cars make loud, unpleasant sounds | Onomatopoeia, Personification |
| That rather startles little boys. | Noise scares children like the speaker | Understatement |
| But worst of all is when they take | The most unpleasant part is being taken out | Hyperbole |
| Me out in cars that growl and shake, | Cars make loud noises and vibrate | Personification, Onomatopoeia |
| With charabancs so dreadful-near | Large buses come very close | Compound word, Hyperbole |
| I have to shut my eyes for fear. | The speaker closes eyes in fear | Imagery |
| But when I’m on my back again, | Back resting in the garden | Simple syntax |
| I watch the Croydon aeroplane | Observes an airplane flying overhead | Allusion (Croydon Airport) |
| That flies across to France, and sings | The plane heads to France making a noise | Personification, Alliteration |
| Like hitting thick piano-strings. | Describes sound as musical but harsh | Simile, Auditory imagery |
| When I am strong enough to do | Dreams of future strength | Foreshadowing |
| The things I’m truly wishful to, | Desires freedom and action | Colloquial language |
| I’ll never use a car or train | Rejects ground transport | Hyperbole, Contrast |
| But always have an aeroplane; | Wants to fly everywhere | Symbolism (freedom) |
| And just go zooming round and round, | Imagines flying in circles | Onomatopoeia |
| And frighten Nursey with the sound, | Wants to playfully scare the nurse | Irony, Humor |
| And see the angel-side of clouds, | Wants to fly above clouds, like heaven | Metaphor, Religious imagery |
| And spit on all those motor-crowds! | Expresses disdain for cars/people using them | Hyperbole, Symbolism |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
| Device | Example from Poem | Explanation |
| Allusion | “Croydon aeroplane” | Reference to a real-world airport situates the poem in a historical setting. |
| Auditory Imagery | “Like hitting thick piano-strings” | Evokes the sound of the plane using vivid sound-based description. |
| Colloquial Language | “wishful to” | Informal, child-like phrasing conveys the voice of a young speaker. |
| Compound Word | “angry-hooty” | Combines two adjectives into one to intensify the sensory description. |
| Contrast | “car or train” vs. “aeroplane” | Highlights the speaker’s preference for flight over land transport. |
| Euphemism | “I think it’s called T.B.” | Softens the reference to a serious illness (tuberculosis). |
| Foreshadowing | “When I am strong enough to do” | Hints at the speaker’s hope for recovery and future freedom. |
| Humor | “frighten Nursey with the sound” | Playfully imagines teasing the nurse, adding levity to illness. |
| Hyperbole | “spit on all those motor-crowds!” | Extreme exaggeration to show disdain for cars and traffic. |
| Imagery | “Out in the garden all the day” | Creates a vivid picture of the speaker’s daily life. |
| Irony | “there is nothing wrong with me” | Contrasts the child’s serious illness with a casual tone. |
| Metaphor | “angel-side of clouds” | Compares the view above the clouds to something heavenly. |
| Onomatopoeia | “zooming,” “hooty,” “growl” | Words that imitate real-life sounds to enhance sensory experience. |
| Personification | “cars that growl and shake” | Gives vehicles human-like qualities to emphasize fear and noise. |
| Plain Diction | “have to lay” | Simple language reflects a child’s straightforward voice. |
| Religious Imagery | “angel-side of clouds” | Suggests purity and transcendence, evoking heaven. |
| Simile | “Like hitting thick piano-strings” | A comparison using “like” to describe the airplane’s sound. |
| Symbolism | “aeroplane” | Represents freedom, escape, and hope beyond illness. |
| Understatement | “That rather startles little boys” | Downplays the fear felt by the child, emphasizing vulnerability. |
Themes: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
1. Illness and Childhood Vulnerability: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling explores the frailty of childhood through the lens of illness, as the speaker—a young boy—casually mentions he has “T.B.” (tuberculosis), a serious disease that confined many to long periods of rest during the early 20th century. The boy’s innocent tone, saying “Now there is nothing wrong with me / Except—I think it’s called T.B.,” reveals both a lack of full comprehension and a poignant detachment, making the reality of his condition more affecting. His daily routine of lying in the garden due to his illness, combined with his observations of the world around him, underscores the emotional and physical limitations imposed by disease on the young.
