Chapter 10 An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Solutions
Question - 1 : - What do you think is the colour of тАЬsour creamтАЭ? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls?
Answer - 1 : -
The colour of тАЬsour creamтАЭ is off-white or yellowish. The poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls in order to underline the prevalent neglect. The dull colour and the suggested bitterness, echo the situation of the children.
Question - 2 : - The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of Shakespeare, тАЬbuildings with domesтАЭ, тАЬworld mapsтАЭ, and тАЬbeautiful valleysтАЭ. How do these contrast with the world of these children?
Answer - 2 : -
The poet saw the lives of slum children as far removed from that which is represented in schoolbooks, maps, photographs of alpine valleys, pictures of buildings with domes and the bust of Shakespeare. The glories of the world filled the textbooks and their classroom walls but failed to liberate these children from the reality of their impoverished existence in the cramped waste of modem industrial towns. The pictures serve as a stark contrast to the lived reality of the children.
Question - 3 : - What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?
Answer - 3 : -
Stephen Spender, in this poem, questions the value of education in a slum. He appealed to the governors, teachers, inspectors and visitors to rescue the poor and oppressed from the тАЬtombтАЭ of class discrimination. The poet appeals to them to work towards the social and economic development of these children.
Question - 4 : - Describe the three deprived children as described by Spender in the poem.
Answer - 4 : -
Among the three deprived children described by Spender in the poem, the first is the tall girl with a тАЬweighed-down headтАЭ signifying that she was mentally and physically exhausted. The second is the тАЬpaper- seeming boyтАЭ with frightened eyes. He was malnourished with twisted bones. The third is an unnoticed тАЬsweet and youngтАЭ boy whose eyes тАЬlive in a dreamтАЭ.
Question - 5 : - Mention the characteristics of the slum children.
Answer - 5 : -
The slum children are described as drained of energy; pale and thin. They are undernourished and unkempt like the тАЬrootless weedsтАЭ. They are exhaustedтАФmentally, physically and emotionally.
Question - 6 : - The first three stanzas spell a scene of dejection and despair. Justify.
Answer - 6 : -
In the first stanza, the poet spells a scene of dejection and despair by using words such as the тАЬrootlessтАЭ,тАЬstuntedтАЭ, тАЬtwistedтАЭ, тАЬgnarledтАЭ, тАЬdimтАЭ and тАЬdiseasedтАЭ. The poet speaks of the childrenтАЩs faces as тАЬrootless weedsтАЭтАФunwanted, ugly and parasitic. They were unkempt and exhausted, sickly lean and like rodents. They had inherited their diseased bones from their parents. Their pitiable plight is reflected by equally dim and pathetic classrooms. They were doomed to be the тАЬslag heapтАЭ of society like useless and unwanted тАЬrubbishтАЭ.This antithetical imagery lends a contrast between the slum children and the subjects of their learning.
Question - 7 : - Contrast the imagery of the slum with donations on the wall.
Answer - 7 : -
The slum is described as dark and dim where the children live on slag heap. They have a foggy future. The course of life for them is a narrow street with a lead sky that encloses on them. This is in contrast to the donations on the wall. ShakespeareтАЩs head symbolizes an enlightened mind and the cloudless bright skies and the Tyrolese valley are contrasted with the foggy environment of the slum. The donations talk both of beauty and progress, while the slum is regressive.
Question - 8 : - What do тАЬsour cream wallsтАЭ symbolize?
Answer - 8 : -
The тАЬsour cream wallsтАЭ symbolize the unkempt walls where the paint is yellowing and has lost lustre. Metaphorically, it reflects the despondent look of the students as well as the bitter life of the slum children.
Question - 9 : - Who can change the lives of the slum children and how?
Answer - 9 : -
An enlightened person like a governor, inspector, or visitor can transform the lives of the slum children. These educated minds can liberate the imprisoned minds of the children. The poet then visualizes liberated children running on the тАЬgold sandsтАЭ and delving into the books. Their mind will be empowered and enlightened like the sun.
Question - 10 : - Discuss the use of metaphors in the poem.
Answer - 10 : -
The poem uses a lot of comparisons or metaphors. The тАЬgusty wavesтАЭ symbolize the energy that ought to be found in children. The image of the fog is an implied comparison with the bleak future of children; for this purpose the poet uses the words тАЬpainted with a fogтАЭ and closed down with a тАЬlead skyтАЭ. The children live тАЬfrom fog to endless nightтАЭ and for them тАЬtime and space are foggy slumтАЭ. The exposure to education and liberation of the mind is compared to being shown тАЬgreen fieldsтАЭ and allowed to run тАЬazure on gold sandsтАЭ.