An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

1. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Stepten Spender

3. Stephen Spender (1909-1995) was a poet and English essayist. Spender had a keen interest in politics and so, he declared himself as socialist and pacifist. His work concentrated on themes of social injustice and class struggle

4. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Introduction The poem written by Stephen spender describes the social inequalities which are prevailing in society. In the poem, he describes the condition of the students of an elementary school which is situated in a slum area. The poet wants to draw the attention of everyone towards these kids so that their life can be improved and they may get trained to become good citizens rather than criminals.

5. The Rhyme Scheme Of The Poem The poem has been written in free verse. It does not have a rhyme scheme.

6. Summary This poem by Stephen Spender gives a vivid description of a school classroom in a slum and the children in the class.The faces of the children are dull. Their appearance shows that they are unwanted. The children have gloomy faces. Their heads hanging low in sadness due to being poor. They have diseased bodies inherited from their parents and are victims of poverty. At the dim end of the room, sits one child who has bright eyes which seem to dream - of playing outside with squirrels. He is different from the others in the dim, darkroom.The walls of the classroom are dirty. People have donated different charts and images which have been put upon them. One of them is a picture Of the great playwright Shakespeare. His head is bald and resembles the rising Sun. The next poster is of the Tyrolese valley, full of churches and flowers which symbolizes the beautiful creations of nature. Another one is a map of the World. To these children, the world is not the one shown in these pictures, but it is the one they see out of the classroom window. They are trapped in the slums. Their future is dim and hopeless. They have a dark future as their options in life are limited and are covered with dismay. They are far away from the bright light of knowledge.

7. Comprehending these pictures is beyond their abilities. They hate everyone and for them, Shakespeare is a wicked man. As no one loves them, they dislike everyone. the desire for love and acceptance forces them to do crimes like stealing. The children are so skinny that their clothes are like skin and their skeleton is visible through them. This is due to a lack of nutrition. They have worn-looking glasses made of steel which are cheap, heavy, and uncomfortable. Their chances of fulfilling their dreams and moving out have been further reduced by building bigger slums. Until they come out of the slums, they will never know what the world looks like.The Government system which makes these slums is the cause for these people to live in them. The education system is such that it forces them to live in these slums. They are not given the right to dream beyond these slums. They have been restricted to the slums.The poet requests the authorities to allow these children to go out of these slums so that the maps on the walls of the classroom become a reality for them.  They should be taken to the green fields rather than the dim slums. The sunny, warm sand of the beaches and the bright blue sky will instill a hunger for knowledge in their minds. Then they will absorb all of it. Then these children will become economically empowered. The poem ends with a powerful line - those who make history are the ones who shine like the Sun.

8. Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.Like rootless weeds, the hair was torn round their pallor:The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper seemingBoy, with rat’s eyes. The stunted, unlucky heirOf twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim classOne unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this

9. The poet describes the children who study in an elementary school which is setup in a slum area. The poet says that the faces of children are dull and without any energy. They are not full of energy like other kids of their age. These children are compared to unwanted weed. Here the writer wants to say that these children seem to be unwanted like the unwanted weeds which grow on their own in the fields. Their hair is not neatly done. It falls on their pale faces as if they have been torn apart. The children are untidy, they haven’t combed their hair. Then he describes a tall girl who seems to be burdened by poverty. Her head is bent maybe because of tiredness or shame. There is another boy who is so weak and thin that he has been compared to a sheet of paper. The boy’s eyes reflect greed and he wants to achieve everything. Then he describes another student who is physically disabled. The poet says that this boy is unlucky because he inherited a disease from his father due to which he has a deformed body. Instead of getting any facility from his father, he has received a disease in heritage. This disabled boy is sitting on his bench and is reciting his lesson. At the back of the class, in dim, dark area, was a small boy who was not visible to the poet as he was sitting in darkness. The poet could see his eyes which were bright and full of a dream. He was not paying attention to the class. It seemed as if he was rather interested in playing with squirrels in the tree house.