2. Imagination as Escape: In “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling, imagination becomes a crucial refuge for the child, offering escape from the monotony and discomfort of his illness. While the real world is filled with frightening “charabancs” and “angry-hooty” cars that disturb his rest, the boy finds solace in watching the “Croydon aeroplane” fly “across to France.” The plane not only captures his attention but also becomes a symbol of freedom and adventure. His dream of flying “round and round” and seeing “the angel-side of clouds” reflects his longing to transcend the physical and emotional restrictions of his condition through imaginative flight.
3. Critique of Industrial Modernity: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling critiques the intrusive and alienating aspects of industrialization through the child’s perspective. The poem contrasts the noisy, unsettling experience of motor vehicles—described as “growl and shake” and coming “so dreadful-near”—with the more graceful image of the airplane in the sky. The child’s desire to reject all forms of ground transport, stating he’ll “never use a car or train / But always have an aeroplane,” reflects a subtle protest against the chaos and impersonality of modern urban life. This theme underscores the tension between mechanical progress and the emotional wellbeing of individuals, especially children.
4. Hope and Aspiration Amid Suffering: Rudyard Kipling’s “A Child’s Garden” ultimately conveys a message of hope and aspiration even in the face of suffering. Though the child is physically limited, he looks forward to a future where he is strong enough “to do / The things I’m truly wishful to.” His vision of flying symbolizes not just a means of travel but a deeply emotional yearning for freedom, agency, and joy. The whimsical idea of spitting “on all those motor-crowds” humorously expresses rebellion, while his dream of flight represents a pure and optimistic escape from the pain and isolation of illness.
Literary Theories and “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
| Literary Theory | Application to “A Child’s Garden” | References from the Poem |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | Examines the child’s inner fears, desires, and coping mechanisms. The boy’s dreams of flying symbolize escapist desires and repression of fear. | “When I’m on my back again, / I watch the Croydon aeroplane”; “see the angel-side of clouds” |
| Postmodern Theory | Explores fragmentation of identity and irony in voice. The child’s innocent tone masks a deep critique of modern life and illness. | “Now there is nothing wrong with me / Except—I think it’s called T.B.” |
| Ecocriticism | Highlights how the natural space of the garden is invaded by human-made noise and technology, representing a disrupted connection to nature. | “Our garden is not very wide, / And cars go by on either side”; “charabancs so dreadful-near” |
| Marxist Theory | Critiques class structures and mechanized society. The poem contrasts individual suffering and childhood innocence with the impersonal forces of industrial modernity. | “spit on all those motor-crowds”; “growl and shake” |
Critical Questions about “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
1. How does Kipling use the child’s voice to convey deeper themes in the poem?
“A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling uses a child narrator to subtly convey profound themes of illness, fear, and yearning. The child’s voice, marked by simplicity and innocence, makes serious issues like tuberculosis (“Except—I think it’s called T.B.”) appear almost casual, which creates a poignant contrast between tone and content. Through this perspective, readers access a lens of vulnerability, making the experiences of fear (“I have to shut my eyes for fear”) and hope (“When I am strong enough to do / The things I’m truly wishful to”) feel both intimate and emotionally resonant. Kipling uses this voice to allow the child’s imagination and sensitivity to surface, elevating the personal to the symbolic.
2. In what ways does the poem critique modern transportation and industrial society?
“A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling presents a quiet yet clear critique of industrial modernity through the child’s aversion to cars and buses. The poem is filled with imagery that portrays vehicles as aggressive and frightening—cars that “growl and shake” and “charabancs so dreadful-near” disturb the sick child’s rest and peace. The child contrasts this noise and chaos with the serene, almost magical image of the “Croydon aeroplane,” which becomes a symbol of hope and liberation. His statement, “I’ll never use a car or train / But always have an aeroplane,” reflects a desire to transcend the noisy constraints of urban life, rejecting the dehumanizing aspects of industrial progress.
3. What role does imagination play in the child’s experience of illness?
In “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling, imagination serves as a powerful coping mechanism for the child who is physically confined by illness. The garden, a space of enforced stillness, becomes a launching pad for mental escape. Instead of fixating on pain or limitation, the child imagines soaring through the sky in an aeroplane, seeing the “angel-side of clouds” and playfully frightening his nurse. This imaginative vision not only brings comfort but also reclaims a sense of agency and power that illness has stripped away. Kipling illustrates how, through imagination, the child transforms his environment from a site of suffering into one of wonder and defiance.
