Class 12 Flamingo An Elementary Classroom In a Slum Important Questions

Amend Education Academy

An Elementary Classroom In a Slum

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, 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. They are exhausted both physically as well as emotionally. The paper thin boy is skinny. His eyes have a scared look. These unfortunate beings have inherited only disease and bad luck from their parents. One of diseased ones can’t 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. His inexperienced eyes are full of hope and he is dreaming about playing games in the open. Apparently gloom has still not enveloped him.

Stanza 2

The classroom walls have a dirty appearance as they haven’t 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 names of people who have given donations. The bust of Shakespeare with the background of a clear sky at the time of sun-rise is also displayed. The walls also have scenic pictures of Tyrolese Valley with its beautiful flowers presenting a world of the heavenly splendor. Apart from all this, the walls also have a map revealing the world which they view from the classroom’s windows which is foggy and harsh. It represents a dark and bleak future with no hope for amelioration. Their eyes can only view a narrow road which is enclosed with 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 and the high land jutting from the sea.

Stanza 3

The pensive poet suddenly turns belligerent(aggressive) and feels that Shakespeare is ‘wicked’. This is because he misleads 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 and try to escape from their cramped holes. Their existence is indeed, very sad. 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

In a conciliatory tone the poet appeals to the governor, inspector and visitor to do something to improve their condition. 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. 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’. Let them read books and 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

Q1 :Have you ever visited or seen an elementary school in a slum?  What does it look like?

Yes, I have visited an elementary school in a slum. The school was in a pitiful state. Its dingy and neglected classrooms were devoid of even basic amenities like fan and lights. Every single window was broken and bore marks of rust. How the students in the classroom dealt with the outside noise or the winters was anybody's guess. The ceilings too were full of cobwebs. The furniture was broken and almost unusable. The walls of the classrooms were as shabby, malnourished and disinterested as the students sitting in their enclosures. Even the teachers seemed to have lost their concern both for the students and their education. Moreover, I was shocked to know that the usage of toilets was restricted to the school staff.

Q2 :What do you think is the colour of 'sour cream'? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls?

The 'sour cream' may indicate a dirty yellowish colour. The poet uses the expression 'sour cream walls' to represent the colour as well as the foul smell emitted by the these walls.

Q3 :The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of 'Shakespeare', 'buildings with domes', 'world maps' and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children?

The pictures of 'Shakespeare', 'buildings with domes', 'world maps' and beautiful valley represent honor, education, civility, beauty and vastness. While, the poverty stricken and neglected kids in the classroom are an embodiment of the lack: they lack beauty, proper education, development and freedom to explore the world. Even their future does not hold any promise. In fact, there are chances these pictures may tempt them to pursue wrong path in order to find ways to attain the things indicated by them.

Thus, the contrast is highlighted by juxtaposing the world as represented by the pictures and the reality of these kids confined in a "narrow street sealed in with a lead sky", both made present in the same classroom.

Q4 :What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?

He wants the children of the slums to venture into the outside world, beyond the boundaries of their slums, and experience a better present and future life.

The elementary school in the slum does not serve any purpose with its poor infrastructure and disinterested students. The poet feels that the governor, inspector and visitors should take initiative to bring about a real change in their situation. To ensure a better way of living for them, they need to be given proper education and freedom from their present confines. They need opportunity, encouragement and optimism to be able to live life with purpose and zest.

1.How do the children of the elementary school in a slum look?

ANS. They look grim. Their faces are pale and lifeless. The torn hair around their pale faces look like rootless weeds. They look ill, weak, exhausted and depressed due to malnutrition. Their eyes shine like the rat’s eyes in their diseased body.

2.How has the poet expressed his despair and hope?

ANS. The poet has expressed his despair through the paper-thin boy who has inherited his father’s gnarling disease and his hope through the unnoted boy who sits on the last seat and dreams of squirrel’s game out side the class room in the tree- trunk.

3. Why don’t the maps and pictures have any relevance to the children of the slum?

 ANS. The maps and pictures that decorate the classroom walls belong to the world of rich. There is a big gap between the world in which the slum children live and the world of the rich. The beautiful wall hangings cannot cheer them as they are diseased and suffer from malnutrition and their future full of uncertainties.

4.What does the poet want for the children of the slum?

ANS. The poet does not want the children to be cramped in classrooms with pictures donated by the rich that have no relevance to their living; rather they should be allowed to explore the world, get strength from the Sun and fight the social injustice.