My Computer Needs A Break — Class 8 English (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 English, Poem 7, by Shanthini Govindan. A funny poem with a serious message about technology.
1. About the poem
My Computer Needs A Break is a humorous poem by Shanthini Govindan about a clever computer that suddenly starts to misbehave.
2. Summary
The poet first describes her computer as brainy and smart — it seems to know mountains of information and gives quick answers at the click of a mouse. But later the computer behaves badly and becomes absent-minded: it forgets to save and store her work, fails to check her spellings properly, hides her files, and makes her work vanish in the most dreadful way.
Through the comedy, the poet gives a practical message: even a very smart machine can fail, so technology too needs care, protection and rest. She also gently warns that technology has become our new addiction — a "blessing in disguise" that can also trap us.
3. Theme
The theme is the humorous yet thoughtful side of technology — machines are wonderful but not perfect, and we should use them with care and not become addicted to them.
4. Poetic devices
- Personification: the computer is given human traits — it is "brainy," "absent-minded," and "gobbled a worm."
- Rhyme: end-rhymes such as click–quick.
- Humour / irony: the very smart computer behaves foolishly.
5. Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| brainy | very intelligent |
| absent-minded | forgetful |
| vanish | to disappear |
| dreadful | terrible |
| addiction | being unable to stop |
6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
A. Read and answer
- Who wrote My Computer Needs A Break? — Shanthini Govindan.
- How does the poet first describe her computer? — As brainy and smart, knowing a lot of information.
- What happened to the computer later? — It became absent-minded and misbehaved.
- Name two things the computer failed to do. — It forgot to save her work and did not check her spellings (also hid her files and made her work vanish).
- What message does the poem give? — That even smart machines fail and technology needs care.
B. Appreciation 6. Pick out a pair of rhyming words. — click–quick. 7. Which poetic device makes the computer seem human? — Personification.
7. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Naming the wrong poet. Fix: The poet is Shanthini Govindan.
- Mistake: Reading the poem as only funny. Fix: Beneath the humour is a serious message — technology needs care and we should not over-depend on it.
- Mistake: Calling the computer's human traits a simile. Fix: Giving the computer human qualities is personification.
8. Quick revision
- Poem 7 · My Computer Needs A Break by Shanthini Govindan (humorous).
- The computer is first brainy and quick, then becomes absent-minded — forgets to save, won't check spellings, hides files, makes work vanish.
- Message: even smart machines fail; technology needs care; don't become addicted to it.
- Devices: personification, rhyme (click–quick), humour/irony.
