An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum About the poet Stephen Spender (1909-1995) was «n 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 look lie? —$—— $$$! 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. unlucky 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’s game, in tree room, other than this. On sodt*erzam walls, donations. Shakespeare's head. Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities. Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-nanded map Awarding the world its world. And yet, for these dren, these windows, not this map, their world, all their future's painted with a fog,Wa narrow strect sealed in with a lead sky yar far from rivers, capes, and stars of words. pier surely. Shakespeare is Wicked, the map a bad example, with ships and sun and love tempting them to steal— el au el For lives that slyly turn in their cramped _holes \/7»», ¢ mee From fog to endless night? On theif slag he sap, these children | ( Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel _ With mended, glass, like bottle bits on stones. YH ‘all of their time and space are foggy slum. 1 So blot their maps with slums as big as doom. “tay Unless, governor, inspector, visitor, This map becomes their window and these windows That shut upon their lives like catacombs, “x~dix 4 oe i Break O break open till they break the town J And show the children to green fields, and make their world Rurf 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. yrol, an Austrian Alpine province \d gallery with excavations in its sides for tombs. The name catacombs, before the seventeenth ry was applied to the subterranean cemeteries. near ‘Tyrolese valley : pertaining to the catacombs | : along undergroun centu Rome it out 1. Tick the item which best with her head weighed down means answers the following. (a) The tall girt The girl (i) is ill and exhausted ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum /93.Poem 2 An Elementary School Classroom ina Slum Stephen Spenge, Summary Stephen Spender has penned the poem ‘An elementary school classroom i those who exploit the weaker sections of the society. The children in the elementary school in a sium looked like rootless weeds and they seemeg be unwanted in society. Their faces were pale and the untidy hair fell over their faces. There Was a tall girl who sat with her head down as she was depressed with poverty or some sickness. There was a thin boy and his eyes were bulging out like that of a rat. He appeareq malnourished. There was also a boy who had inherited a bone disease (arthritis)from his fathe, and looked disfigured. He sat and recited his lesson as he couldn't stand. There was another boy who was day dreaming and not paying attention to what was being taught in the class. ie Was thinking about the outdoors where a squirrel was playing in the hollow of a tree. He wanted to go out and play but couldn't do so. 2 slum’ to expose The poet has described that the classroom had sour cream coloured walls. They were dirty ang Unpleasant to look at. On these walls there was a picture of Shakespeare, a painting of Clousless sky at dawn, the domes of buildings and the beautiful Tyrolese valley (in Austria) These donated pictures had no meaning for the sium children. There were open handed maps on the walls but the children found them useless as they did not show their world in it. Their real world was foggy, dull and sad. Their life was uncertain and held no bright future. The children were doomed to live in the sium under a dark and dull sky. Places with natural beauties like rivers, capes and the stars above had no meaning for them as they didn’t represent their wortd, The portrait of Shakespeare, the pictures of ships, the sun and the maps on the wall were meaningless for the children of the slums. Their classroom provided them no quality education, There was no world for them beyond poverty and distress. The other beautiful and developer world was unreal but might tempt them to steal as they would never get the things from that world. Their houses were like narrow holes. The children were so thin that their bones seemed to peep through their skin. Their spectacles were made of mended or broken glass just like their broker lives with their unfulfilled desires. They wore the handed down and discarded clothes of the rich. The slums needed to be shown on the maps for the children to identify with them. The miserable condition of the slum children would continue till some governor, inspector or important visitor came and the conditions of the classroom would improve. The children shoul not be forced to live in the small caves like gloomy homes. The gap between the haves and havenots needs to be broken and these children should be allowed to witness the green fields, blue skies and sandy beaches away from the filth they live in. They should be shown warmth and love and be given the freedom to have quality education. % Glossary ‘gusty ~ powerful pallor - pale gnarled ~ twisted tunneted ~ unnoticed capes - peninsulas holes - houses gold sands ~ beach azure - blue weeds ~ unwanted plants paper-seeming ~ very thin Civilized dome - institutions representing civilization Tyrolese valley ~ a valley in Tyrol ~ Austria sky =dull and dark sky slag - waste separated from minerals during refining s\poorsettlements@ run naked - have freedom of expression sh Comprehensive Study Book [68]eee il hy ppt. A. Figures of Speech far far from gusty waves th og " /es these children’ + Reiter ater te alteration jhe sound of the consonant is repeated in the words ‘f ey the body "aces stands forthe enilgrens 4, sfrom’ and ‘faces’ ' ‘les: 2 of e feared the | ney ‘torn round their pallor ri & Saint of comparison is being dry a peat ‘the hair of the children and rootless weeds- The he tall girl with her weighed-down head L 3 J cdoche- Part of a Licance Pat ay Head st Eat i Altera of hin her’ and “head” aonaaittav 1g repeated in the words ‘weighed’ and ‘Wit ant Jransferred Epithet - The adjective ‘wel girl’ to her toad" with which she is related. weighed down’ has been transferred from the ‘917 _ * ‘The paper seeming boy, with rat's eyes nt Metaphor - There is indirect comparison between ‘paper’ and ‘boy’. He is thin and light weight Mie paper. There is also comparison between the eyes of the poy and a rat. They are very bulging. Hyperbole - There is an overstatement that the boy seems to be thin like paper: 5, _ Thestunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease, his lesson, from his desk eestology ~ Unnecessary use of words ‘stunted’, stwisted bones’ and ‘gnarled disease’ have the same meaning 6, _ Atback of the dim class one unnoted, sweet and young Aetonymy - The word ‘unnoted, sweet and ‘young’ represent the boy sitting at the end of the class. 7. Hiseyeslive ina dream, of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this. “rhe boy dreams of playing games like a squirrel does and the dreams that class is Metaphor ~ like a tree room. Synecdoche - part ‘eyes’ stands for the boy on the last seat. donations. ‘e compared with so civilized dome riding all cities. lized dome and cities’ represe' On sour cream walls, ur cream colour. Metaphor ~ The walls art Joudless at dawn, nt a civilized ‘Shakespeare's head, civil 9. Shakespeare's head, Metonymy - The word society. 10. Belted, flowery, Tyrolese valley. g words ‘flowery’ and ‘valley’ are used in the same sentence for Internal Rhyme - The rhymin: poetic effect. 11. Open-handed map awarding the world its world. Repetition - The word ‘far’ is repeated for poetic effect. dows, not this map, their world, these win ive meaning that the map on the wall hardly 2, And yet, for these children, .d to convey the posit Litotes - The negation is use Shows their world. English Comprehensive Study Book [69] L ee oe13. Where all thelr future’s painted with a fog, Metaphor ~ The future of the sium children appears lke a fo alliteration - The sound of consonant 'f’ Is repeated in the Hyperbole - There is an overstatement that their future is 1g- dim and clouded, words ‘fog’ and ‘future’, Painted with a fog, 14. Anarrow street sealed in with a lead sky Metaphor ~ The sky is compared with lead. The point of comparison Is dull and sad. 15. Far far from rivers, capes, Repetition - The word ‘far’ Paradox ~ An absurd state: words like stars unreachabl and stars of words. is repeated for poetic effect. ment but has a deep hidden meaning that rivers and capes are fe to the slum children who live in filth, 16. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example Paradox ~ An absurd statement but has a deep hidden meaning that Shakespeare ang the ‘maps of the civilized world make no sense or are useless to the slum children. 17. With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal— Personification - Inanimate ‘ships and sun’ are given the human quality of ‘tempting’ Metonymy- The words ‘ships and sons’ represents the civilized world of the haves. 18. _ For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes from fog to endless night? Alliteration - The sound of consonant 'f’ is repeated in the words ‘for’ ‘from’ and ‘fog’ Rhetoric - A question is asked not for the sake of an answer but for poetic effect, Metonymy- The words ‘cramped holes’ represents the homes in the slums and ‘fog to endless night’ represents sad conditions. Personification - Inanimate ‘lives’ are given the human quality of being ‘sly’ 19. On their stag heap, these children wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel with mended glass, like bottle bits on stones. Alliteration ~ The sound of consonant 'st’ is repeated in the word ‘steel’ and ‘stones’ and sound of 'b’ in ‘by’, ‘bones’, ‘bottle’ and ‘bits’ Metaphor - There is direct comparison between the ‘slum’ and ‘slag’. The point of comparison is to be dirty and depressing. Simile ~ There is direct comparison between the glass in the spectacles of the children and broken bottle bits. The point of comparison is to be crude. Paradox -An absurd statement but has a deep hidden meaning that the slum children are so under nourished that it looks like their bones are peeping through their skins. 20. All of their time and space are foggy slum. Paradox - An absurd statement but has a deep hidden meaning. The slum children will pass their entire life and time in the dark slums. 21. So blot their maps with slums as big as doom. Alliteration - The sound of consonant ‘b’ is repeated in the words ‘blot’ and ‘big’, Simile - There is direct comparison between the ‘slum life of the children’ and ‘doom’. The point of comparison is to be never ending and miserable. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor, this map becomes their window Internal Rhyme - Rhyming words ‘governor, inspector and visitor’ are used for poetic effect. Alliteration - The sound of consonant 'v’ has been repeated in the words ‘visitor’ and swindow'. ‘And these windows that shut upon their lives like catacombs ‘Simile ~ There is direct comparison between tunnels and the lives of the children in the slums EPeintiof comparison ts to be narrow and tomb like. ‘English Comprehensive Study Book [70]ERR mh 27. 6. 1 ~ Ci transferred Epithet Break O break open till they break th Repetition =, The word "break’ is repeated for poet reve Doce aerate or ponte eek ‘and show the children to green h fields, Metonymy ~ The ‘green fields’ represents unpolluted nature. and make their world run azure : on gold sand: jetonymy ~ The ‘azur ; - Meo elon Mnanirnete Wont i ghee ee aty oF and beaches. nimate ‘world’ is given the human quality of running. ‘And let their tongues run naked i history theirs whose language fee poo the white and green leaves open Syne icat = Pare tongue’ stands for the Slum children: ers = Inanimate ‘nature’ and sun’ are given t u aching- Pers ormmy —"run naked’ represents freedom ‘the human quality of te Hyperbole ~ There is an overstatement that their language is the sun. Figures of Speech ~ Multiple Choice Ques’ Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces A. Repetition and Metaphor 158. Synecdoche and Repetition D. Metaphor and Internal Rhyme €. Simile and Synecdoche Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor ‘A. Euphemism B. Transferred epithet C. Metaphor _ D.Simile ‘The tall girl with her weighed-down head A. Internal Rhyme and Simile B. Alliteration and Internal Rhyme D. Metaphor and Synecdoche C. Transferred Epithet and Synecdoche ‘The paper seeming boy, with rat's eyes B. Simile and Synecdoche A. Metaphor and Hyperbole and Synecdoche D. Metaphor and Synecdoche unlucky heir of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease, The stunted, lesson, from his desk A. Alliteration B. Apostrophe C. Tautology D. Personification at back of the dim class one unnoted, sweet and young A. Metonymy 8. Simile C. Personification D. Apostrophe irrel’s game, in tree room, other than this. jis eyes live ina dream, of squi A Internal Rhyme and Simile 'B. Alliteration and Internal Rhyme _~. Metaphor and Synecdoche D. Transferred Epithet and Synecdoche (On sour cream walls, donations. A. Climax 8. Metaphor C. Transferred Epithet D. Repetition Shakespeare's head, cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities. A. Personification cB. Metonymy C.Simile D. Apostrophe English Comprehensive Study Book10. _ Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. A. Personification 8. Tautology C. Litotes _—D. Internal Rhyme 11. Open-handed map awarding the world its world, A. Personification B. Repetition C. Simile D. Apostrophe 12, And yet, for these children, these windows, not this map, their world, A. Climax 'B. Metaphor C. Transferred Epithet LD. Litotes 13. Where all their future's painted with a fog, A. Internal Rhyme and Simile B. Alliteration and Internal Rhyme _E-: Hyperbole and Metaphor D. Transferred Epithet and Synecdoche 14, Anarrow street sealed in with a lead sky 7A, Metaphor B. Repetition C. Simile D. Apostrophe 15. Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words. A. Internal Rhyme and Simile B. Alliteration and Internal Rhyme -C. Paradox and Repetition D. Transferred Epithet and Synecdoche 16. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example _A. Paradox 8. simile C. Personification D. Apostrophe 17. _ With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal— A. Internal Rhyme and Simile 8. Alliteration and Internal Rhyme ©. Metonymy and Personification D. Metaphor and Synecdoche . 18. _ For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes from fog to endless night? A. Alliteration and Rhetoric B. Metonymy and Personification _/&. Both A and B D. None of the above 19. On their slag heap, these children wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel with mended glass, like bottle bits on stones. A. Alliteration, Rhetoric and Synecdoche _-8. Metaphor, Simile and Paradox C. Hyperbole, Pun and Metaphor D. Euphemism, Anastrophe and Pun 20. Allof the e and space are foggy slum. A. Internal Rhyme B. Simile CC. Personification D. Paradox 21. So blot their maps with slums as big as doom. A. Internal Rhyme and Simile / 8. Alliteration and Simile C. Metonymy and Personification D. Metaphor and Synecdoche 22. