NCERT Class 6 English Unit 9 Poem: What If

Deep Theme & Summary: Understanding 'What If'

In 'What If', the poet Shel Silverstein speaks of a nighttime experience when a swarm of worries, playfully personified as 'Whatifs', crawl into his ears. These 'Whatifs' begin to sing their nagging song, keeping him awake all night. The poem perfectly captures how a child's mind processes worries. The fears listed in the poem range from the absolutely comical (like green hair growing on his chest or his head shrinking) to highly realistic, painful human experiences (such as getting sick and dying, flunking a school test, or his parents getting divorced).

This duality is what makes the poem brilliant: to a child, a minor mishap like a torn kite or a closed swimming pool feels just as world-ending as a major crisis. When the morning sun arrives, the irrational fears vanish, and everything seems perfectly normal again. However, the poem ends on a poignant note, showing that as soon as the night falls, the mischievous 'Whatifs' return to play their game once more.

Step-by-Step Literary Analysis of the Poem

1. Step 1: Identify Personification — The poet turns the abstract concept of worries into living, breathing creatures called 'Whatifs'. Instead of saying 'I had worried thoughts', he writes 'Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear'. This literary device helps us visualize worries as mischievous little creatures invading our minds.
2. Step 2: Examine the Rhyme Scheme — The poem follows a consistent AABB rhyming couplet scheme (e.g., ear/hear, school/pool, up/cup, cry/die). This fast-paced, rhythmic style contrasts with the anxious theme, creating a whimsical and catchy song-like quality.
3. Step 3: Classify the Worries — To understand the child's psyche, categorize the fears. Some are academic ('flunk that test'), some are social ('nobody likes me'), some are physical ('don't grow taller'), and some are completely imaginary ('green hair grows on my chest').
4. Step 4: Understand the Poem's Cycle — Recognize the structural loop of anxiety. The poem starts in the night, transitions to a peaceful morning, and concludes with the dreaded return of night, representing how anxiety can be a repetitive cycle.

Smart Exam Tips & Key Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not confuse the tone: Students often mistake this poem as purely sad or tragic. Remember, the tone is whimsical and humorous, even though it touches upon real worries.
• Explain Personification clearly: If asked about the literary devices in 'What If', clearly explain that 'Whatifs' are personified as tiny creatures crawling into the poet's ear.
• Use Examples: When writing answers about the poet's fears, always provide both a silly example (like teeth growing crooked or head shrinking) and a serious one (like parents' divorce or falling sick).

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: Who is the speaker in the poem 'What If' and what are they doing when the 'Whatifs' arrive?
  A: Step 1: Identify the speaker in the poem. The speaker is a young child (representing the poet Shel Silverstein) who is trying to sleep.
  Step 2: Describe the action taking place. The speaker is lying awake in bed late at night.
  Step 3: Connect this to the arrival of the 'Whatifs'. While lying in bed, the anxious thoughts (Whatifs) crawl into his ear and start singing their song.
  Final answer: The speaker is a young child lying in bed at night, trying to sleep when a swarm of anxious thoughts called 'Whatifs' crawl into his ears and keep him awake.

• Q: Why does the poet use both silly and serious worries in the poem? Give examples of both.
  A: Step 1: Explain the purpose. The poet blends silly and serious worries to show how a child's mind treats all worries with equal importance.
  Step 2: Provide silly examples. Silly worries include 'green hair growing on my chest' and 'my head getting smaller'.
  Step 3: Provide serious examples. Serious worries include 'what if they start a war' and 'what if my parents get divorced'.
  Final answer: The poet blends silly worries (like growing green hair or a shrinking head) with serious anxieties (like parents getting divorced or failing a test) to show that to an anxious child, every worry feels equally real and overwhelming.

• Q: What happens to the poet's state of mind when the morning arrives?
  A: Step 1: Analyze the morning transition. When daytime arrives, the darkness and silence of the night disappear.
  Step 2: Describe the emotional shift. The poet feels relieved, and life goes back to normal, making the worries seem distant and silly.
  Step 3: Highlight the final twist. Although the day is fine, the worries return once the night falls again.
  Final answer: In the morning, the poet feels relieved and everything seems perfectly fine and normal. However, this relief is temporary because as soon as night falls again, the 'Whatifs' return to trouble him.

• Q: What is the primary message or theme that the poet Shel Silverstein is trying to convey?
  A: Step 1: Identify the central core of the poem. The core theme is the nature of childhood anxieties and overthinking.
  Step 2: Explain how the poem normalizes these feelings. By writing a relatable and funny poem, the author helps children realize that everyone has irrational fears at night.
  Step 3: Conclude the message. It teaches us that while worries are natural, we should not let them consume us during the day.
  Final answer: The primary theme of the poem is that worrying is a natural human experience, especially at night. It highlights the tendency of the human mind to overthink and create imaginary scenarios, reminding us that daytime usually dispels these fears.

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