An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum (Stephen Spender)

Line by line Summary:

Stephen Spender highlights the plight of slum children by using vivid images and apt words to picture a classroom in a slum. Through this he touches, in a subtle manner, the themes of social injustice and inequalities. Lines 1, 2 The opening line of the poem uses an image to contrast the slum childrens faces with those of others. The image used is gusty waves indicating brightness, verve and animation. But these are missing from faces of these children. The next image of rootless weeds produces double effect. Weeds indicate being unwanted and rootless indicates not belonging. The slum children are like rootless weeds unwanted by society and not belonging to society. Their uncombed hair fall on their pale faces. Lines 3 to 8 Next, a few of the slum children are described. There is a tall girl whose head is weighed-down with sadness, disinterestedness or shame or a mixture of all the three. She is probably over-aged for the class. Another boy is thin, emaciated like paper and his eyes pop out from his thin body looking furtive like rats eyes. He seems to have inherited stunted and twisted growth of bones from his father. Spender has used the word reciting to show that instead of studying/reciting, a normal activity in school, the boy had only his inherited crippling disease to show/recite in the class. This could suggest that the boys condition seem to have arisen because of his poverty especially his inability to avail heath services at the right time. Right at the back of the badly lit room is an unnoticed young boy. He is probably too young for poverty to have stifled his childish imagination. He daydreams of the squirrels game and about the tree house, absent mentally from the classroom. Lines 9 to 12 Spender then describes the classroom. The word sour used to describe the cream walls of the classroom indicates its derelict condition. Contradicting this state and the slum children are Shakespeares head indicating erudition, the picture of a clear sky at dawn and a beautiful Tyrolese valley indicating beauty of nature and hope, dome of an ancient city building standing for civilization and progress and a world map awarding the children the world. All these seem ironic when contrasted with the misery and hopeless condition of the slum children. Lines 13 to 16 But for the slum children, their limited world is what they can see through the windows of the classroom. Their future is foggy, bleak and dull. Their life/world is confined within the narrow streets of the slum enclosed by the dull sky far away from rivers, seas that indicate adventure and learning and from the stars that stand for words that can empower their future. Lines 17 to 24 The poet feels that the head of Shakespeare and the map are cruel temptations for these children living in cramped houses (holes), whose lives revolve around (slyly turns) dullness (fog) and hopelessness (endless night) as they imagine and long for (steal) adventure(ships), for a better future (sun) and for love. Their emaciated wasted bodies compared to slag (waste) heaped together seemed to be wearing the clothes of skin covering their peeping bones and wearing spectacles of steel with cracked glasses looking like bottle bits mended. The slum is their map as big as the doom of the city buildings and their life (time and space) foggy and dim. The poet repeatedly uses the word fog to talk about the unclear, vague and dull life of the slum children. Lines 25 to 32 The only hope of a life beyond the slums that enclose their lives like catacombs is some initiative by the governor, inspector of schools or a visitor. The poem ends with the poet fervently hoping that slum children will have access to better education and a better way of life. He uses the words Break o break open to say that they have to break out from the miserable hopeless life of the slum world so that they can wander beyond the slums and their town on to the green fields and golden sands (indicating the unlimited world). These can become their teacher and like dogs lapping up food hungrily, they can learn directly (run naked) from the open pages (leaves) of nature and the world which is sustained (whose language) by the sun standing for energy and life.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

