English Notes Latest Questions

In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The poet is highly critical of the education system in this poem. He believes that the dreams which books and the charts and pictures on the walls of school show to the children are unachievable. They are too poor to learn and get educated. They don't have access to food, health, shelter etc. WithouRead more

    The poet is highly critical of the education system in this poem. He believes that the dreams which books and the charts and pictures on the walls of school show to the children are unachievable. They are too poor to learn and get educated.

    They don’t have access to food, health, shelter etc. Without these basic necessities of life, the education is useless for them. The dreams which they see because of books make them thieves as they start taking shortcuts to achieve those things. This is why the poet criticises the education system. He desires that the poor students should be provided with basic things for survival first and then they should be educated.

    See less
    • 0
In:
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The phrase "with mended glass, like bottle bits on stones" is used for the poor students sitting in an elementary school of a slum area. Mended glass refers to the spectacles worn by those students. These spectacles are mended (as they are broken). According to the poet, these poor and unhealthy stuRead more

    The phrase “with mended glass, like bottle bits on stones” is used for the poor students sitting in an elementary school of a slum area. Mended glass refers to the spectacles worn by those students. These spectacles are mended (as they are broken).

    According to the poet, these poor and unhealthy students with spectacles on their eyes (also shows lack of vision due to poverty) look like pieces of glass bottle scattered on stone. The stone symbolises these students.

    The literary device used here is “Simile” as poet uses as to compare students with bottle bits on stones.

    See less
    • 10
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The last stanza of the poem "An Elementary School in a Slum" is different from the rest of poem. It is full of hope, struggle and revolt against the suppressing force. The poet urges the rich and the ruling class to break the barrier which they have created between themselves and the poor students lRead more

    The last stanza of the poem “An Elementary School in a Slum” is different from the rest of poem. It is full of hope, struggle and revolt against the suppressing force. The poet urges the rich and the ruling class to break the barrier which they have created between themselves and the poor students living in the slums areas or else some day they will rise themselves, revolt against them and ruin their paradise (town).

    He further asks them (rich and ruling people) to show those poor children green fields (those beautiful places which they saw in books). The rich and ruling people should give freedom to those whose life is hopeless like deserts. The young children of slums should be provided what they see on their school walls (valley, world map and Shakespeare). They should be given money enough to fulfil their basic necessities of life.

    According to the poet, history is written by those who have passion like the heat of sun and these poor children of slum have that passion.

    See less
    • 3
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The last stanza of the poem "An Elementary School in a Slum" is quite different from the rest of poem. It is full of hope, struggle and revolt against the suppressing force. The poet asks the ruling class to take away the barrier which they have created between themselves and the poor children livinRead more

    The last stanza of the poem “An Elementary School in a Slum” is quite different from the rest of poem. It is full of hope, struggle and revolt against the suppressing force.

    The poet asks the ruling class to take away the barrier which they have created between themselves and the poor children living in the slums areas. If they kept these students in worst conditions, they will rise on their own, revolt against them and ruin their paradise (town).

    He further asks rich and ruling people to show green fields those poor children (those beautiful places which they saw in books). The rich and ruling people should give freedom to those whose life is hopeless like deserts. The young children of slums should be provided what they see on their school walls (valley, world map and Shakespeare). They should be given money enough to fulfil their basic necessities of life.

    According to the poet, history is written by those who have passion like the heat of sun and these poor children of slum have that passion.

    See less
    • 1
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The poem An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum is an open verse with no rhyme scheme. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    The poem An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum is an open verse with no rhyme scheme.

    See less
    • 1
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Best Answer
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The title of this poem by Stephen Spender is about the worst condition of poor students who are studying in an elementary school. These students live in slum. The very title of this poem suggests that it is about poverty and its impact of students and their life. Throughout the poem, the poet explaiRead more

    The title of this poem by Stephen Spender is about the worst condition of poor students who are studying in an elementary school. These students live in slum. The very title of this poem suggests that it is about poverty and its impact of students and their life. Throughout the poem, the poet explains how these students study and what they need before schools. He describes their miserable condition due to unhygienic living, lack of food, dirt and poverty.

    According to the poet, these students need something else before schools and that is the basic necessities of life. Without those basic needs, this education system won’t have any positive effect on them. Hence the title of this poem is justified.

    See less
    • 4
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The unlucky heir refers to a stunted boy with some bone disorder disease. According to the poet, this poor boy inherited the diseases from his poor father. In other words, he inherited not only the extreme poverty but diseases as well. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An ERead more

    The unlucky heir refers to a stunted boy with some bone disorder disease. According to the poet, this poor boy inherited the diseases from his poor father. In other words, he inherited not only the extreme poverty but diseases as well.

    See less
    • 0
In:
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    In the poem, the stunted boy is reciting gnarled disease of his father. The word "recite" refers to repeating something. Here it probably means that the boy's body has same disease which his father has. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    In the poem, the stunted boy is reciting gnarled disease of his father. The word “recite” refers to repeating something. Here it probably means that the boy’s body has same disease which his father has.

    See less
    • 2
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The living conditions of the slum children are worst. They are poor, lack hygiene, don't have proper food or shelter. They are undesired and unaccepted in the upper society. Because of their dirty and unhygienic faces, the poet calls them "rootless weeds" (which become dry when taken out of earth).Read more

    The living conditions of the slum children are worst. They are poor, lack hygiene, don’t have proper food or shelter. They are undesired and unaccepted in the upper society. Because of their dirty and unhygienic faces, the poet calls them “rootless weeds” (which become dry when taken out of earth).

    See less
    • 0
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    According to the poet, map is a bad example for slum children because it is something which they cannot achieve as they do not have resources and moreover the people of upper class do not like them. The hopes and dreams which these maps show make them to adopt wrong ways for getting these. They becoRead more

    According to the poet, map is a bad example for slum children because it is something which they cannot achieve as they do not have resources and moreover the people of upper class do not like them. The hopes and dreams which these maps show make them to adopt wrong ways for getting these. They become robbers and thieves. This is why the poet considers map as a bad example for the students studying in the Elementary School of slum.

    See less
    • 5