An Elementary school classroom in a slum class 12 English poem, Explanations, Important Question and answers

An Elementary school classroom in a slum class 12 English Poem, Explanation Question and answers

An Elementary school classroom in a slum by

(Stephen spender)

About the poet

Stephen spender (1909-1995) was an English poet and an essayist he left university college, Oxford without taking a degree and went to Berlin in 1930 spender took a keen interest in politics and declared himself to be a socialist and pacifist books by spender include poems of Dedication the Edge of being the creative element, the struggle of the modern and an autobiography world within world, In an Elementary school classroom in a slum he has concentrated on themes of social injustice and class inequalities,

Before you read

Have you ever visited or seen an elementary school in a slum? what does it took like?

Introduction

Inequality and injustice of society give way to Exploitation it is needed to uproot the social evils to make this world better place with equal facilities & opportunities stephen spender shows his concern, aggression but also offers a solution through the poem, he suggests to offer these children a glimpse of a better world and to have quality education ,

Points to Remember

1. The poet described the miserable condition of the children in a school located in a slum they are malnourished ill, and exhausted
2. they are thin hungry weak and insecure, one of them has inherited disability
3. Their physical and mental growth are stunted
4. the walls of the classroom give us a glimpse of prosperity which is in sharp contrast to their weak grim, hollow and pathetic lives,
5. Even shakspear’s portraint images of world maps buildings with domes or beautiful tyrolese do not offer any hope for these children as they are poor underfed and deprived in every way,
6. the poet wants improvement in the quality of lives of slum children
7. they must be provided quality education also, so that they can make use of this opportunity but this cannot be achieved unless the inspectors and other policymakers make serious efforts towards this end,
8. catacombs symbolise darkness and illiteracy which surrounds these children but through proper education will enlighten their lives,
9. The map is a bad example it tempts them to aspire for the word which seems unreachable for them, the maps on their walls should show huge slums instead of beautiful scenic graphic,
10. they look like captives within the dirty walls of the classroom however, their real world is outside the windows of this classroom and they need an exposure to the outside world,

Explanations

far far from gusty waves these children’s faces like rootless weeds the hair torn round their pallor the tall girl with her weighed down head the paper seeming boy, with rat’s eyes the stunted unlucky heir of twisted bones reciting a father’s gnarled disease his lesson from his desk at back of the dim class one unnoted sweet and young his eyes live in a dream of squirrel game, In tree room other than this

On sour cream walls donations shakespear’s head cloudless at dawn civilized dome riding all Cities belled flowery Tyrolese valley open handed map Awarding the world its world and yet for these children these windows not this map their world where all their future’s painted with a fog

A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky far far from rivers, capes and stars of words surely shakespeare is wicked the map a bad example- with ships and sun and love tempting them to steal for lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes From fog to endless night?

On their slag heap these children wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel with mended glass like bottle bits on stones all of their time and space are foggy slum, so blot their maps with slums as big as doom

Unless governor inspector visitor this map becomes their window and these window that shut upon their lives like catacombs break a break open till they break the town and show the children to green fields and ,make their world Run Azure on gold sands and let their tongues Run naked into books the white and green leaves open history theirs whose language is the sun,

Question and answers

Question:1 which children are referred to here?

Answer: The deprived and impoverished children are referred to here they study in a slum

Question:2 why are the children compared to” rootless weeds?

Answer: they are ill-fed and not looked after they are unwanted like weeds,

Question:3 what does the paper seeming boy, with rat’s eyes imply?

Answer: it implies that the poor boy is as lean and thin as a paper, he is under developed like a rodent,

Question:4 what is the theme of the poem An Elementary school classroom in a slum?

Answer: In the poem, spender depicts the pathetic life of slum children who are victims of government apathy, he presents social injustice and class inequalities that prevail in society the poem is a bitter Criticism of the state of education in elementary schools in slum areas,

Question:5 what picture of the slum children is depicted in the poem?

Answer: The slum children in an elementary school look pathetic their hair is like wild weeds they are undernourished and diseased they are used to dark dirty narrow cramped areas and a polluted grey sky they have no hope of any change in their future

Question:6 how can powerful people improve a lot of slum children?

Answer: powerful people can liberate slum children by removing social injustice class inequalities they must provide opportunities to these children so that their child does not get lost in the dreary foggy slums,

Question;7 what according to the poet, is the only hope for the slum children?

Answer: According to the poet the only hope for these children lies, in the hands inspector visitor and governors they should take immediate action to provide them with equal opportunities for education so that they can move out of their slums and be part of the real world

Question:8 what does stephen spender want to do for the child of the school in a slum?

Answer: stephen spender wants their lot to improve he wants education for the slum children which will broaden their horizons liberate them truly and empower them to create their own history he wants them to get rid of their dismal lives,