17 September 2009 11 Comments Why teach poetry? If youre a conservative who believes that the main purpose of schools is to train people quickly to use skills in the service of economic growth, literature courses are at best a waste of precious taxpayer money, at worst an encouragement to the unskilled to dream their weekends away and become even less skilled. If youre a left-winger who believes that the main purpose of schools should be to catalyze rejection of capitalist ideology, literature courses are at best a waste of precious critical-thinking opportunities, at worst an indoctrination into how to buy pretty little leisure commodities like nice editions of Shakespeare instead of manning the barricades. (Leave aside for the moment that there are fifty of the former for every one of the latter, and that legislatures and school boards are full of such conservatives and completely empty of such left-wingers.) Between two such poles of thought, teaching poetry as poetry, as Matthew Arnolds best that has been said and thought in the world or Aristotles idea of a work of art through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions, seems pretty nave. Neither route is going to help students succeed in the real world, as those who study the balance sheets of education (either financial or ideological) would like to define success. In this context, Stephen Spenders Elementary School Classroom in a Slum is a work of rhetoric in defense of poetry. Poetry, in Spenders words, should break the town, but not in the sense of political revolution. We deserve poetry itself, as a source of beauty in the world, untied to direct political action or even to right-thinking. The possibilities are unpredictable and unruly, involving the opportunity to run naked into books. But everyone, especially the less-privileged, deserves the chance to know such aesthetic pleasure. As someone tells Azar Nafisi in Reading Lolita in Tehran, I dont know why people who are better off always think that those less fortunate than themselves dont want to have the good thingsthat they dont want to listen to good music, eat good food or read Henry James (NY: Random House, 2004: 221). Samuel Johnson, the great 18th-century man of letters, once asked a boy who was rowing his boat What would you give, my lad, to know about the Argonauts? Sir, (said the boy,) I would give what I have. (James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson, ch.21). We do not live by bread alone, or by computer skills, or by a subversive attitude toward ruling ideologies. Poetry keeps insisting on its role, useless though it may appear, in a happy and healthy life.

Reader Comments:
11 responses so far mimedancer // 22 September 2009 at 00:58 | Log in to Reply Obviously from the descriptions in the poem this is a lower class school/district. The author starts by describing the physical state of the children. The tall girl with the weighed down head maybe she was depressed possibly from school and her surroundings. He goes on to describe the room and its contents as being donations once again maybe hinting on a lower class. There only possible escape is from those donations the map, books, and Shakespeare head. These items gave them a glimpse of a world far better than their own. Maybe gave them a little hope that they could escape their current state and do greater than whats surrounding them. However to me the authors statements makes it seem that he believes exposing these lower class students to such outlets as Shakespeare, and books about ships sun and love will turn them into criminals. Were some people think if you dont expose them to wonderful stories etc they will turn to crime because thats the only thing they were exposed to. In the end he displays some kind of hope that if political figures will recognize these problems and free these kids from dreaming and make it a reality. I like this poem I didnt at first but as I read it more I understood where it was going. Every kid deserves a chance no matter where they come from. These kids are our future they are going to vote on important issues one day and take care of us. We have to take care of them now give them more opportunities give them more outlets or they will turn to crime. jett07 // 22 September 2009 at 01:50 | Log in to Reply In Stephen Spenders poem, An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum, the speakers comparison of the children to rootless weeds caused my mind to flashback to the first impression I had of my students when I stepped inside an elementary school classroom in a slum twenty-five years ago. When I saw my students for the first time, I kept picturing Topsy in Harriet Beecher Stowes book Uncle Toms Cabin. When Miss Ophelia began to question Topsy about who made her, she said, I spect I growed. She had no conception even of what it meant to be human. In Topsys mind she just grew like a weed of the earth. She had no mother, no father, no God, no nothing. She even said she never was born. She just grew like a wild weed responding to a wide range of harsh stimuli coming from a harsh environment. Although Topsy was an African American slave girl, the characteristics of most children in the slums are that of rootless weeds regardless of ethnicity. Slavery is

