class 12

2. AN ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL CLASSROOM
IN A SLUM
BY STEPHENSPENDER

3. *STEPEHN HAROLD SPENDER
* POET, NOVELIST, ESSAYIST
*BORN IN 1909 IN UNITED KINGDOM
* THEMES - SOCIAL INJUSTICE & CLASS STRUGGLE

4. STANZA ONE
The poet describes the children who study in an elementary
school which is setup in a slum area.
● deprived of basic facilities such as balanced
diet,air,sunshine and portable water, children
are least interested in studies.
● the tall girl and paper seeming boy -all are
victims of malnutrition
● they are suffering from various diseases
● a boy sitting at the back is dreaming of
squirrel's game

6. THEME
Social injustice and Class Inequalities
-The poem portrays the picture of an elementary
school in a Slum area.
- He voices his concern for children who live all
their life in slums and have no opportunities to
enjoy the real blessings of life.

7. STANZA TWO
The poet describes the walls of the school in this stanza.
● The classroom wall contains pictures and paintings-
Shakespeare's head, developed cities with skyscrapers,
beautiful Tyrolesse valley.
● These pictures belong to the world of the rich and
prosperous.
● The world of these poor and deprived children
contrasts with the world depicted on classroom walls.

8. STANZA TWO contd…..
-The rich have drawn an open handed
map which is of no use to them as their world
is limited to the end of the street
- Far from rivers, capes and stars of words,
their future is bleak and uncertain.

9. STANZA THREE
● Shakespeare is wicked and map a bad
example as they do not correspond to their
limited narrow world
● Ships and sun depicted on the wall tempt them
to Experience the world of rich with all its glory.
● However they cannot get this opportunity as
the responsible people do not want it
● These malnourished children wearing mended
glasses oscillate between fog and endless
nights having uncertain life with no future.

10. STANZA THREE CONTD….
They wear spectacles which are made of steel. They
are cheap and very uncomfortable. Even the lenses
in the spectacles are repaired. The spectacles look
like stones which have been repaired with pieces of
glass sticking out of them. Here the poet tries to
explain that these kids have to face so many
hardships in their lives. As these slums are getting
bigger, they will destroy the future of these children
and it is very difficult for such kids to escape from
them.

11. STANZA FOUR
*The poet calls upon governor, inspector and visitors to
review the system before it is too late
*Empower these children to break away from the
shackles of poverty and deprivation
*Urges the civilized people to help them enjoy all the
facilities
*Let the pages of wisdom be open for them and their
tongues may run freely on the white leaves of books
*Only people whose language has the warmth and
power of the sun makes history.

12. LITERARY DEVICES
Simile: children are compared with rootless weed (like rootless weed)
Metaphor: boy is compared with paper as he is thin (paper seeming boy)
Repetition: use of far to stress on the distance
Metaphor:
1. Walls are described to be dull as sour cream (sour cream walls)
2. The future of the kids is described as limited (Narrow Street sealed with a
lead sky)
Assonance: repetition of vowel sound ‘e’ (Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley)
Allusion: Reference to well known person or place ( Shakespeare’s head,
Tyrolese valley.

13. LITERARY DEVICES CONTD…..
Metaphor: Their homes are very small like holes (cramped holes)
Simile- their repaired spectacles (like bottle bits on stones)
Alliteration: Use of ‘f’ sound (From fog)
Metaphor: books and nature are expressed in form of white and green
leaves (the white green leaves open)
Anaphora: Use of repeated words in two consecutive lines (Run azure.
And Run naked)