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| Quiz on the Poem with Certificate |
| About the Poet |
| Sir Stephen Harold Spender (1909 – 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1965. He was a member of the generation of British poets who came to prominence in the 1930s, a group-sometimes referred to as the Oxford Poets, that included W.H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, C. Day Lewis, and Louis MacNeice. |
| About the Poem |
| The poem An Elementary School Classroom in Slum throws light on the dark reality of poor students of slums. The poet describes the the worst condition of poor students and their faded future. The poet also talks about the lack of opportunities from which they are betrayed. The difference between the educational institutions of the higher class and lower class people makes it clear why the latter is lagging. |
| Poem |
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Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round 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. 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.
.
On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world. And yet, for these
Children, these windows, not this map, their world,
Where all their future’s painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky
Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.
.
Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example.
With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal —
For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.
.
Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
Break O break open till they break the town
And show the children to green fields, and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books the white and green leaves open
History theirs whose language is the sun.
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Questions-Answers:
1. What is the central theme of the poem?
Ans: The poem focuses on poverty, social injustice, and the power of education. It describes how children in slums are trapped in a cycle of misery and calls for change to provide them with better opportunities.
2. How does the poet contrast the life of slum children with the world outside?
Ans: The poet contrasts their dark, hopeless classroom with the bright and rich world seen in the maps and pictures on the walls. The outside world is full of beauty, knowledge, and opportunities, but the children are deprived of them.
3. What is the mood of the poem?
Ans: The poem has a serious and sorrowful mood, as it describes the helplessness and suffering of slum children. However, towards the end, the poet expresses hope for change.
4. What kind of classroom is described in the poem?
Ans: The classroom is dull, lifeless, and in poor condition. The walls are dirty and faded, showing the neglect faced by these children. It is a place of confinement rather than a place of learning.
5. How are the slum children described in the poem?
Ans: The children appear weak, sick, and malnourished. Their pale faces and thin bodies reflect hunger, poverty, and neglect. They lack energy and enthusiasm.
6. Why does the poet compare a child’s appearance to a ‘rat’?
Ans: One of the children is described as “like rootless weeds” and “paper-seeming”, meaning he is undernourished. The comparison to a rat suggests he is dirty, thin, and struggling to survive in harsh conditions.
7. What does the line “weighed-down head” suggest about the girl?
Ans: The phrase suggests that the girl is tired, hopeless, and burdened by hardships. She lacks energy and motivation, showing the impact of poverty on her spirit.
8. Who is the ‘unnoted, sweet and young’ boy, and how is he different?
Ans: This boy sits at the back of the classroom, dreaming of a better future. His bright eyes reflect hope and imagination, unlike the other children who seem lifeless.
9. What does the reference to ‘twisted bones’ suggest?
Ans: It suggests physical deformities and weakness, likely caused by malnutrition or inherited poverty. The poet emphasizes how these children suffer not only from financial struggles but also from health issues.
10. What are the walls of the classroom like?
Ans: The walls are pale, dirty, and neglected, reflecting the dull and miserable environment in which the children study. They have pictures and maps that contrast with the reality of the slum.
11. What are the different things displayed on the walls?
Ans: The classroom walls have pictures of:
- Shakespeare, symbolizing high culture and knowledge.
- A map, showing a world full of opportunities that the children can never experience.
- Beautiful landscapes, such as the Tyrolese Valley, which contrast with the ugly slum they live in.
12. Why does the poet call Shakespeare ‘wicked’?
Ans: Shakespeare represents knowledge and education, which the slum children cannot relate to. Calling him ‘wicked’ is ironic, showing that such knowledge is meaningless to them when they struggle for basic needs.
13. How does the poet describe the world map?
Ans: The map represents a rich and beautiful world full of opportunities, but for the slum children, it is an illusion. Their real world is full of misery and hopelessness.
14. What does the comparison of the classroom to ‘catacombs’ mean?
Ans: A catacomb is an underground tomb. The poet compares the classroom to a place of the dead, meaning it is lifeless, dull, and without hope. The children are trapped in poverty with no escape.
15. What does the poet mean by ‘break O break open till they break the town’?
Ans: The poet urges people in power (government, society) to break the barriers of poverty and open up opportunities for these children so they can escape their miserable conditions.