slavery whether its mentally, physically, financially, or spiritually, the look is the same. The children of the slums are like rootless weeds because they are the results of unplanned growth planted where they are not wanted nor appreciated. The governor, teacher, inspector, and visitors are like the wise men bringing gifts. They are able to lift the head of the tall girl, open wide the beady rats eyes of the paper seeming boy, break the generation curse of the boy with twisted bones, and give the dreamer in the back of the room a vision with a timeline. Poetry and literature are water for their parched imaginations. Shel Silverstein, a famous childrens poet, wrote a poem called Where the Sidewalk Ends. He invites the reader to go to the place where the sidewalk ends which is a metaphor of a place where things are better than they are right here. The imagination makes all things possible. Shakespeare is not wicked because for many students writers and poets are like an oasis in the burning sands decarlocoleman // 22 September 2009 at 16:43 | Log in to Reply In the poem An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Stephen Spender provides sort of a depressing situation of the students in the classroom. I have been in a few classrooms myself that have given me a similar feeling to what is being described in this poem as far as the mood goes. The first student introduced in this poem is a tall girl with a weighed down head. The girl seems to be physically and emotionally tired, as though all the life has been drained from her body and mind. There is a possibility that this could be related to a condition caused outside of the classroom. The other students seem to be in a similar uncomfortable mood. The paper seeming boy with rats eyes is thin and weak. His eyes seem to be squinted or maybe he looks sleepy. It appears that the boy is sickly and may have a disease of some sort. The third kid, the stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones, is the victim of some sort of a genetic disorder. Stephen Spender writes that the boy has inherited his fathers gnarled disease. When I first read this poem it doesnt make you think of a pretty picture, it is bare truth to what is taking place in our world. To me school is a place that molds our youth who will one day be in positions to make important life decisions on our behalf. All children should be treated equally especially when it comes to education and health. The same opportunities should be provided across the board, no child is better than the next. It is not fair for some children to have to endure such hardships to gain an education which is crucial to social advancement. ladyb07 // 22 September 2009 at 18:04 | Log in to Reply In this poem i think it is talking about a group of students who go to a rough school. The students act as if they do not want to be at the school. They may have grew up in a rough neighborhood. Every child deserves a good education no matter what background they come from. I know some students do not get the same education as other students because of the school. Some schools do not recieve good text books like other schools. This is not fair to students because they should get the same treatment. I believe that the type of education that you recieve as a child determines how much a student is prepared for college or the real world. This is a good poem because it expresses how some students may feel growing up and attending a school like the one in this poem.

andreamcginley // 22 September 2009 at 18:47 | Log in to Reply This poem really spoke to me; it is clearly about the blight of being lower class. Growing up in a small broken town allowed me to see the generations of families that have never left because they were unable. Like the poem says the stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones, reciting a fathers gnarled disease refers to the inability for those born into the slum, to ever be cured of this disease. Even though the children live in a dream, of squirrels game, in the tree room, other than this it is hardly plausible to escape the slum with the tools they were handed. It is almost a taunt that the items donated shows a place better than their own, that seems quite of out of reach. These hand-me-down learning materials will most likely never give the children the knowledge they need to succeed. They are just a window to what could be. Because as we know in todays society knowledge is everything to a good paying job and since money is king in our world it is hopeless to think otherwise. To aspire to anything great the barriers of underfunded underdeveloped schools, somebody must give these children a boost. Without the knowledge of decent materials to learn from the children will be stuck in a glass box of poverty with no windows or doors leading out into the green fields and make their world run azure on gold sands. This fantasy cannot become a reality without something more than what they have. It only takes one person such as the poems says, a governor, teacher, inspector, visitor, to help break the barriers into a new world. However, with no initiative from anyone the circle of poverty will continue and bright minds will be stuck to live as their ancestors had like rootless weeds. stephenyn // 22 September 2009 at 19:43 | Log in to Reply Something that was discussed in class that was strange to me is, that these poor kids are referred to as rootless weeds, giving the illusion that they do not have parents, and that being poor is hereditary; it is passed down from generation to generation, along with looks and diseases. To me this doesnt really reflect the idea of the American Dream, and going from rags to riches like so many Americans believe and do. It is one of the reasons that so many immigrants migrated to the United States during the late nineteenth century; they saw opportunity they were not offered anywhere else. It is also strange to me that the map is considered bad in this poem because, where I grew up a map means opportunity and adventure; something that these children will never have. All these poor children know of is being poor and living in slums,

