An Elementary School

Classroom in a Slum

by
Stephen Spender
About the poet…

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

◦ Books by Spender include

◦ Poems of Dedication
◦ The Edge of Being
◦ The Creative Element
◦ World Within World. (autobiography)

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 Theme of the poem
• An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ was published by Stephen Spender in 1964. The poet describes the
tough living conditions of the poor kids in a slum.
• The theme of the poem is the social injustice and class inequality faced by slum children.
• The poet presents this theme by using vivid imagery to describe the pathetic condition of the slum children.
Their physical appearance shows signs of their poverty and even the classroom that they are in is a dull and
lifeless place.
• The poet further presents the theme of inequality by juxtaposing the children’s world with the world outside.
Their classroom walls are decorated with pictures of Shakespeare, that of a beautiful valley and also a map.
All of these are symbols of a world that is beyond the reach of the slum children.
• Though the pictures and the map show a world of beauty and privilege, this world is in stark contrast to the
reality of the slum children.
• The poet emphasizes on the idea that the people in authority need to take measures to end this class inequality
and give the slum children a chance for a better life.
 Detailed Explanation
“Far far………..pallor: ”
The opening stanza of "An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum" provides a clear, depiction of the students in the classroom. The
children’s faces are unlike the usual children of schools. The poet uses the image/phrase ‘gusty waves’ indicating lively and energetic
aspect of a child's life which is lacking in the faces of the children mentioned in the poem.
In the next line, the poet describes the condition of those poor children. According to him, they are like rootless weeds i.e. pale and dry
like uprooted weeds and grass. The phrase “rootless weeds” also signify how society perceives those poor children, i.e. they are
considered as weeds (useless). Their hair are torn (split) round their pallor (unhealthy face).

“The tall girl with her weighed-down head….. His lesson, from his desk.”
The first child is a "tall girl with a weighed-down head." This girl is physically and emotionally exhausted, as if all life has been
drained from her body and sapped from her mind. Her classmates are in no better condition. "The paper-seeming boy, with rat's eyes" is
paper-thin and weak. He has big protruding eyes like that of a rat which is always in search of food.
Another student, "the stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones," is the victim of a genetic disorder. Spender writes that the boy has
inherited his "father's gnarled disease"; he has been left disfigured, trapped in a physically challenged body. Spender has used the word
“reciting‟ to show that in addition to studying/reciting the lesson, the boy recites his inherited crippling disease in the class.
“At back of the dim class……..other than this.”
There is a boy sitting at the back of the dim class which means the classroom is not well lit. He is unnoticed by others but the poet finds
him sweet and young. He is dreaming with his eyes open or he is daydreaming of escaping out into open and playing with the squirrel in
tree houses rather than being in this small room.

“On sour cream walls, donations………..Awarding the world its world.”

“Sour cream” walls indicate that the walls are not even painted properly and it is damp turning its color to pale. These walls have posters
that are probably donated to this school. There are certain paintings that are hung on these walls like those of Shakespeare’s head,
cloudless dawn, the next poster is of the Tyrolese valley, full of bell shaped flowers which symbolizes the beautiful creations of nature,
domes of city buildings standing for civilization and progress and a world map awarding the children the world. The lines “Open-
handed map / Awarding the world its world” could refer to the map of the world hanging on the wall of the classroom
giving/showing (awarding) everyone (the world) the world out there to explore and know (its world) The map on the wall proclaims a
world which is vast and limitless but the world of these children is limited to the slum.

“And yet, for these Children……stars of words”

But the world of these slum children is the limited world that can be seen through the windows of the classroom and not what
the map promises. All these seem ironic when contrasted with the misery and hopeless condition of the slum children. Their future is
foggy, bleak and dull. Their life/world is confined within the narrow streets of the slum enclosed by the dull sky far away from rivers,
seas that indicate adventure and learning and from the stars that stand for words that can empower their future. 'Lead sky' means a dull
sky or a dimly lit sky. This symbolises the bleak, dull life and future of the slum children.
 “Surely, Shakespeare is wicked…. endless night?”
The children of the slum are troubled by disease and despair. For them Shakespeare is ‘wicked’ and ‘map’ a bad example’.. For these slum
children, literary excellence of Shakespeare is a far-fetched thing and hence seems wicked. The map on the wall gives them false
aspirations as it makes them aware of the beautiful world outside the slum. The poet feels that the head of Shakespeare and the map
are cruel temptations for these children living in cramped houses (holes), whose lives revolve around (slyly turns) dullness (fog)
and hopelessness (endless night) as they imagine and long for (steal) adventure(ships), for a better future (sun) and for love.

“On their slag heap………as big as doom.”