10. Word meaning: Gusty waves: breezy windsPallor: pale, dull faceStunted: not fully grown due to malnutritionGnarled: Knotted, roughweeds: unwanted plants that grow on their ownPaper seeming boy: Very thin boy, as thin as a sheet of paperheir: Successor Literary devices:Simile: children are compared with rootless weed (like rootless weed)Metaphor: boy is compared with paper as he is thin (paper seeming boy)Repetition: use of far to stress on the distance

11. On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head,Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed mapAwarding the world its world. And yet, for theseChildren, these windows, not this map, their world,Where all their future’s painted with a fog,A narrow street sealed in with a lead skyFar far from rivers, capes, and stars of words

12. The poet describes the walls of the school. They are cream in color like the color of sour cream. This means that the walls are not clean, they have not been painted recently. The walls are covered with different charts and images that must have been donated by different people. There is a picture of Shakespeare on the wall. His head which is bald looks like the rising sun at the horizon. At the time of daybreak, the Sun is rising at the horizon and is semi-circular like a dome shape. It seems to be behind all the cities. There is a picture of the famous Tyrolese valley which has beautiful flowers. There is the image of a map which helps all in its own way. But for these children, the map of the world is irrelevant because the slum where they live is different from what is shown in the map. Their world is only what they see out of the window of the classroom - the slum. Their future is full of darkness. Their future is compared to a narrow street which means that there is no wide scope available for their future growth. These children are far away from the radiant light of knowledge and education.

13. Word meaning Sour: unpleasant, here refers to the color of sour cream -off white or creamiestDonations: things given or received in charityDawn: early morning, sunrisecivilized dome: here, it means rising sun at the horizon which is in the shape of a dome (semi - circle)Tyrolese valley: A beautiful ice-free valley in AustriaSealed: shut or lockedlead: here, dark future of kidsCapes: A large piece of land that sticks out into the sea from the coast Literary devices: Metaphor: 1. Walls are described to be dull as sour cream (sour cream walls)2.  The future of the kids is described as limited (Narrow Street sealed with a lead sky)Repetition: ‘far’ repeated

14. 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 holesFrom fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these childrenWear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steelWith 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

15. The poet further says that these children living in the slum area have faced so many hardships that they feel every other person to be their enemy. For them Shakespeare is an evil man. They don’t find the map to be a good thing. They were never liked or loved by anyone. Therefore they hate almost everyone. Their desire of being loved by others forces them to steal. They live in small homes and they have started adjusting to it. Their life is going towards an endless night. This means that their future is full of darkness. These kids are so thin that one can easily see their bones through the thin layer of skin. Their skin is like the thin layer of cloth and the bones beneath are visible through the skin. These kids suffer from malnutrition. They wear spectacles which are made of steel. They are cheap and very uncomfortable. Even the lenses in the spectacles are repaired. The spectacles look like stones which have been repaired with pieces of glass sticking out of them. Here the poet tries to explain that these kids have to face so many hardships in their lives. As these slums are getting bigger, they will destroy the future of these children and it is very difficult for such kids to escape from them.

16. Word meaning Wicked: evilTempted: persuadeSlyly: trickilyCramped: confinedSlag: weakMended: repairedBlot: to mark with a spotDoom: disaster Literary devices:Metaphor: Their homes are very small like holes (cramped holes)Simile- their repaired spectacles (like bottle bits on stones)Alliteration: Use of ‘f’ sound (From fog)

17. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,This map becomes their window and these windowsThat shut upon their lives like catacombs,Break O break open till they break the townAnd show the children to green fields, and make their worldRun azure on gold sands, and let their tonguesRun naked into books the white and green leaves openHistory theirs whose language is the sun.

18. The poet says that the government should take notice of the problems being faced by these kids. He urges them to change the life of these kids and make the world map a reality for them. There is a need to break the restrictions which are put on them due to poverty and lack of resources. He wants the governor and public to help these kids in achieving their dreams. As this will take them away from fog to azure sky, the poet here wants to say that in this way the kids can be taken away from the darkness of their present to a bright future. He wants these kids to experience the sands and the beauty of nature as this will led to a desire of gaining knowledge. They will then go through the white and green leaves. Here white leaves depict books and green leaves depict nature. This will then result in their progress and they will be able to paint a bright future for themselves.

