What is the theme of poem An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum? How has it been presented?
What is the theme of poem An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum? How has it been presented?
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Poonam Sharma
The theme of the poem An Elementary School in a Slum revolves around social injustice and inequality. In the poem, the poet describes the pathetic condition of the children living in the slum area. He calls them “rootless weed” which means they are useless like weeds and often taken away from the privileged class. And rootless also symbolises their unhealthy condition.
He cites the example of various students who are sitting in an elementary school. On of them is a tall girl whose head seems to be too heavy to be lifted by her body. Another boy has bone disorder which he inherited from his father. There is another student whose mind is in squirrel’s game which he happened to see before.
The poet then describes the pictures hanging on the foul smelled wall. These pictures (Shakespeare, Beautiful Valley and World Map) depict the privileged society which is unachievable by these children of slum. Even if they think of escaping from the slums, they cannot do so because the privileged class does not allow them to grow and become equal to their status.
This is why, in the end, the poet pleads the privileged class to help these poor children grow or else one day they will ruin their (privileged class) towns and cities.