An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum - Stephen

Spender
Values:

Sensitivity to the underprivileged, equity, equality, awareness,

philanthropy, optimism, determination, change etc.

Written in 1964, the best example of Spender's political voice resonating in a poem.
Expresses his ideological positions on government, economics, and education.
The students in this classroom are underprivileged and malnourished.
The capitalistic government is supposed to supply equal opportunity for education, but
the classroom in the slum offers little hope for change or progress.
A commentary about race issues in American education and a Socialist proclamation
against capitalism and social injustice in general.
Although Spender was British, the poem names no nation or race and was a response to
the global question concerning social injustice which was an essential issue in the
American Civil Rights movement of the time.

The poets tone changes from pensive to belligerent and frustrated to an appeal
Stanza 1
The poet says that the condition of the children in a slum school is pathetic. Their world
is far removed from the open, enthusiastic, healthy environment. They are as unwanted
as the rootless weeds. Their hair is unkempt and they have pale faces which clearly
indicate their deprived and under-nourished condition. These children, as the tall girl, are
stressed by the burden of their circumstances and malnourished. They are exhausted
both physically as well as emotionally. The paper-thin boy is too skinny. His eyes have a
scared, hungry look. These unfortunate beings have inherited only disease and bad luck
from their parents. One of the diseased ones cant even get up from the desk to recite
his lesson. However, there is one child at the back of the class who is younger than the
others and often goes unnoticed. His inexperienced eyes are full of hope and he is
dreaming about playing games in the open and of a reality different from his life in the
slum.
Stanza 2
The classroom walls have a faded, negligent appearance as they havent been painted
for a long time. In other words, these children inhabit a world which is dreary and
depressing. On the walls are displayed the donations given by people such as the bust of
Shakespeare with the background of a clear sky at the time of sun-rise. The walls also
have scenic pictures of Tyrolese Valley with its beautiful flowers presenting a world of
heavenly splendour. Apart from all this, the walls also have a map revealing the world.
But the world the children view from the classrooms windows is foggy and harsh. It
represents a dark and bleak future with no hope for improvement. Their eyes can only
view a narrow road which is enclosed by a dull sky. The poet suggests that these children
are trapped in a hopeless situation and their reality is far removed from the literary
world which glistens with the beauty of nature such as the rivers, the high land jutting
from the sea and is full of glorious words.
Stanza 3
The pensive poet suddenly turns belligerent (aggressive) and feels that Shakespeare is
wicked. This is because his words mislead the children. He shows them a beautiful
world of ships, sun and love which is not only unreal for them but it has a corrupting
influence on these children and instigates them to steal to try and escape their cramped
holes. On this path, their foggy world would turn into endless night. These emaciated

children are so thin that it appears that they are wearing skins. The spectacles they are
wearing have glass which has been broken and mended. Their entire appearance reeks
of their deprivation. The poet shows his outrage by suggesting that the maps on their
walls should show huge slums instead of beautiful scenic graphics.
Stanza 4
The poet appeals to the governor, inspector and visitor to do something to improve the
condition of these children. If there is political will, this map showing the beautiful world
outside can become their reality too. The poet hopes the authorities would realize their
moral responsibilities and free these children from their grave-like entrapments
(catacomb cave). He wants all the barriers to be pulled down; barriers that keep away
true education from them. The children must be given freedom to experience the
wholesome bounties of nature-view the green fields and run on gold sand. The poet
begs to let them read books and form their opinions. Let them breathe in fresh air. Let
them discover themselves and let them be creative so that their names can also enter
the books of history. Let them find their place in the sun.

Stephen Spender highlights the plight of slum children by using vivid images and apt words to
picture a classroom in a slum.
Poetic Devices:
Like rootless weeds simile
Paper-seeming boy metaphor
Rats eyes metaphor
Reciting a fathers gnarled disease synecdoche
A narrow street... stars of words paradox (two absolutely contrasting images)
Like bottle bits... simile
Shut upon their lives like catacombs - simile
Last four lines visual imagery
Short answer questions
1. How do the children of the elementary school classroom in a slum look?
2. What does the poet mean in Shakespeare is wicked and the map is a bad example?
3. How does the poet draw out metaphorically the present condition of the slum school
children indicating bleak and dreary features?
4. How does the poet begin the poem with all the despair and end with hope?
BROAD QUESTIONS
1.
What are the consequences of the distorted form of education given to the under
privileged children?
2.
The strength of a nation depends on its system of education. Comment
3.
How can the indifference of those in power be social threat comment with
reference to this poem?
4.
The education in slum schools is a violation of human rights of children. How?
5.
The children of the slum hope to have a life of mental and physical freedom.
Comment

Keeping Quiet - Pablo Neruda

KEEPING QUIET: Values Introspection, Retrospection,
Peace, Sensitivity to the environment, Universal brotherhood,
Unity, Empathy, Self-Awareness etc.

