How does the poet describe the faces of the children in the classroom ?
The poet says that the faces of the children don’t show any signs of strength or vitality. They look very pale. Their untidy hair hangs around their pale faces like rootless weeds.
What does the poem, ‘An Elementary Classroom in a Slum’ tell us about the children ?
(Or)
How does the poet describe some of the children in the classroom ?
There is a tall girl. She is sitting with her head weighed down. A boy looks as thin as paper. His eyes look like that of a rat. Another one has twisted bones. At the back of the class, there is a sweet little boy. He has dreamy eyes. Their poverty and misery can easily be identified by their appearance.
What is there on the walls of the classroom ?
On the walls, there are some donated objects. There is a picture that shows Shakespeare’s head. Then there are pictures of a cloudless dawn, of a cathedral dome and a flowery valley. There is also a map of the world.
What does the poet say about the ‘open-handed map’ ?
The map has been called ‘open-handed’ because it shows all the seas and lands we have in the world. But he says that for the poor children, this world is not their world. Their world is limited to what they can see from the windows of their classroom.
What does the poet say about the world of children living in a slum ?
The poet says that the world of these children is limited to what they can see from the windows of their classroom. It is only a narrow street under a dull sky. It is far from the open world of rivers, capes and golden sands.
Why does the poet say : ‘Shakespeare is wicked’ ?
The poet does not really mean to say that Shakespeare is wicked. He only means to say that a picture of Shakespeare’s head is of no use in a slum. It can be called wicked in the sense that it will tempt the children to steal it away.
Why has the map been said to be ‘a bad example’ ?
(Or)
Why does the poet, Stephen Spender, call the map a ‘bad example’ ?The map shows all the seas and lands of the world. But the world of poor children living in a slum is very different from this world. It is only a narrow street under a dull sky. That is why the poet calls the map a bad example of a world for the children.
How has the life of children living in slums been described ?
The little homes of these children are no better than cramped holes. They are like catacombs. Here the poor children spend their lives from birth to death. They are so skinny that all their bones can be clearly seen under their skin.
What does the poet want the governor, the inspector and the visitor to do ?
The poet wants these people to take steps by which the poor children can be helped. He wants the children to be taken out of the slums in which they are living. He wants them to be taken where they can not only study from their books, but also play and run about among the trees.
What message does Stephen Spender want to convey in his poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ ?
The poet wants to convey the idea that children must be taken out of the slums where they are living. Their living conditions should be improved. Only then can their education be meaningful. Literary education should go side by side with material and physical development.
What does the poet wish for the children of the slums ? How can their lives be made to change ?
The poet wants the children to be taken out of the slums in which they are living. He wants them to be taken where they can not only study from their books, but also play and run about among the trees.
What does Stephen Spender want to be done for the children of the slums ? How can their lives change ?
(Or)
How, according to the poet, can the lives of the slum children be made to change ?
Stephen Spender wants that children must be taken out of the slums where they are living. Their living conditions should be improved. Only then can their education be meaningful. Literary education should go side by side with material and physical development.
Why does Stephen Spender say that the pictures and the map in the elementary school classroom are meaningless ?
The pictures in the classroom show great writers of the world. The map shows all the seas and lands of the world. But the world of poor children living in slums is very different from these rosy pictures and maps. It is only a narrow street under a dull sky. That is why the poet says that the pictures and the map in the elementary school classroom are meaningless.
How does the world depicted on the classroom walls differ from the world of the slum children ?
On the walls of the classroom, there are the pictures of great writers. There is also a map of the world which shows all the seas and lands of the world. But the world of the slum children is very different from this world. Their world is limited to only what they can see from the windows of their classroom. They can see from there only a narrow street under a dull sky.
How does the poet describe the classroom walls ?
The poet says that the walls of the classroom smell of sour cream. They bear the names of those who gave donations to build this classroom. They also bear some pictures. A big open map is also hanging on the wall.
The poet says, ‘‘And yet for these children, these windows, not this map, their world.’’ Which world do these children belong to ? Which world is inaccessible to them ?
These children belong to the world of slums. They belong to the world of poverty, hunger and starvation. It is a world from where everything looks foggy. The open joyful world of rivers and capes is inaccessible to them.
How is ‘Shakespeare wicked’ and ‘the map a bad example’ for the children of the school in a slum ?
The slum children have no pictures to hang on the walls of their huts. A picture of Shakespeare’s head hanging in the classroom has been called wicked in the sense that it will tempt the children to steal it away. The map shows all the seas and lands of the world. But the world of poor children is only a narrow street under a dull sky. That is why the poet calls the map a bad example for the children.
Describe briefly the effect of malnutrition and unhealthy atmosphere on the health of the children in the poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’.
Owing to the effect of malnutrition and unhealthy atmosphere, the children are pale looking. They all look very thin and weak like wallpapers. Their eyes are lustreless. Their body growth is stunted. They have inherited twisted bones.
How do we know that children at the elementary school are from a slum ?
The miserable plight of these children reveals this fact to us. Their faces don’t show any sign of strength or vitality. They look very pale. They are very thin and weak like paper. Their eyes are lustreless. Their body growth is stunted. They have inherited twisted bones.
What is the colour of ‘sour cream’ ? Why has the poet used these words to describe the classroom walls ?
The colour of ‘sour cream’ is pale yellow which is a symbol of decay. The poet has used this to indicate the sad state of the poor children.
What does the poet voice in the poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ ? What message does he want to convey through this poem ?
Here the poet voices his concern for children who live all their life in slums and have no opportunity to enjoy the real blessings of life. The poet sees some children sitting in a school classroom in a slum. The faces of these poor children have no signs of any warm blood running in them. They are all pale and look lifeless. The walls of this classroom smell of sour cream. They bear the names of those who have given donations to build this classroom. They have also the pictures of a cathedral dome, of Shakespeare’s bust, of a cloudless dawn and of the flowery valley of Tyrol. A big open map is also hanging on the wall. The poet says that these pictures and maps have no meaning for these poor children. They can only arouse in them temptations that will lead them to steal. These children spend all their lives in homes that are no better than cramped holes. The poet calls upon the school governors, inspectors, and also the visitors to such schools to take these children out of the slums. They should take them out of these places that are no better than catacombs. Their living conditions should be improved. Only then can their education be meaningful. The poet says that history belongs only to those nations where children can live freely and enjoy all the blessings under the sun.