and it seems as though the message is why would we give them ideas that are unrealistic for them? Well, I disagree. I would have to say that I agree with the idea of going from rags to riches, and that anything is possible, especially with a good education. The map becomes their window, or way out of this terrible situation and they should take it. They should make the impossible, possible. kursteilnehmer // 22 September 2009 at 19:54 | Log in to Reply This poem speaks to me of slag heap and open-handed map. I see that the derelict rose is in the classroom in America. If one runs naked into books it is obvious that the white and green leaves open to those whos language is the sun. A gaunt boy that inherits the disease of the working class is in this catacomb. He is the one with the rats eyes. The one with twisted bones keeps in a seemingly forgotten fissure. I cannot relate to those in the classroom, nor do I give them sympathy. It is up from the ashes that a rose will grow. It is difficult and tiresome, but the reward is worth it. It is not some get rich quick scheme nor a sealed judgment that forecasts their impending doom. The world is not an oyster. It is not some sea creature that opens to reveal a pearl. It is more of a challenge than that. I remember the classrooms, where I sat some years ago, the smell of the chalk on the blackboard, the rush of the wind against the window. It all comes back if you give the memory a second. It comes like a fog at first, but once your mind wades through the mire you begin to see a glimmer of what life was. This is not very much unlike these students position. They have a fog in their midst. It is up to them to map their way through it. And yet they are not alone, they have the tools in which to traverse these tribulations as well as an instructor to guide them along their way down the murky mire. Examples will be set, and there will be a plethora of tests. Do you live in this endless night? When it is all said and done dont we all still grasp onto this language of the sun? The real poverty is in not knowing the language. dmart13 // 22 September 2009 at 19:55 | Log in to Reply This poem describes the situation that many children experience even in this modern society where no child is left behind. While reading this poem I imagine sitting down looking at the teacher not being very interested in what she is teaching and looking at a classroom in very bad conditions. This children dont know Shakespeare, maps, or the world outside that classroom. This poem makes me frustrated because I know that there are some districts because of lack of money/resources, good teachers, and motivation do not give children the education that they deserve. It is awful that even in our nation we have many children that are not getting the best education availabe. At the end of the poem Stephen says something that I agree with, he says that unless governors, teachers, inspectors, visitors, (and I am going to add parents to the list) step up to the challange, this kids will never be successful. We have to give every children the best education possible because they are our future.

In the poem, An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum, Stephen Spender is describing lower class, poor children. After reading the first few lines, it started to make me very sad. In my opinion, the author is stating how these poor, underpriveledged children pretty much wont go anywhere in life. They were born into what they were meant to be. I guess he is saying because the students are poor, they probably wont ever make it beyond lower class as they get older. Every child deserves a chance no matter how much income their family has, or how they are being brought up. Every one is different and thats what makes them so special. They just have to be given that chance. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum was first published in 1964 in Stephen Spender's Selected Poems. The poem has since appeared in several collections, including Collected Poems 1928-1985, published in 1985. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum is perhaps the best example of Spender's political voice resonating throughout a poem. In this poem, Spender 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 for its lower-class students. This poem, written during the time of the Civil Rights movement in the United States, is fitting both in its commentary about race issues in American education and as a Socialist proclamation against capitalism and social injustice in general. Although Spender was British, his extreme left-leaning political ideologies were in response to the global question concerning social injustice. Hi !s poem does not explicitly name any country, location, race, or citizenship. Spender's intent was to shed light on social injustices worldwide; regardless of Spender's own ethnicity, the hotbed of this global struggle was the American Civil Rights movement. (This complete Introduction contains 199 words. This study guide contains 6,987 words (approx. 23 pages at 300 words per page). bookrags.com

A Thing of Beauty
A Thing of Beauty is a poem written by the famous romantic poet, John Keats. The poem tells about how nature and its wonder mesmerize us and take away all the sorrow that surrounds us from time to time. The following explanation might aid you in understanding this exceptional piece of work in poetry.

Explanation A beautiful thing is a source of eternal joy, its attractiveness grows with the passage of time and its impact never fades away. It is as pleasant as a cool quiet bower or sound sleep with sweet dreams; or robust health and mental peace. It provides the beholder with a haven of tranquility and solace. It is the beauty of nature that keeps us attached to this earth. Every morning we collect fresh lovely flowers and prepare garlands. The fascination for flowers is our bonding with the earth. It helps us steer clear of despondency and disappointments. We forget all our despair, of acute shortage of noble souls, of misfortunes that overtake us to test our forbearance. Life is full of trials and tribulations and we often find ourselves in the midst of gloom. It is at such depressing moments that a sight full of beauty dispels the pall of sadness from our spirits making room for hope and optimism. The objects of beauty are countless. These include heavenly bodies like the sun and the moon, the old and young trees that provide cool shelter to sleep, the daffodil flowers encased in green leaves, the streams that flow through a shady passage which they make themselves with plants, and the bushes that bear fragrant flowers. These simple and even commonplace things lift the human spirit filling it with joy and delight. In addition to these objects of nature, there are wonderful tales of our legendary heroes, who lived and died heroically, which inspire us with their matchless beauty. These beautiful things are metaphorically an endless source of nectar that pours down to us from heaven bringing eternal joy for the souls grandeur. They are like an elixir of life, a never diminishing source of pleasure and delight, an endless fountain of joy that seems to be a precious gift from Heaven.