Poem by Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, born Neftal Ricardo Reyes Basoaltowho
always wrote with green ink which according to him, was the colour of hope.Columbian
novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez once called him the greatest poet of the 20th century of any
language
Appeals to readers to take some time out of their busy lives for introspection and
retrospection
The aim is to return to our routines with renewed vigour and awareness of ourselves
and our actions
THEME: In this deceptively simple poem, the poet has emphasized the need to introspect
and bring in the spirit of brotherhood among the people of the world.
VALUES: Introspection, retrospection, universal brotherhood, sensitivity to the environment,
peace, empathy, unity etc.
Neruda begins by asking everyone to count to twelve and keep still. These twelve seconds
would help everyone calm themselves and relax and be ready to begin introspection or
retrospection.
He wants people to break the barriers of communication and speak no language at all for a
few minutes.
These moments of silence would be unique and enticing because in our mundane life, we are
constantly working towards selfish goals and never take the time to reflect.

This sudden silence would give us an opportunity to introspect and unite humanity. We would
all perform this activity together. Since we would not speak for a while, barriers between
communities would break and a sense of brotherhood would prevail.
Man would get an opportunity to realize how he is destroying nature and harming himself in
the process. The fishermen that harm aquatic life would realize how nature brings them a cold
reception. The man who gathers salt from the sea would realize that nature retaliates by
turning his hands rough.
In this silence, futile wars against men and nature would be arrested and a new feeling of
unity would be experienced. Those who plan and implement bio warfare and nuclear
weaponry should, for once, shed their old attire (profession and preoccupations) and put on
clean clothes to walk among their fellow men. They must use this time to truly witness what
they would destroy with their attempts to achieve a fruitless victory. Such a win leaves no
survivors because even if they were physically alive, they would be emotionally dead and
eventually, mankind will perish. The war will be a victory of scientific knowledge but there
will be no survivors left.
The poet does not want his desire for inactivity to be misunderstood as a state of uselessness
or death. He knows and accepts life as it is. He accepts the rush, the noise and even the
belligerent attitudes. He says he
does not begrudge death or want anything to do with it. He does not want people to be like
dead, doing nothing, forever. All he wants is that everyone should take out just a few
moments from their busy lives for themselves and for the natural world around them.
He feels that if men were not so determined to keep lives moving all the time, the ensuing
silence would interrupt sadness that has become so much a part of us that we do not even
notice it. This sadness comes from not knowing oneself and always trying to achieve
everything possible at the earliest, out of an illogical fear of impending death.
He wants men to learn a lesson from the Earth. The Earth appears to be inactive yet it is
constantly and selflessly productive. The natural world seems omnipresent without being
ostentatious and hence, is taken for granted. After the cold inactive unproductive winter,
spring arrives with bounty and vivacity. Men too could be productive and progressive without
any aggression, selfishness and the urge for destruction. They could care for nature as it cares
for them. They could, after eons of selfish actions, bring back a degree of nobility, thoughtful
attitudes and universal brotherhood.
Sample Answers: Short Questions Q.1.
What
is
the
sadness
referred
to
in
the
poem?
2m
Ans.1. The sadness Pablo Neruda refers to in his poem, Keeping Quiet, is that of never
being able to understand ourselves through introspection. It also arises out of our mad rush to
achieve everything quickly due to our constant fear of the brevity of our lives.
Q.2. What
poem?

is

the

significance
3m

of

twelve

in

the

context

of

this

Ans. 2. Twelve months, twelve zodiac signs, twelve gates of heaven and even the twelve
notches on the face of the clock dividing the day into two halves of twelve hours each.
Although we do not realize it, the number twelve is associated with many things in our life.
This poem is a plea for universal brotherhood and peace. At twelve, the hands of the clock,
despite their differences, become one. Even the title of the poem, Keeping Quiet, has twelve
letters. Hence, Neruda appeals to the readers to take these symbolic twelve seconds to begin
the journey from strife, barriers and destruction to peace, unity and replenishment.
HOME TASK: RTC QUESTIONS: Notebooks to be taken for final review of T1 on
the day of examination
(i)
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
This one time upon the earth,
let's not speak any language,
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much
1.
2.
3.
4.

Why does the poet want us to count to twelve?

