AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM

 AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN  A SLUM

- STEPHEN SPENDER

Important Textual Questions 

Q. Read the given extract and answer the questions:

(i) Far far from gusty waves these children's faces.

    Like rootless weeds, the hair torn around their pallor :

    The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper -

    seeming boy, with rat's eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir 

    Of twisted bones, reciting a father's gnarled disease,

    His lesson, from his desk.

1. Name the poem and the poet from which the above extract has been taken?

Answer- The name of the poem is 'An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum'. The name of the poet is Stephen Spender.

2. How have the children's faces described?

Answer- The children's faces have been described as very pale. The children look like rootless weeds with their untidy hair hung around their extremely pale faces.

3. What has been said about the tall girl and the paper-seeming boy?

Answer- The tall girl has been described as sitting with her head weighed down. The paper-seeming boy had very small eyes like those of a rat.

4. Explain : 'unlucky heir of twisted bones'.

Answer- There was a little boy in the classroom who had twisted bones. He is described as 'unlucky' because he had inherited a disease from his father.

(ii) At back of the dim class

    One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,

    Of squirrel's game, in tree room, other than this.

1. Why do you think the class was dim?

Answer- The class was dim because there was no electric lights.

2. Who was sitting at the back of the class?

Answer- A little sweet boy was sitting at the back of the class.

3. What was the little boy dreaming of?

Answer- He was dreaming of the game that a squirrel could be playing in its tree room.

4. Explain the words : 'other than this'.

Answer- The tree room where squirrel keeps playing all day is different from the classroom where the little boy is sitting. The tree room is in a lovely wood whereas the classroom is in a filthy slum.

Short- Answer Type Questions 

1. How does the poet describe the faces of the children in the classroom?

Answer- The poet says that the faces of the children don't show any signs of strength. They look very pale, weak. Their untidy hair hangs around their faces like rootless weeds.

2. What does the poet say about the 'open-handed map'?

Answer- The map has been called 'open-handed' because it shows all the beautiful places there are in the world. But for poor children, this world is not their world. Their world is totally different and is limited to what they can see from the windows of the classroom.

3. Why does the poet say 'Shakespeare is wicked'?

Answer- The poet does not really mean to say that Shakespeare is wicked. He is trying to say that a picture of Shakespeare's head is useless for these children in slum. It is in fact of no use for them. It is called wicked in the sense that it only tempts the children to steal it away.