19. Word meaning Catacombs: tomb, cemeteryAzure: deep blue Literary devices Metaphor: books and nature are expressed in form of white and green leaves (the white-green leaves open)

20. Q1. Tick the item which best answers the following: (a) The tall girl with her head weighed down means the girl • Is ill and exhausted • Has her head bent with shame • Has untidy hair Ans: is ill and exhausted(b) The paper seeming boy with rat’s eyes means the boy is • Sly and secretive • Thin, hungry and weak • Unpleasant looking Ans. Thin, hungry and weak

21. (c) The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means the boy Has an inherited disability Was short and bony Ans. has an inherited disability(d) His eyes live in a dream, A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this means the boy is Full of hope in the future Mentally ill Distracted from the lesson Ans. Distracted from the lesson(e) The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’ this means they Are insecure Are ill-fed Are wasters Ans. Are wasters

22. Q2- What do you think is the color of ‘sour cream’? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls?A2- The color of sour cream is pale and dull. The poet used this expression to describe the classroom walls because the walls were not freshly paint. The walls of the classroom were dull and were not beautiful.Q3- The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children?A3- The various pictures on the wall are not similar to the world of these slum dwelling children because they have never got adequate facilities and education. They have always seen crime happening around them. That is why it is said in the poem that for these children Shakespeare is a wicked man. Not only this, their world is the dirty slum area in which they live which is continuously expanding. Hence, the world maps which never show slums and the beautiful valley which is never seen and is out of reach of such children are in total contrast wto what they see as their world.Q4- What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?A4- The poet wants the governor, inspector and visitors to visit the school. He wants them to see the plight of these kids and do something for their betterment. These kids should be provided with best amenities in order to make their life better. He wants these kids to visit beautiful places which are granted by the nature with its beauty. This will instill a hunger in them to study in order to make their life better.

23. Extra Multiple Choice Questions

24. Q1- Who has written the poem Elementary School Classroom in a Slum? A) KiplingB) WordsworthC) KamlanathD) Stephen Spender Q2- What theme did the poet concentrate on in the poem? A) themes of social injustice and class inequalities.B) theme of children and their happinessC) theme of insecuritiesD) none Q3- What does the poet portray in the poem? A) young mindsB) playfulness of the childrenC) questions of childrenD) the plight of young children in the slums Q4- What does the poet compare in the poem? A) the young and oldB) generation gapsC) old age and childhoodD) rich (haves) and poor children (have nots)

25. Q5- What kind of life do the children living in slums have? A) full of loveB) full of care and warmthC) Hopeless and full of struggleD) all of these Q6- What does the poet compare the colour of walls with? A) rotten fruitsB) stale chapatisC) rotten vegetablesD) sour cream Q7- What are the poetic devices used in the poem? A) alliteration and simileB) metaphor and imageryC) synecdoche, and ironyD) All of these Q8- What do the words “Their future is painted with fog” convey? A) no love and careB) no warmthC) no hard workD) no hope of improvement

26. Q9- What do the faces of children in the slum areas reflect? A) happinessB) their aspirationsC) their energyD) sadness and lack of enthusiasm Q10- What is ironical about the wall hangings and donations in the classroom? A) set up in very clean environmentB) completely opposite to the needs of the children in the classroomC) set up in happy environmentD) set up in gloomy set up Q11- What does paper-seeming boy mean? A) had a paper in his handB) was as thin as a sheet of paperC) was white in colour like a sheet of paperD) All of these Q12- What is the Tree Room in the poem? A) A tree - shaped roomB) A room on a tree where squirrels playC) A room on a tree where rats playD) A room on a tree where pigeons play

