Class 12 English An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Explanation with reference to the context

 

Class 12  English An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum
Explain with reference to the context of the following stanza

    (a) Far Far from ……………... other than this .

Reference- These lines have been taken from the poem ,’ An Elementary School  Classroom in a slum ‘composed by ‘ Stephen Spender ‘.

Context- These lines depict the miserable condition of the slum classrooms and children.

Explanation- The poet goes to the slum class and finds the children in a very pathetic condition. There the face was very dull, amazing waves means strong sparkling waves, that glow and spark were not available on his face. His hair was spread around his face. And the neck and was without oil and comb, so rootless looked like weeds. There was also a girl who was tall and her head was heavy so she was sitting under her head. There was also a very thin paper boy whose eyes were compared to the eyes of a mouse. He was the underdeveloped, unfortunate heir to bent bones, a boy who had suffered from these problems since childhood and was repeating his father – an orthopedics in which bones become deformed. The boy was reading his lesson from this desk. The lighting in the classroom was very poor, there was not enough light causing damage to the eyes and the children did not feel like studying. At the back was sitting a lonely, cute and little boy. The boy was indulging in a dream which belonged to a squirrel and that squirrel was playing in a tree room. So the boy was engaged in watching the squirrel apart from his class.

(  (b) On sour cream ……………… stars of words .

Reference- These lines are taken from the poem 'An elementary school class in a slum' by Stephen Spender.

Context- These lines describe the internal geographical location of the slum classroom and the future of the slum children.

Explanation- The walls of the classroom of the slum were pale white and there were many things like donated scenes, pictures, pictures etc. on those walls. One of the picture of Shakespeare's face was the scene with a picture of dawn with clouds and domes, which is worshiped and followed all over the world, leading the entire population. There were valleys, a valley called Tyrolese with bell-shaped flowers. There was also an open hand, a large size stick and a world map representing the whole world with all the land and seas in that distant slum world. And the irony was that the map was strange, unfamiliar to the slum children because they had never gone anywhere outside the slum. Those windows of that hut were his only world and his whole future was painted, covered with fog, there was smoke all around.

(c) surely, Shakespeare is  …………………as big as doom.

Reference - These lines are taken from the poem 'An elementary school class in a slum' by Stephen Spender.

Context- These lines show the futility of the things lying on the wall and the low standard of living of the slum children.

Explanation- The picture of Shakespeare which is hanging there on the wall is certainly of no use to the slum children, Shakespeare is completely unknown to them, the map is said to be a bad example because the map shown in The place gone is completely strange to them, the ship sun attracts them and compels them to get by any means, that love is hate for them, life slowly proceeds in their low altitude overcrowded huts increasing what is called the everlasting darkness from daylight. That hazy blackness never ends. They spend most of their time in idle rest and they are so thin that their bones are visible from a thin layer, they were steel glasses in which the glass is joined at many points as the glass bottle falls from the hard stone. and at this point, the poet becomes angry. He wastes maximum time and creativity in that densely foggy slum. And the poets demand that ro destroy the slums along with the maps and in the biggest way like the doomsday - the day of recording of Christianity..

 

(d)     unless governor , ……………….. language is the sun .

Reference - These lines are taken from the poem 'An elementary school class in a slum' by Stephen Spender.

Context – These lines are the lines of the poet Mang, telling the children of the slum-jhopri the way of their development.

Explanation - The poet advocated the role of governor, inspector, visitor because until these other officers carry out their performance, the condition of slum children will remain the same. The poet advises that this map should be the gateway to their future and that the windows that close and bind their lives like closed chamber catacombs, then every point of view ceases.

The poet finally concludes to conclude that whatever stops those children, there must be growth, those children should be city or show and they should visit the open spaces in the green fields. The poet wants that they should be free to roam everywhere on the golden sand under the broad sky and their tongue should be trained, the tongue should be free to read all the information and all the necessary facilities should be provided for white-paged books. should be given as and should be given to them. natural environment and then they will create history and shine like sun, become famous like sun all over the world and create a creative world.

Think it out

 

Question 1-Tick the item which best answers the following:

(A) The tall girl with her head weighed down means the girl

(a)Is ill and exhausted

(b) Has her head bent with shame

(c)Has untidy hair

Answer: is ill and exhausted

 

(B) The paper seeming boy with rat’s eyes means the boy is

(a)Sly and secretive

(b)Thin, hungry and weak

(c)Unpleasant looking

Answer. Thin, hungry and weak

 

(C) The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means the boy

(a)Has an inherited disability

(b)Was short and bony

Answer. has an inherited disability

 

(E) His eyes live in a dream, A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this means the boy is

(a)Full of hope in the future

(b)Mentally ill

(c)Distracted from the lesson

Answer. Distracted from the lesson

 

(E) The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’ this means they

(a)Are insecure

(b)Are ill-fed

(c)Are wasters

Answer. Are wasters

 

Question 2- What do you think is the color of ‘sour cream’? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls?

Answer- The color of sour cream is yellow and dull. The poet used this expression to describe the walls of the classroom as the walls were not freshly painted. The classroom walls were pale and not pretty.

 

Question 3- 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?
Answer- The various pictures on the wall do not resemble the world of these slum-dwelling children as they have never received adequate facilities and education. He has always seen crime happening around him. So the poem says that Shakespeare is a wicked person to these children. Not only this, their world is the filthy slum in which they live which is continuously expanding. Therefore, world maps that never show slums and beautiful canyons that are never seen and out of reach of children are the exact opposite of what they see as their own world.

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Question4- What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?

Answer- The poet wants the governor, inspector and visitors to visit the school. He wants them to see the plight of these children and do something for their betterment. The best facilities should be provided to these children to make their lives better. He wants these children to visit the beautiful places that nature has given with its beauty. It will create hunger to study to improve their lives.