4. How does the setting of the garden function symbolically in the poem?
“A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling uses the garden setting as a symbolic space that balances isolation and possibility. While physically limited to the garden due to illness, the child experiences it not as a sanctuary but as a space disrupted by the outside world—cars pass by, producing “an angry-hooty noise,” and the threat of movement in “charabancs” causes fear. Yet from within this constrained space, the child’s imagination takes flight as he watches the “Croydon aeroplane.” Thus, the garden symbolizes both the limits imposed by sickness and the gateway to imaginative freedom. It becomes a place where hardship coexists with hope.
Literary Works Similar to “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
- “In the Waiting Room” by Elizabeth Bishop
Both poems explore a child’s inner consciousness and use personal experience to reflect on vulnerability and the limits of control. - “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
This poem, like Kipling’s, reflects on childhood through lyrical imagery and contrasts innocence with the inevitable onset of suffering. - “Half-Past Two” by U.A. Fanthorpe
This poem also uses a child’s perspective to explore time, illness, and isolation in a quiet, reflective tone. - “Out, Out—” by Robert Frost
Both works depict the intrusion of harsh realities into the world of the young, though Frost’s tone is more tragic and abrupt. - “Little Boy Crying” by Mervyn Morris
Morris’s poem, like Kipling’s, gives voice to a child’s inner emotions and interprets adult actions and modernity through a youthful lens.
Representative Quotations of “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “Now there is nothing wrong with me / Except—I think it’s called T.B.” | The child narrator acknowledges his illness, tuberculosis, which confines him to the garden. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Highlights the child’s coping mechanism of minimizing the severity of his illness to maintain psychological resilience. |
| “Our garden is not very wide, / And cars go by on either side” | Describes the limited space of the garden, bordered by noisy streets. | Ecocriticism: Reflects on the encroachment of urbanization on natural spaces, highlighting the tension between nature and industrialization. |
| “But worst of all is when they take / Me out in cars that growl and shake” | Expresses the child’s fear and discomfort when traveling in automobiles. | Modernism: Illustrates anxiety towards technological advancements and their impact on human experience. |
| “But when I’m on my back again, / I watch the Croydon aeroplane” | The child finds solace in observing airplanes flying overhead. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Indicates a form of escapism, where the child projects his desire for freedom onto the distant airplane. |
| “That flies across to France, and sings / Like hitting thick piano-strings.” | Describes the sound of the airplane, likening it to musical notes. | Modernism: Emphasizes sensory experiences and the blending of technological imagery with artistic expression. |
| “When I am strong enough to do / The things I’m truly wishful to” | The child dreams of a future where he is no longer constrained by illness. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Represents the formation of an idealized self, aspiring towards health and autonomy. |
| “I’ll never use a car or train / But always have an aeroplane;” | Expresses a preference for air travel over traditional ground transportation. | Modernism: Suggests a fascination with new forms of technology that symbolize progress and liberation. |
| “And just go zooming round and round, / And frighten Nursey with the sound” | Imagines playfully using the airplane to surprise his caretaker. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Demonstrates a desire for agency and the ability to influence his environment, countering feelings of helplessness. |
| “And see the angel-side of clouds” | Anticipates viewing clouds from above, associating them with angels. | Ecocriticism: Highlights a romanticized view of nature, seeking purity and transcendence beyond the polluted ground level. |
| “And spit on all those motor-crowds!” | Expresses disdain for the congested traffic below. | Modernism: Critiques the dehumanizing aspects of mass industrialization and the desire to rise above societal constraints. |
Suggested Readings: “A Child’s Garden” by Rudyard Kipling
- Stevenson, Laura C. “Mowgli and His Stories: Versions of Pastoral.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 109, no. 3, 2001, pp. 358–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27549057. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
- WEYGANDT, ANN M. “KIPLING’S KNOWLEDGE OF VICTORIAN LITERATURE.” Kipling’s Reading and Its Influence on His Poetry, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1939, pp. 85–139. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv4s7n74.9. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
- HARRINGTON, MILDRED P. “Children and Poetry (Continued).” The Elementary English Review, vol. 9, no. 5, 1932, pp. 139–41. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41381519. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
- “EDITORIAL: TEACHERS’ FAVORITES.” The Elementary English Review, vol. 5, no. 5, 1928, pp. 155–155. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41381741. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.