What does the poet ask us to do?
1m
What is the significance of twelve?
2m
Why does the poet want us not to use our language and our arms? 2m

(ii)

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Which exotic moment does the poet refer to?

1m
Why does the poet feel that the moment would be exotic?
1m
What does the poet want us to do away with?
2m
Justify the statement: We would all be together in a sudden strangeness

(ii)

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm to the whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

1.
2.
3.
4.

What would the fisherman not do?

What would the man gathering salt do?
What transformation will these actions bring?
How does nature respond to man's actions?

(iii)

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

1.
2.

What are the different kinds of wars mentioned here?

What is the poet's advice to the warmongers?

1m
1m
2m
2m

1m

2m

3.
4.

Justify: 'Victory with no survivors'

What do the clean clothes signify?

(iv)

What I want shouldn't be confused

with final inactivity:
Life is what it is about,
I have no truck with death.

1.
2.

What does the poet not want from the listener/reader?

Explain: I have no truck with death

1m
2m

(v) Perhaps the Earth can teach us

as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
1.
2.
3.

What lesson can we learn from Earth?

The earth is the inactive hub of activity. Discuss.
What does the word 'alive' imply in this context?

2m
2m
2m

Short answer questions:

Q.1. How can man benefit from being still for a while?
Q.2. Nature has its own ways of retaliation in response to human selfishness. Comment.
Q.3. What do the warmongers do now? What would the poet have them do instead?
Q.4. Why does the poet say that he wants no truck with death?
Q.5. Which victory has no survivors? Which victory would make us 'alive' in every sense of
the word?
Q.6. What is the poet's message for the reader?
Q.7. How will the silence usher a feeling of brotherhood?
Q.8. Identify the poetic devices used in the poem.
Q.9. Discuss the lesson one may learn from Earth.
Q.10. The poem is deceptively simple and carries a poignant message?
Short answer questions
1.What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
2.Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
3.What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem?
4.Central idea of the poem.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

BROAD QUESTIONS
Why does the poet count up to 12? What is the significance of 12?
What are the Environmental issues mentioned in the poem?
How is the idea of universal brotherhood brought out in the poem?
Silence can be very eloquent sometimes. Mention when is silence preferred to language?
The poem begins with Now we will count and ends with Now Ill count and you keep
quiet. What does the shift in the pronoun signify?

Lost Spring - Anees Jung

LOST SPRING: Values Sensitivity to the underprivileged,
equity, equality, awareness, philanthropy, optimism,
determination etc.

The story of Saheb and Mukesh, two children from the underprivileged sections of
the society. Anees Jung, the author, analyzes the grinding poverty and traditions
which condemn these children to a live of exploitation and perpetual poverty.
SAHEB
Saheb, a rag-picker, roams the streets barefoot with his friends.
Garbage is gold for him because he often finds little treasures such as a ten
rupee note or even discarded shoes
Garbage is gold for his family because it ensures their daily survival.
His family moved from Dhaka to Delhi in search of better opportunities (gold)
The family moved when their fields and homes were destroyed in the storm.
Many other refugees came to the urban cities of India after the Bangladesh
Liberation War in 1971.
False promises in the world of the underprivileged hamper their progress.
Education is a luxury they cannot afford even if they thoroughly desire the
same.
Sahebs name is ironical because contrary to its meaning (Lord of the
Universe), the boy lives in abject poverty.
Saheb has learnt to accept his reality and justify even the lack of something as
basic as shoes.
Through the story of the man from Udipi, the author, Anees Jung, compares
the plight of the rag pickers to school-going students who have these amenities but
take most of it for granted.
His dream of learning to play tennis dies when he begins to work at a tea stall,
answerable to someoneelse and no more a master of his time or his destiny.
MUKESH
Mukesh is more confident than Saheb, not afraid of pursuing his dream, but
currently makes bangles with his family.
Dingy workplace with high-temperature furnaces and barely any air or light,
leaves most children blind, exhausted and at times burnt. Their health is adversely
affected.
Mukeshs family is symbolic of how traditions are followed blindly. Women
blindly behave as secondary objects and home makers while generation after

