AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN A SLUM

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN A SLUM

Reference to Context

Far far____rat’s eyes.

Q1       Name the poem and the poet.

Ans      The name of the poem is ‘An Elementary School in a Slum’ and the poet is Stephen Spender.

Q2       Who are these children?

Ans      These children are the poor, under nourished and withered children who study in the elementary school of a slum.

Q3       Identify and explain the simile.

Ans      ‘Like rootless weeds’ is a simile that the poet has used to compare these children with unwanted unkempt plants.

Q4       What does the poet mean by ‘gusty waves’?

Ans      ‘Gusty waves’ refers to an open and healthy environment or an atmosphere filled with life and vigor.

Q5       What is the meaning of ‘pallor’?

Ans      ‘Pallor’ means pale and unhealthy face.

Q6       Why is the girl’s head bent down?

And      The girl’s head is bent down because of the burdens of poverty and misfortune.

Q7       Explain the metaphor.

Ans      There is a metaphor in ‘rat’s eyes’. The poet says that the thin, skinny and under nourished boy’s eyes look like a rat’s eyes as they seem to be bulging and looking for food.

Q8       Give two phrases which show that the boy is undernourished.

Ans      ‘paper- seeming boy’ and ‘rat’s eyes’ are the two phrases.

II          The stunted……..than this.

Q1       Who is the unlucky heir and what has he inherited?

Ans      The unlucky heir is a boy with stunted growth and twisted bones. He has inherited this disease from his father.

Q2       What is the stunted boy reciting?

Ans      He is reciting his lessons in his sick and weak voice.

Q3       Why is the classroom dim?

Ans      The classroom is dim because there is insufficient light and ventilation.

Q4       Who is sitting at the back of the class? What is he doing?

Ans      A young sweet boy is sitting at the back of the class. He is not concerned about what is going on in the class but he is dreaming about squirrels playing in a tree.

III         On sour……world.

Q1       Describe the walls of the classroom.

Ans      The walls are pale, dirty and unattractive.

Q2       What has been put up on the walls?

Ans      The walls have been adorned with items that have been donated by the rich people. It has the pictures of Shakespeare, Tyrolese valley and world map.

Q3       What does the map award the world?

Ans      The map awards (gives/ shows) the beautiful and bountiful world of the rich and affluent, which is out of the reach of the children of the slums.

Q4       Why does the poet mention ‘Tyrolese valley’?

Ans      The poet mentions ‘Tyrolese valley’ for its beautiful flowers and natural magnificence.

Q5       What are the two things that show a civilized race?

Ans      Shakespeare and the high rising domes show a civilized world.

IV         And yet…. Words

Q1       Which is the world of these children?

Ans      The world of these children is restricted to the dirty classrooms and what they can see out of the window- the narrow street and the dark sky. It means that their future is clouded with darkness and hopelessness.

Q2       How is their world different from that of the other children?

Ans      The world of these children is far from the beauties of nature. They have no access to rivers, capes or stars. They can only hear about them but can never aspire to go out to them. They are malnourished and poverty- stricken unlike other healthy children.

V          Surely, …..stones

Q1       Why is Shakespeare ‘wicked’?

Ans      Shakespeare is an epitome of high literary excellence. But in the slums hardly any learning takes place. Learning about Shakespeare is a far and distant dream for them. Moreover, Shakespeare may tempt them to set high and unrealistic goals of knowledge which is misleading for the children. He represents a world which is unreal for the children and has a corrupting influence on these children. It may instigate them to try to escape from their cramped holes and miserable life. That is why it is called ‘wicked’.

Q2       What tempts these children and to do what?

Ans      All beautiful things like ships, sun etc tempt these children to break out of the shackles of poverty and despair and to reach out for freedom and a new rich life.

Q3       Explain ‘from fog to endless night’.

Ans      This expression describes the miserable and pathetic lives of the slum children. Their future is foggy and uncertain and the darkness of night seems to continue in their life forever.