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor, this map becomes their window A. Internal Rhyme and Simile B. Alliteration and Antithesis C. Paradox and Repetition _ D. Internal Rhyme and Alliteration B. Metaphor D. Pun English Comprehensive Study Book [72]24, Break O break open till hey break the to 8. Simi wen a ee C. Rhetoric Tautology 35. And show the children to green fields, ‘A. Repetition cen fields, . Simile —C. Metonymy D. Teutology 36. And make their world run azure on gold sands thn ee ee B. Metaphor and Tautology es a D. Metaphor and Synecdoche 7, And let their tongues run nak. Fe ee) theirs whose ayraked nto books the white and green leaves open ‘A. Metaphor and Tautology i" _BSmmecdoche and Metonymy B. Euphemism and Pun D. Paradox and Repetition answers oo BA 3c 4A 5. 6A 7s - 9.8 10.0 11.8 12.0 Be 34 15.c 16.4 17.C 18.c : 218 z 4A 25.C 26.8 az 22.0 23.C 2 Iv. Poem Extract Comprehension: 4. Far far from the gusty waves these children’s faces, Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor The tall girl with her weighed-down head. Questions 1. Which poem is the verse taken from? 2. What do the ‘gusty waves’ denote? 3. Who are these children? 4. Which poetic de used in 2" line? B, “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’s game, in tree room, other than this.” Questions 1. Who is the unlucky heir? Why? 3. What is the unnoted boy doing? 4, What is the poetic device in the fourth line? What is he doing? €. Onsour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head, Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley, Open-handed map ‘Awarding the world its world, Questions 1. Who has penned the above verse? 2. What things have been donated to the classroom? 3. Explain the line - ‘Awarding the world its world’ 4. What is the poetic device used in the first line? 1} English Comprehensive Study Book 73) dreD. And yet for these Children, these windows, not this map, their world, Where all their future is painted with fog, ‘A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky Far far from rivers, capes and stars of words. Questions 1. From which poem is the above verse taken? 2. Why is the map on the class wall not their world 3. What is the meaning of the last line? 4. What is the poetic device in the 3° line? e map a bad example, them to steal- d holes E. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, th | With ships and sun and love tempting For lives that slyly turn in their crampe From fog to endless night? Quest 1. Who is ‘them’ in the verse? 2. Why is Shakespeare wicked? | 3. What temptation do they face? , 4. Explain - ‘From fog to endless night? | F. On their slag heap, these children Waar ckine geeped through by bones and spectacles of steel. With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones. Questions 1. Who has penned the poem? 2. What does slag heap denote? 3. How does the poet describe the cl 4, What is the poetic device in last Break O Break open till they break the town ‘And show the children to green fields, and make thei 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. Questions 1. Explain the first line. 2. What does he want the slum children to enjoy? 3. What is meant by ‘let their tongues run naked’? 4. What is the poetic device in the last line? Answers: A. 1, The verse is taken from ‘An elementary school classroom in a slum’ v 7 jum’ by Ste ender 2. The ‘gusty waves’ denote the power and energy of the outside world. phen Sp 3. The children mentioned are the ones staying in the slum. ; 4. The poetic device used in the 2 line is Simile. There is direct comp: children and weeds. The point of comparison is to be unwanted. on between the sur 4 the boy who has inherit ie unlucky hed is te boy rited the disease of twisted bones and stunted He cannot stand so he is sitting at his desk i si and reciting. juunnoted boy is sitting in the class but his mind is dreaming about playing in the treesa 1, The above verse has been penned by Stephen Spender: 2 Te Gloss down, dome i, nas Been donated a portrait of Shakespeare, = picture of @ “award : a picture of the flowery valley of Tyrolese. 3, The words ‘awarding the world its world means tne dation plete ore awarded By she He” to the slum children showing them thelr fine world when in reality the world of the slum 4, The poetic device used in the fi ' a the colour Of the walls of the slum claserooey ong ig Peweaphod Thar 16 comparison between the 1. The verse is taken from ‘An elementai Spender. b. ntary school classroom in a slum’ by Stephen SPs 2, The map on the class wall is the wi yw, dit miserable 2. For the slum children river, capes and stars are just words and not things they will see and 4. The poetic device in the fog dim and clouded. 3 line is Metaphor. The future of the slum children appears like 2 fg, _ 1:"Them‘in the verse are the slum children. 2, Shakespeare is wicked because his works are of no use to the slum children. 