generation blindly follows their predecessors into the same profession without
question.
The community believes this line of work to be their destiny and young girls
barely realise the sanctity of the bangles they create till their wedding day.
Despite being slightly better off than the rag pickers of Seemapuri, the bangle
makers barely have enough to sustain themselves. If a person were lucky, in the
sunset of their lives, they might be able to put a roof on their heads.
People do not form unions due to lack of leaders and general awareness.
Caught in a web of poverty, they are burdened by the stigma of their caste and
maltreated by the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, law-keepers,
bureaucrats and politicians.
Though Mukesh has his dreams, they are limited to what he sees around him.
Further on in life, they may become limited by the lack of ambition of the
entire community unless he were to rebel against them to seek his own identity.
SEEMAPURI vs. FIROZABAD
Seemapuri
Right on the outskirts of Delhi, yet miles away in terms of the contrast in lifestyles.
Ten thousand rag pickers live in the slums of Seemapuri in structures of mud, wth
roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage and drainage.
Ministers have assigned them ration cards which allow them to buy grain and vote,
but they have no identity of their own.
They live each day hoping to go to bed on a full stomach.
Firozabad
The residents are generations of bangle makers of which about 20,000 are children.
The lanes stink of garbage. Homes are like holes with crumbling walls, wobbly doors,
no windows and several people and animals co-habiting each part.
The beauty of the bangles spread over each inch of each home is a contrast to the dire
living conditions where the creators of the bangles reside.
Question Bank Q.1. Why has garbage been called 'gold'?
Q.2. What does Saheb's eagerness tell us about education in the underpriviledged section
of the society?
Q.3. How was Seemapuri on the outskirts of Delhi but miles away from it,
metaphorically?
Q.4. How did the boys justify roaming barefoot?
Q.5. What was Saheb's dream? Would he be able to achieve it?
Q.6. Why did Saheb seem unhappy despite a regular job, pay and meals?
Q.7. Compare Firozabad to Seemapuri?
Q.8. Why is it difficult to for children like Mukesh to escape a future in the bangle
industry?
Q.9. Describe the ordeals faced by the members of the bangle making industry?
Q.10. What do Mukesh and Saheb dream of? Out of the two, who seems more likely to
fulfil his dream?

Deep Water - William Douglas

DEEP WATER Values: Determination, optimism,
perseverance, diligence, openness to challenges, courage,
persistence, endurance etc.
Q.1. How did William Douglas overcome his fear of water?

(2m)

Ans.1. With an instructor and an overhead cable connected to his waist, Douglas began
to learn to swim. He dipped his head, exhaled underwater, inhaled on surface, kicked
with legs, and even swam in isolated or treacherous waters to overcome hydrophobia.

Q.2. Describe the misadventure that made Douglas hydrophobic? (2m)

Ans.2. Once, a bully pushed Douglas into the deep end of the YMCA pool. Gripped by
paralyzing fear, in vain, Douglas tried to spring upwards to the surface twice. He almost
lost consciousness before he was saved. This misadventure made Douglas hydrophobic.

Q.3. All we have to fear is fear itself. Discuss.

10m)

(8-

Ans.3. Indeed, William O. Douglas Deep Water justifies President Roosevelts assertion
that all we have to fear, is fear itself.
William O. Douglas aversion to water began with his mothers warnings about the
Yakima river and a childhood sea holiday where he first experienced the power of water.
The misadventure at the YMCA pool, where a bully pushed Douglas into the water nearly
drowning him, turned the fear into a phobia. However Douglas decided to challenge this
handicap.
With the help of an instructor, and using a pulley connected by a belt to his waist,
Douglas re-learnt how to swim in a pool. He learnt to dip his head, exhale underwater
and inhale on resurfacing.
Even after the trainer declared success, Douglas tested his skill in treacherous and
unfamiliar waters till his phobia vanished completely. Thereafter, William O. Douglas
realized that once the fear of fear disappeared, true success awaited.

Q.4. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

How did the anxiety towards water develop in Douglas?

Which misadventure turned Douglas anxiety into a phobia?

How did Douglas challenge his hydrophobia?

Why does Douglas say, But I was not finished?

What opinion of William Douglas do you form from this extract and what values can one
learn from him?

Q.5. Answer the question in 120-150 words: Describe the misadventure that
initiated Douglas hydrophobia.

Q.6. Draw a plot line for the chapter with an exposition, rising action, falling action
and resolution

QUESTION BANK
Short answer questions
1. What was the misadventure that William Douglas speaks about?
2. What was the writers first reaction on being flung into the pool?
3. Why did William Douglas hate the idea of getting into water?
4. How did the instructor build a swimmer out of William Douglas?
5. How did William Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

BROAD QUESTIONS
1.

It is Douglas will power that enabled him to overcome his fear of water. This reveals
that with a strong will human beings can overcome all kinds of fear. Explain with two
illustrations from real life.

2.

Which experience made the writer feel terrified of water?

3.

Explain in brief William Douglas attempt to come out of the pool.

4.

How did the instructor help the writer learn swimming?