27. Q13- What do Catacombs signify? A) relevance of the map hanging on the wall of the classroomB) confinement to the slums, the maps being irrelevantC) importance of the schoolD) death Q14- Why are the pictures and maps meaningless? A) they are fake and show a false thingB) they are old and have faded awayC) they show vastness which is opposite to the world and needs of the children in the classroomD) All of these Q15- How can powerful people help the poor children? A) by fighting with the governmentB) by fighting with the powerfulC) by bridging gaps of inequalities and injusticeD) by fighting with the rich Q16- What does the poem describe? A) A classroom in a slum areaB) social setup of IndiaC) different mindsetsD) beauty of the surroundings

28. Q17- What does the poet wish for the children of the slums? A) He wishes them to be happy and healthyB) He wishes a good change for themC) he wants them to enjoy the bounties of natureD) All of these Q18- “Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor”: what do these words express? A) poor state of the classroomB) poor plight of children's homesC) poor plight of teachersD) poor plight of the slum children Q19- Why is the head of the tall girl 'weighed down'? A)by the burden of studiesB) by the burden of workC) by the burden of her worldD) All of these Q20- What is the meaning of 'The paper seeming boy, with rat eyes'? A) rich peopleB) rich childrenC) powerful people and their influenceD) weak and malnutritionedboy

29. Q21- What kind of look do the faces and hair of the children give? A) rich and beautiful facesB) bright, neat facesC) healthy appearancesD) pale faces, scattered and undone hair Q22- His eyes live in a dream- what is the dream? A) watching a movieB) going abroadC) eating ice creamD) dream of better times with games and open spaces Q23- Who was sitting at the back of the dim class? A) a girlB) an old manC) a teacherD) a young boy Q24- Who is the unlucky heir and what has he inherited? A) a fat boy, has inherited obesity from his motherB) a short, thin boy, has inherited stunted growth from his familyC) an intelligent boy, has inherited intelligenceD) thin boy with rat's eyes, has inherited a deformed body from his father

30. Q25- What is the stunted boy reciting? A) a happy song from his seatB) a religious song in a groupC) a sad song from the front of the classD) a lesson from his desk Q26- What does the color of the classroom walls point out? A) happy and poor stateB) happy and rich stateC) poor condition of the slumD) none of these Q27- What does the expression 'Open handed map " show? A) power of the poorB) the poor can not access the worldC) the poor are powerlessD) maps are open to all, they reveal everything Q28- ‘Awarding the world its world' what do these words express? A) the world is oursB) the world is yoursC) the world belong to the poorD) the world belongs to the rich

31. Q29- In what sense are the slum children different? A) their IQB) their wisdomC) their dressesD) because of no access to hope and openness of the world Q30- What kind of future do the slum children have? A) very hopefulB) brightC) clear like waterD) hopeless and uncertain Q31- What attracts the slum children? A)The animalsB) The moviesC) icecreamD) All beautiful things like ship, Sun Q32- What do the words 'From fog to endless night ' mean? A) bright light outsideB) bright futureC) hopelessnessD) Dark and uncertain future of slum children from birth to death

32. Q33- Mention any two images used to explain the plight of the slum children. A) open handed mapB) from his deskC) belled,floweryD) foggy slums and bottle bits on stones Q34- What blots the maps of the slum children?A) garbageB) blockageC) stones in the streetsD) Dirty slums Q35- What does the poet show through expressions 'so blot their maps with slums as big as doom'? A) his clot the streetB) enjoy the mapsC) big mapsD) the slums spell doom for the poor Q36- What do the 'governor', inspector, visitor’ in the poem depict? A) higher officialsB) Government officialsC) Political peopleD) Powerful and influential people

33. Q37- What have the windows done to the children's lives in the poem? A) shut the doorsB) blocked the passageC) clocked the SunlightD) have shut the children inside and blocked their growth Q38- What other freedom the poet wants the slum children to enjoy? A) Freedom of roamingB) freedom to spend moneyC) freedom to eatD) freedom of knowledge,wisdom and expression Q39- What does the expression 'Break O break open' suggest? A) barriers on the roadB) barriers of garbage heapC) barriers of dirty environment must be brokenD) None Q40- What does the poet want?A) to send the children out of the slumsB) to send the children to AmericaC) to send the children to open fieldsD) to send the children to a beach

34. ANSWER KEY