The slum children live on ‘slag heaps’ – piles of waste material. Their world is full of dirt and garbage. These children are very weak and
undernourished. They look like skeletons as their bones peep through their thin skin. They wear ‘spectacles of steel with mended glass’ –
discarded spectacles by the rich, mended (repaired) and worn. It looks like the bits of glass on stone walls. They are deprived of even the
basic amenities of life. Their world is comprised of the foggy slums where they live nightmares. Slums are the reality for these children,
their home, where they spend their life. The maps displayed in their classroom are no reality for them. The slums that these children grow
up in are not actually represented on any maps. So the maps hold no meaning for the children and are hence useless. In order to be a true
representation of the world for these children, the maps should be blotted with slums.

“Unless,……. Catacombs…”
They must be provided quality education so that they can make use of this opportunity but this cannot be achieved unless the inspectors
and other policymakers make serious efforts towards this end. Then the map becomes their window from where they can see the world
beyond their slums. Since they are confined to the slums, these sights and glimpses are shut upon them as they are deprived of all
opportunities and means. Their lives are shut up in the cemeteries of these slums where they slither and slog to make both ends meet.
 “Break O break open……language is the sun.”
The poem ends with the poet fervently hoping that slum children will have access to better education and a better way of life. He uses the
words ‘Break o break open’ to make an appeal to break the confines of the slum so that theses children can be brought out in the green
fields away from the filthy surroundings. The poet desires that these children should be allowed to run freely on the golden sands under a
clear sky. The use of the term naked here means no restraints or inhibitions. The poet wants the children to learn as much as they can and to
receive quality education from books (white leaves) and Nature(green leaves), without any restriction. The poet says if students studying in
slum are truly allowed education in the form of free exploration, their language will gain the power and warmth of the Sun. They will
acquire freedom of expression which will change their future and recreate history.
Poetic Devices used…
METAPHOR
• Gusty waves – the privileged children are compared to gusty waves energetic and exuberant.
Paper seeming boy- is a metaphor for a malnourished boy who is as thin as paper. The poet has cleverly used two literary devices. It
is also a hyperbole: an exaggeration to show how thin he is! The poet wants to convey the fact that due to malnutrition the boy
looks as thin as a newspaper.
• Future is painted with a fog – refers to the future of the slum children which has been compared to the fog because it is uncertain
and unclear.
• Sealed in with a lead sky – refers to the dull and grey colour of the sky
and also the depressing future of the slum children.
• Stars of words –refers to the words or literature written by writers like Shakespeare that create images which are as bright,
beautiful and inspiring like stars
From fog to endless night – refers to future of the slum children which is without any ray of hope, a future that can only go from
bad to worse.
• Wears skins peeped through by bones- refers to the thin emaciated bodies of the children which has been reduced to mere skin and
bones.
• Whose language is the sun – refers to the people who are powerful like the sun and have happier life.

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SIMILE
• Like rootless weeds- the children have been compared to weeds or the unwanted section of society.
• Like bottle bits on stones- the spectacle frames their stony eyed expressions/hard faces.
• Windows that shut upon their lives like catacombs- the classroom and the homes in which the slum children live
have been compared to underground burial chambers.
• Slums as big as doom
SYMBOL/IMAGERY
• Squirrels game – something that helps the child to escape the grim reality of his surroundings
• Civilized dome riding all cities – cities that show the progress of the civilization and its marvelous architecture.
• Open handed map – a map drawn arbitrarily by the people in power and privilige..
• Fog – bleak and unclear
• Ships and sun- adventures and beautiful lands offering opportunities,
• Slag heaps – industrial waste, toxic filth and squalor
• Windows – windows of the slum classroom do not open out to opportunities and the wide world. They show only fog covered
slums where they are confined.
• Green fields, gold sand- colour, happiness , nature and golden opportunities.

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• White and green leaves – learning from pages of books(white here symbolises purity and enlightenment) and nature.
• Run azure- feel the unpolluted , clear blue sky
• Sun – symbol of enlightenment / clarity/equality

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Answer the following:
I. 30-40 words each:
a. What is the message that Stephen Spender wants to give through the poem 'An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum'?
Ans. In 'An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum', Stephen deals with the theme of social injustice and inequalities. There are
two different worlds. Art, culture and literature have no relevance to slum children. They live in dark, narrow, cramped holes and
lanes. Unless the gap between the two world is abridged, there can't be any real progress or development.
b. What should governors, teachers, inspectors and other important and powerful persons do to improve the lot of children living in
slums?
c. Why does Spender call Shakespeare ‘wicked’ and the map a ‘bad example’?
d. How can 'this map' become 'their window'?
e. 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?

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II. Extract based questions:
a. “Break O break open till they break the town…… History theirs whose language is the sun.”
a) What should they break?
b) What kind of a world does the poet imagine for these children?
c) What does the word ‘sun’ symbolize?
b. “…And yet, for these children, ……..A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.”
d) What is ‘their world’ for these children?
b) What future is in store for these children?
c) What does ‘lead sky’ symbolize?
c. “Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces….. The paper- Seeming boy, with rat’s eyes.”
e) Which children are referred to here?
f) Explain ‘like rootless weeds’. Identify the literary device.
g) What is the comparison drawn with rat’s eyes?

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Thank you!

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