Q4       What is ‘slag heap’?

Ans      It refers to the skeletal frame of the thin and wasted bodies of the slum children.

Q5       Describe the physical appearance of these children.

Ans      They are thin and diseased, their bones are peeping out, they wear mended spectacles and their bodies and spirits are broken like glass bottles on stones.

Q6       Identify the simile.

Ans      ‘Like bottle bits on stones’.

VI         All of ……catacombs.

Q1       Which two imagers have been used to describe the slums?

Ans      “Foggy slums” and “as big as doom” are the two images.

Q2       Identify the simile.

Ans      “As big as doom”

Q3       What blots their maps? Whose maps?

Ans      The slums are a blot on the maps of the rich and affluent people of the city. The poet shows his outrage by suggesting that the maps on the wall should show slums instead of beautiful sceneries.

Q4       Whose help does the poet invoke?

Ans      The poet wants the governors, inspectors and visitors to help in improving the condition of these elementary schools in slums.

Q5       What is ‘this map’?

Ans      ‘This map’ is the map of the world which is hanging on the wall of the classroom. It is the only medium for the children to view the world outside their slums.

Q6       What are ‘these windows’?

Ans      ‘These windows’ are the windows of the class room through which the children can only see the narrow lanes and dark sky. These windows shut them and confine them to their world of poverty and hopelessness.

Q7       What has been referred to as ‘catacombs’?

Ans      The cramped and dingy dwellings of the slum children have been called ‘catacombs’.(underground graves). This is because the children lead a life that is shut inside the slum.

VII        Break…..sun.

Q1       To whom does ‘they’ refer?

Ans      ‘They’ refers to the inspectors or school administrators.

Q2       What are they expected to break?

Ans      They should break the invisible bonds which bind the slum children to their deplorable conditions. The children should have the freedom to come out of their dingy holes and enjoy the green fields, blues skies and the golden sand.

Q3       What other freedom should they enjoy?

Ans      They should enjoy the freedom to gain knowledge and express themselves freely. Let the pages of wisdom contained in the books be open to them. They should get equal opportunities as the children in the civilized world.

Q3       What does the poet want for the slum children?

Ans      The poet wants the slum children to come out of their morbid existence and enjoy the opportunities and freedom to explore the bountiful and beautiful world outside their slums. The poet wants good education for these children so that they can be freed from the shackles of poverty and despair.

Q4       What does the poet say’ History is theirs whose language is the sun’?

Ans      According to the poet, history can be created by those whose enjoy the warmth and freedom of the sun and the brightness of the wide world.

Extra Questions.

Q1       What is the theme of the poem?

Ans      The poem highlights the theme of social injustice and class inequalities. The meaninglessness of education in the slum schools has been brought out as it fails to liberate the children from the bondages of poverty and restricts their live to narrow lanes and dark skies of the slum.

Q2       What appeal does the poet make and to whom?

Ans      The poet makes an appeal to the governor, inspectors and visitors to bring improvement in the schools and education of the slum areas. He believes that the misery of these children will end if they get good education.

Q3       How does the poem portray the slum children?

Ans      The slum children are badly under- nourished and suffer from malnutrition. They are like unwanted rootless weeds. They are burdened by their miseries. Some of them have stunted growth and suffer from diseases. They lead a dreary and miserable life with no hope for a better future. They are completely cut off from the civilized world.

Q4       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?

Ans      ‘Shakespeare’ symbolizes the study of classical literature. ‘Buildings with domes’ symbolize wealth and power. ‘World maps’ show the world which is away from the reach of the children. ‘Beautiful valleys’ are symbolic of beauty of nature and landscapes.

All these things are removed from the lives of the slum children. Education fails to open the doors and windows to the other worlds for these children.  It fails to liberate them from their physically cramped and malnutritioned existence. In contrast to the decorations on the wall of the classroom, the condition of the children studying there is impoverished and hopeless.