3. The pictures of the rich world tempt the children to steal. 3: The line means that there is no hope for the slum children. Their lives are dark and O! jurred. f, _ 1:The poem has been penned by Stephen Spender. 2/ The miserable slum where the children stay. 3 The poet says that the slum children are so thin and malnourished that their bones 2 seen through their skin and their spectacles are made of bits of glass. 4. The poetic device in the last line is Simile. There Is direct comparison between the glass in the spectacles of the children and broken bottle bits, The.point of comparison Is tO De in be crude. G1: The poet wants the slum children to move out of the slums and be a part of the beautiful outside world. run on the beaches and have the 2. He wants the slum children to enjoy the green fields, freedom to enjoy books and nature and its bounties. 3, Itmeans to let them have total freedom. a 2: The poetic device in the last line is Hyperbole - There is an overstatement that their language is the sun. V. Poem Based Answers Hove you ever visited or seen an elementary school in a slum? What does it look like? Mavtcyelementary schools in slums are wanting in facilities. They are in a miserable state with entilation. They lack proper desks, benches and fans. The dimly lit rooms without proper v sintants sige don’t have drinking water and sanitation facilities. The main thing is there are no dedicated teachers to teach in such schools due to lack of facilities and less pay scales. Even dasses are not conducted on a regular basis. 2. What do you think is the colour of sour cream? Why do you think the poet has used t! expression to describe the classroom walls? Sour cream has a pale yellow colour. The poet has used this expression to describe the walls of the elementary classroom in the slum. The walls surround the students and they do not bring any joy to them. The children live in miserable conditions in the slum and their classroom Increases their misery instead of bringing some cheer into their lives. English Comprehensive Study Book [75]‘The walls of the classroom are decorated with pictures of Shakespeare, buildings w domes, world maps and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world ore f slum children? OR Why does the poet Stephen Spender say that pictures and maps j,* the slum school are not meaningful? . The walls of the classroom in the elementary school in the slum were decorated with picty Shakespeare which is a symbol of literature, the buildings with domes refer to power and the world maps symbolize the world outside and the beautiful valleys represent nature’s bg, However, all these were in sharp contrast to the gloomy conditions in which the children jiyeg’ the slum and the miserable lives they had. They had no future and no ray of hope to better their lives so the pictures were meaningless for them. Fe What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made, change? ‘The poet wishes that the slum children break free from their life of misery. He doesn’t want t, to remain sad, depressed and isolated from the rest of the world. He wishes that the educa, provided to them should give them the opportunity of a better life. The people who are in poy 5nd those who are the educators should help them. They should get a chance to live with nature instead of garbage dumps. He wishes that the slum children can freely run on the goig sands and make progress in their lives. i) How did the poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ portray the children of the slum? In Stephen Spender’s poem An Elementary School Classroom in a slum’ the children were portrayed undernourished. Their hair was dull and unkempt like rootless weeds. Their faces pale. There was a very thin boy with his eyes bulging out. One of the girl was sitting with her hea’ weighed down probably she was burdened with the miseries of poverty. A boy with stun growth had inherited the disease from his father, he could only sit and recite his lessons. Then there was a boy who was least interested in what was going on in the class he wanted to be ‘outdoors seeing the squirrels play in the trees. L Mark the item which best answers the following The tall girl with her head weighed-down mean the girl is a. is ill and exhausted b. has her head bent with shame ¢. has untidy hair The paper seeming boy with rat’s eyes means the boy is 7 a. thin, hungry and weak b. sly and secretive . unpleasant looking ‘The stunted unlucky heir of twisted bones means the boy n a. has an inherited disability b. was short and bony 1 His eyes live in a dream. A squirrel’s game in the tree room other than this means the boyis. : a. full of hope in the future b. mentally ill . distracted from the lesson a ‘The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’. This means they a. are insecure b. are ill-fed c. are wasters a i. a. Is ill and exhausted ii, a, thin, hungry and weak lij. a. has an inherited disability iv. c. distracted from the lesson English Comprehensive Study Book