An Elementary School in a Slum

Stanza 1: Tone: Sarcastic Description of the slum children

1. Why did the girl stoop her head down?
Ans: She is exhausted and ill. Tired of her miserable life .
2. Explain paper seeming boy with rats eyes.
Ans: Its a metaphor indicating the boys physique. The boy is thin as paper showing his
malnourishment. His eyes reflect the hunger of rats .
3. Who is the unlucky heir and why?
Ans: The boy, whose growth has been stopped, is the unlucky heir. He has inherited genetic
deformity from his father.
4. What does the sweet and young boy want and what does he get?
Ans: The sweet and young boy wants to enjoy his life like a lively squirrel, beyond the
confinement of the slum classroom. But he goes unnoted, and ignored by the society.
Stanza 2: Tone: Sarcastic Description of the classroom
1. List the articles that adorn the classroom.
Ans: On the discolored walls, these items were found:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

A half bust picture of Shakespeare (would never get to enjoy life shown by him)
A picture of colorful Tyrolese valley (contrary to their dark life)
A list of donors (who never bothered for the children)
A picture of high-rise buildings in cities (contrary to their reality)
A picture of cloudless dawn (their life is clouded and will never see a new
morning)

2. What does open handed map mean? What does it show?

Ans: Its a map made at the free will and whims of political leaders. It shows the map of
their country to the slum children.
3. What and how is the world of the children?
Ans: Their world is hopeless, like a narrow street suddenly vanishing in the polluted sky,
far away from natural beauty and fake promises of the politicians.
Stanza 3: Tone: Sarcastic Description of living condition of the slum children
1. Why is Shakespeare wicked?
Ans: Because his likings show life full of happiness and love which the slum children would
never get to experience.
2. What does the map show, and why is it wicked?
Ans: The map shows natural beauty, urbanization and modernity.
It shows such places which do not accommodate these slum children.
3. Why did the poet call Shakespeare and the map a bad example?
Ans: Shakespeare and the map show modernization, urbanization, natural beauty and love
which they never experience. Naturally, being attracted they rush out from their slums
towards the modern cities, only to be snubbed, denied admittance and ridiculed.
4. Explain cramped holes.
Ans: Its a metaphor which indicates the slums, where the childrens life dangerously moves
from hopelessness (fog) to death (night).
5. What is the condition of the children in the slum?
Ans: The slum is filled with filth (slag heap), they are naked due to their poverty, are victims
of malnourishment (skins peeped through by bones), lacking good eyesight as a result of
malnourishment and with faces as hard as stone.
6. Why is the slum a blot?
Ans: Slum means death. Thats why it is a blot.
7. Whose map do the slums blot?

Ans: The map proudly shows the achievement of the leaders and the politicians in making
modern cities and towns, with all facilities. Naturally, deadly slums are blots on the pride of
the politicians & leaders, which is projected in the maps.
Stanza 4: Tone Suggestive Suggestions to uplift the condition of slums
1. Whom did the poet address in the end?
Ans: He addressed all the stakeholders of society governors, inspectors and common
people.
2. What does the poet want the map to do? Why?
Ans: To incorporate the slums in the map of the country, instead of isolating them.
As catacombs leads to a graveyard, life in slum leads to death. Naturally, they
must be brought into the mainstream of life by providing them equal rights and
opportunities to live in modernity.
3. Explain Break O Break Open.
Ans: The repetitive verb break' is a suggestion by the poet to demolish the social distinction
by the poet created by the society. If such distinctions and differences are not removed, the
beauty of modernization and urbanization will be damaged.
4. What is the suggestion of the poet?
Ans: i. To incorporate the slum into the map of the modern civilized world.
ii. Social differences between rich and poor be demolished.
iii. Children of the slum must be provided equal opportunity and right to live their life in
the natural beauty of green fields or under the blue sky.
iv. The children must be given equality and right to acquire knowledge freely from the
colorful pages of books.
v. Their equal rights and justice must enable them to speak freely and to express
themselves unhesitatingly without being interrupted. This freedom of speech brings in
an opportunity to change the world because history is made by them whose voice had
the strength of the sun (strong, impressive and influential).