ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL GOPALPUR

CLASS- XII A,B,C

SESSION 2020-21

NOTES/ASSIGNMENTS (JUNE-2020)

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM

By Stephen Spender

THEME: Social injustice and class inequalities

Main Points

Stanza-1

(1) The poem portrays a picture of an elementary school in a slum area

(2) Deprived of basic facilities such as-nutritional food, balanced diet, air, sun. shine and potable
water, children are least interested in studies

(3) The tall girl and paper seeming boy-all are victims of malnutrition; they are suffering from various
diseases

(4) A boy sitting at the back is dreaming of squirrel's game. He has no interest in class-room activity.

Stanza-2

(1) The class-room wall contains pictures and paintings -like Shakespeare's head developed cities
with skyscrapers Tyrolese valley aesthetically beautiful, problem free world (cloudless at down)-they
came by donations.

(2) These pictures belong to the world of the rich and prosperous.

(3) The world of these poor and deprived children contrasts with the world depicted on classroom
walls.

(4) The rich have drawn an open handed map which is of no use to them as their world is limited to
the end of the street.

(5) Far from rivers, capes and stars of words, their future is bleak and uncertain

Stanza-3
(1) Shakespeare is wicked and map a bad example as they do not correspond to their limited,
narrow world.

(2) Ships and Sun depicted on the wall tempt them to experience the world of the rich with all its
glory.

(3) However, they can not get this opportunity as the responsible people do not want it.

(4) These malnourished children wearing mended glasses oscillate between fog and endless night,
having uncertain life with no future.

(5) They pass all their time and space in the hell (the slum). This hell is a blot on the civilised world.

Stanza-4

(1) The poet calls upon governor, inspector and visitor (representing power and position) to review
the system before it is too late.

(2) The revised system should empower these children to break away from the shakles of poverty
and deprevation.

(3) He urges the civilised people to help them enjoy all the facilities such as blue-sky, sun-shine, sea-
waves, fresh air, good and sufficient nutritious diet.

(4) Let the pages of wisdom be open for them and their tongues may run freely on the white leaves
of books.

(5) Only those people find a place in history whose language has the warmth and power of the sun.

Major features:

1- Poetic device:
Simile-

Like rootless weeds

Like bottle bits on stones

Like catacombs

Slums as big as doom

Metaphors

Rat's eyes, gnarled disease, Paper Seeming boy

Squiriel's game

White and green leaves etc.

 Alliteration

Far far from gusty waves

Surely Shakespeare

Bottle-bits

2- Imagery /Symbols

(i) Gusty waves

(ii) Rootless weeds

(iii) Paper-seeming boy

(iv) Sour-cream walls

Summary of the poem in detail.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum class

In this poem the poet focuses on the theme of social injustice and inequalities. He presents the
pathetic and miserable picture of the elementary classroom in a slum. These children have pale and
lifeless faces and some are even diseased. They are like rootless weeds which are uncared and
unwanted with their disorderly hair torn around their faces.

They are depressed and oppressed with the burdens of life and keep their heads down. They have
stunted growth. One of the girls is apparently burdened with the miseries of poverty. One of the
boys has inherited his father’s disease and has stunted growth. Another student is sitting unnoticed
and he is yearning to play outdoors. A sweet young boy is sitting at the back of the dim classroom.
He is dreaming of a squirrel’s game in the trees and probably other interesting things.

The walls are dirty and creamy and on them are hung the donations given to the school in the form
of pictures, paintings, Shakespeare’s portrait and maps which are meaningless for the children. They
exhibit the world of the elite and the privileged while the children in the slum have a future that is
sealed and confined to the slum. Their future is dark and limited. The donations on the walls only
add to the frustration of the children. They are tempted to attain what would be unattainable for
them. The children studying in these schools do not have the means to go and explore the world. For
them what they see through their classroom windows, the narrow street and the lead sky is the
world.

Shakespeare is wicked for them as he has written only about the rich, beautiful world tempting them
to steal.The map is of no interest to them because it does not reflect the world they live in-cramped
and dark lanes. Their lives start in darkness and ends in utter darkness. They are undernourished and
their poverty has distorted their vision as they spend their whole time in foggy slums. The poet feels
that the map which shows beautiful and exotic places should be replaced with slums as it is not the
world they live in.

Unless the governor inspector and visitor play a vital role in bringing about a change, their lives will
remain in dark. The slum children will be able to peep through the window only when the gap
between the two worlds is bridged.

They should break the barriers till they come out of the dirty surroundings and their world should be
extended into the green fields, golden sands and bright world. They should have the freedom of
expression and their outlook be broadened. Thus, the children in the slum can progress only if they
are given good education and the freedom to move into a world of opportunities and progress. The
poet also states that history is made only by those people who have the power of knowledge. Hence,
educating and letting the children into a free world of opportunities would release them from the
suffocating, wretched life in a slum.

Questions for practice

Extract-1

On Sour cream walls, donations, Shakespeare's head.

Cloudless at down, civilized dome riding all cities

Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open handed map

1. What has been described in the first lines?

2. Why is the map 'open handed?'
3. Explain the line-'Awarding the world its world?'
4. How is the sky at dawn?

Extract-2

Unless governor, inspector, visitor,

This map becomes their window and these windows

That shut upon their lives like catacombs,

Break o break open till they break the town

1 Who are called upon by the poet in the first line?

2 What does the poet want them to do?

 3 What is the poetic device used in the third line?

4 Explain, "Break ........................... town"?

Short Answer Questions.

(1) Why is Shakespeare wicked?

(2) Describe, in brief, the conditions surrounding these slum children?

(3) Present the two worlds depicted in the poem?

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````END```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````