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  1. The central idea of the poem is to highlight the underlying impact of bullying on a child. It also brings to the center, a child’s yearning to make friends and be able to enjoy their childhood.  My Parents Summary

    The central idea of the poem is to highlight the underlying impact of bullying on a child. It also brings to the center, a child’s yearning to make friends and be able to enjoy their childhood. 

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  1. Simile- A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”. Example- Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes Alliteration- It is when the same sound is repeated at the beginning of multiple words for poetic effect. Example-Their thighs showeRead more

    1. Simile– A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”. Example- Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes
    2. Alliteration– It is when the same sound is repeated at the beginning of multiple words for poetic effect. Example-Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the street

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  1. The poem emphasises on themes of bullying and isolation. The rough children mentioned in the poem bully the child because the child has a lisp. Bullying is a serious offence and greatly impacts a child’s development and foundation of personality. The speaker, who is the victim of such bullying, remaRead more

    The poem emphasises on themes of bullying and isolation. The rough children mentioned in the poem bully the child because the child has a lisp. Bullying is a serious offence and greatly impacts a child’s development and foundation of personality. The speaker, who is the victim of such bullying, remains soft at heart and yearns to forgive the bullies. The speaker remains isolated from the other children and hopes to make amends. 

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  1. In the poem 'An Elementary School in Slum' written by Stephen Spender, the slum children are aloof from the outside world. They do not have a connection with the ‘big bad world’. In this context, the map is like a window that the children can look out of. The window represents the possibility of a bRead more

    In the poem ‘An Elementary School in Slum’ written by Stephen Spender, the slum children are aloof from the outside world. They do not have a connection with the ‘big bad world’. In this context, the map is like a window that the children can look out of. The window represents the possibility of a better life. However, the window is ‘shut’ because the children have been taught to believe that there is no future for them outside of their slum.

    The poem also refers to the slum as a ‘prison’.  The prison metaphor in Stephen Spender’s poem refers to the fact that the children are cut off from society. However, they are also taught that they are ‘bad’ people. This means that they are trapped in a vicious circle of poverty and low self-esteem.

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  1. Here 'Earth' is personified. Hence the poetic device used is Personification. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    Here ‘Earth’ is personified. Hence the poetic device used is Personification.

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  1. Here the words are written in a descending order (first governor who is highest in rank, then inspector lower in rank and then visitor, lowest in rank). Hence the poetic device used is Anticlimax. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    Here the words are written in a descending order (first governor who is highest in rank, then inspector lower in rank and then visitor, lowest in rank). Hence the poetic device used is Anticlimax.

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  1. Here the words are written in ascending order (b, f, t, v). Hence the poetic device used is Climax. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    Here the words are written in ascending order (b, f, t, v). Hence the poetic device used is Climax.

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  1. Cloudless and dawn are two contrasting ideas. Hence the poetic device used is Antithesis. Read summary of An Elementary School in a Slum Play quiz on An Elementary School in a Slum

    Cloudless and dawn are two contrasting ideas. Hence the poetic device used is Antithesis.

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