16. What solution does the poet suggest for improving the lives of slum children?
Ans: He suggests that education should be real and meaningful. The children should be allowed to experience the world outside their slum, not just see it in books and pictures.
17. What role does education play in the poem?
Ans: Education is shown as the only hope for slum children. The poet believes that true education can set them free and give them a future beyond poverty.
18. How does the poem end on a hopeful note?
Ans: The poet says that if the children are given access to education and opportunities, they can break free from their suffering and lead happy and successful lives.
19. What is the overall message of the poem?
Ans: The poem delivers a strong message about social injustice and the need for change. It urges society to help the underprivileged by providing them with education and equal opportunities.
20. What is the poetic device used in “Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor”?
Ans: Simile & Imagery
- Simile: The children are compared to “rootless weeds,” showing that they are unwanted and neglected.
- Imagery: The phrase “hair torn round their pallor” creates a vivid picture of the children’s poor health and misery.
21. Identify the poetic device in “The paper-seeming boy, with rat’s eyes.”
Ans: Metaphor & Imagery
- Metaphor: The boy is compared to “paper,” symbolizing his weakness and malnourishment.
- Imagery: “Rat’s eyes” gives a visual image of a hungry, frightened child struggling for survival.
22. How does the poet use irony in the poem?
Ans: Irony is used to highlight the contrast between the children’s reality and the ideal world shown in the classroom.
- The map and pictures show beauty and knowledge, but the children cannot experience it.
- Shakespeare represents wisdom, but for these children, education is meaningless if it does not change their poor conditions.
23. What poetic device is used in “Spectacles of steel with mended glass, Like bottle bits on stones”?
Ans: Simile & Alliteration
- Simile: The broken glasses are compared to “bottle bits on stones,” emphasizing poverty and suffering.
- Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘b’ sound in “bottle bits” creates a rhythmic effect.
24. Identify the figure of speech in “His eyes live in a dream, of squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this.”
Ans: Metaphor & Symbolism
- Metaphor: The boy’s “eyes live in a dream,” meaning he is full of hope and imagination.
- Symbolism: The “squirrel’s game” represents freedom and joy, which is absent from his life.
25. What is the effect of repetition in “Break O break open till they break the town”?
Ans: Repetition & Alliteration
- Repetition of “break” emphasizes the need for revolution-to break the barriers of poverty.
- Alliteration: The ‘b’ sound creates a strong and urgent tone, calling for action.
26. How does the poet use symbolism in the poem?
Ans: Symbolism is used to contrast the real and imaginary worlds:
- The map symbolizes a world full of opportunities that the children cannot reach.
- Shakespeare represents education and knowledge, which feels irrelevant in their suffering.
- The slum classroom itself symbolizes oppression and hopelessness.
27. What is the poetic device used in “Their world is like catacombs”?
Ans: Simile & Metaphor
- Simile: The slum is compared to a catacomb (underground tomb), meaning their life is dark, suffocating, and without hope.
- Metaphor: It highlights the children’s suffering and the absence of light (education and opportunities).
28. What poetic device is used in “Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words”?
Ans: Repetition & Metaphor
- Repetition: “Far far” is repeated to emphasize how distant the children are from real knowledge and opportunities.
- Metaphor: “Stars of words” symbolizes education and enlightenment, which is out of their reach.
29. How does the poet use contrast in the poem?
Ans: Contrast is used throughout the poem to highlight inequality:
- The slum children vs. the outside world (poverty vs. prosperity).
- The dull classroom vs. the bright map (hopelessness vs. knowledge).
- The children’s suffering vs. Shakespeare’s wisdom (reality vs. idealism).
Other Poems:
| My Mother at Sixty-six |
| Keeping Quiet |
| A Thing of Beauty |
| A Roadside Stand |
| Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers |
also see:
| ONLINE GRAMMAR QUIZZES with CERTIFICATES |
| CBSE: Curriculum Aligned Competency-Based Test Items | EduDel Practice Papers for Class 3 to Class 8: 2022-23 |
| ENGLISH GRAMMAR_1 | ENGLISH GRAMMAR_2 |
| USEFUL EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING |
