Chapter 2: An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum – Class 12 English Flamingo NCERT Solutions

Poem 2: An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum – Summary and Key Insights

Poet: Stephen Spender
Form: Free Verse
Themes: Social injustice, poverty, education inequality, hope for change

Poem Summary

Stephen Spender’s An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum presents a powerful critique of social injustice and educational inequality. The poem paints a vivid picture of children studying in a school located in a slum, revealing their grim reality and neglected state. It highlights the vast gap between the promises of education and the actual conditions in which poor children try to learn.

The poem opens with a stark description of the classroom and the students. The children appear unhealthy, exhausted, and malnourished. One child has a twisted body due to disease, another has a head \”weighed down,\” and yet another has eyes that reflect hopelessness. These images symbolize the deep impact of poverty on the lives of these innocent souls.

The poet also describes the classroom walls, which are decorated with maps, pictures of Shakespeare, and scenes from the outside world. However, for the slum children, these images are irrelevant and meaningless. Their own reality is filled with hunger, despair, and filth. The contrast between the classroom’s bright decorations and the students\’ dark lives underlines the hypocrisy of a system that offers dreams without the means to achieve them.

Spender urges that true learning and freedom can only come when these children are brought out of their slums and into the open world — a world with opportunities, nature, and light. Only then can they escape the chains of poverty and ignorance.

Key Themes

Social Injustice: The poem exposes the harsh conditions in which slum children are forced to live and study, contrasting it with the idealized image of education.
Poverty and Hopelessness: Through vivid imagery, the poet conveys the physical and emotional impact of poverty on young children.
Educational Inequality: Spender criticizes a system that promotes learning but ignores the realities of the underprivileged, where dreams shown on walls cannot be reached.
Hope and Liberation: Despite the despair, the poem ends with a call for change. The poet believes that access to a better environment can lead to true freedom and empowerment through education.

Character Sketches / Imagery

The Slum Children: These children are the central figures of the poem. They are described as pale, weak, and emotionally drained. One child has inherited physical deformity, another appears haunted by despair. Their faces reflect dreams that will likely remain unfulfilled unless society intervenes.
The Classroom: The classroom walls display images of distant places, famous literary figures, and nature — but all these are disconnected from the lives of the children. The room becomes a symbol of false promises and a failed system that pretends to educate while keeping children in chains.

Important Points

Contrast Between Ideal and Reality: The poem constantly contrasts the colorful, inspiring images on the wall with the dull, painful reality of the children.
Metaphorical Language: Phrases like \”far far from gusty waves\” and \”windows that shut upon their lives\” express the distance between the children\’s lives and the world of hope.
Tone and Mood: The tone is critical, somber, and reflective. It turns hopeful and urgent towards the end, calling for immediate change.
Call to Action: The poet appeals to authorities and educated people to help liberate these children from the trap of poverty.

Important Questions and Answers

Q1. Describe the physical condition of the children in the slum classroom.
A1. The children appear sick, undernourished, and exhausted. One child is physically disabled with a twisted body. Another has a dull and heavy head, symbolizing depression. Their eyes lack dreams and enthusiasm, reflecting hopelessness caused by extreme poverty.

Q2. What is ironic about the wall hangings in the classroom?
A2. The wall hangings display pictures of Shakespeare, the world map, and beautiful landscapes. However, for the slum children, these images are completely unrelated to their lives. They represent dreams and beauty that the children cannot access, making them symbols of false hope and irony.

Q3. How does the poet criticize the education system in the poem?
A3. The poet criticizes an education system that offers ideals and knowledge but fails to address the students’ basic needs. It shows them a world they can never reach while ignoring the misery they live in. Real learning, the poet argues, can only happen when children are freed from the cycle of poverty.

Q4. Explain the lines: \”Break O break open till they break the town…\”
A4. T
hese lines are an urgent appeal for liberation. The poet wants the walls of the classroom — symbolic of confinement — to be broken so that the children can step out into the world of freedom and opportunity. Only then can education truly empower them.

Q5. What is the central idea of the poem?
A5. The central idea is that education should be inclusive and liberating. The poet exposes the gap between the promises of education and the grim realities of slum children. He advocates for social justice, equality, and reform in the education system so that every child has a real chance at life.

Preparation Tips for Students

Focus on how the poet uses contrast to highlight inequality.
Memorize key images and metaphors — like “foggy slums,” “lead sky,” “windows that shut upon their lives.”
Be ready to write value-based answers: How can education change society? Why is empathy necessary?
Understand the message of social transformation that the poet conveys through vivid imagery and passionate appeal.
Use quotes from the poem in long answers for better impact.

Class 12 English Flamingo Poem Chapter 2 An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

1. Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces…

(a) Where, do you think, are these children sitting?

They are sitting in a classroom located in a slum area, far away from open spaces or fresh surroundings.

(b) How do the faces and hair of these children look?

Their faces appear dull and lifeless. Their hair is messy and unkempt, like wild, uprooted weeds.

(c) Why is the head of the tall girl ‘weighed down’?

Her head is bowed down due to emotional stress, weakness, and perhaps illness or sadness.

(d) What do you understand by ‘The paper-seeming boy, with rat eyes’?

It means the boy looks extremely thin and fragile, like paper. His sharp, restless eyes reflect hunger and alertness.

2. …………The stunted, unlucky heir…

(a) Who is the ‘unlucky heir’ and what will he inherit?

The stunted boy with rat-like eyes is the ‘unlucky heir’. He will inherit poverty, deformities, and disease from his ancestors.

(b) What is the stunted boy reciting?

He is reading a lesson, probably one that ironically speaks of health and happiness—ideals far removed from his reality.

(c) Who is sitting at the ‘back of the dim class’?

A quiet, unnoticed boy is sitting at the back of the poorly lit classroom.

(d) ‘His eyes live in a dream’—what dream does he have?

He dreams of freedom, nature, and fun—like playing among squirrels in open trees, far from the slum’s gloom.

3. On sour cream walls, donations…

(a) What is the colour of the classroom walls? What does this colour suggest?

The walls are of ‘sour cream’ colour, suggesting decay, neglect, and lack of vibrancy.

(b) What do these classroom walls have?

The walls display images of Shakespeare, domes, maps, and beautiful scenery—donations from the wealthy.

(c) Which two worlds does the poet hint at? How is the contrast between the two worlds presented?

The poet contrasts the poor, dismal world of the slum children with the beautiful, privileged world shown in the classroom pictures. This contrast emphasizes social inequality.

(d) Explain: (i) ‘Open-handed map’ (ii) ‘Awarding the world its world’.

(i) ‘Open-handed map’ symbolizes maps drawn by the powerful to showcase dominance.
(ii) ‘Awarding the world its world’ means that the rich define and divide the world as per their interests.

4. …………And yet, for these…

(a) What are the ‘children’ referred to here?

The children studying in an elementary school situated in a slum are being referred to.

(b) Which is their world?

Their world is the narrow, dark slum streets visible through their windows—marked by poverty and hopelessness.

(c) How is their life different from that of other children?

They lack food, play, health, and education—privileges that other children enjoy. Their lives are filled with misery and limitations.

(d) What is the future of these children?

Their future appears bleak and overshadowed by poverty, neglect, and lack of opportunity.

5. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example…

(a) Who are ‘them’ referred to in the first line?

‘Them’ refers to the poor slum children in the classroom.

(b) What tempts them?

They are tempted by images of glamour, success, and beauty symbolized by Shakespeare, ships, and sunshine.

(c) What does the poet say about ‘their’ lives?

The poet describes their lives as bleak, spent in dark, cramped places. They are sickly, thin, and ghost-like.

(d) Explain: ‘From fog to endless night’.

It symbolizes their journey from a hopeless present into a dark, uncertain future.

6. ………On their slag heap, these children…

(a) What are the two images used to describe these slums? What do these images convey?

The poet uses ‘slag heap’ and ‘bottle bits on stones’ to depict decay, dirt, and waste. These images highlight the inhumane conditions of the slums.

(b) What sort of life do such children lead?

They lead a life of neglect, disease, hunger, and poverty—far removed from joy or opportunity.

(c) What ‘blot’ their maps? Whose maps?

The slums blot the maps of the rich and developed world. These maps represent a false, clean image that ignores the harsh realities of the poor.

(d) What does the poet convey through ‘So blot their maps with slums as big as doom’?

The poet insists that the suffering of the poor should be acknowledged openly. Ignoring their plight is a moral failure, and their misery should be seen as a global crisis—“as big as doom.”

7. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor…

(a) Why does the poet invoke ‘governor’, ‘inspector’, ‘visitor’? What function are they expected to perform?

The poet appeals to those in power to address inequality and bring justice by improving the lives and education of slum children.

(b) How can ‘this map’ become ‘their window’?

If slum children are given quality education and opportunities, the map can become their gateway to a brighter future and a broader world.

(c) What have ‘these windows’ done to their lives?

These windows limit their world to poverty and despair. They shut out hope and inspiration, restricting imagination and growth.

(d) What do you understand by ‘catacombs’?

‘Catacombs’ are underground burial places. Here, they symbolize the lifeless, suffocating, and confined existence of the slum children.

8. Break O break open till they break the town…

(a) ‘Break O break open’. What should they ‘break’?

They should break the chains of poverty, ignorance, and social injustice that trap the slum children in a life of deprivation.

(b) Explain: ‘…till they break the town’.

It means the children must break free from the boundaries of their slum existence and reach out into the larger world—into towns, cities, and open spaces full of opportunity and hope.

(c) Where will ‘their world’ extend up to then?

Once freed, their world will expand to include golden beaches, green fields, and open blue skies—a symbol of liberty, nature, and endless possibilities.

(d) What other freedom should they enjoy?

They should enjoy intellectual freedom—access to books, education, and creative expression. This will empower them to shape their futures and truly participate in the larger world.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. Tick the item which best answers the following.

(a) The tall girl with her head weighed down means The girl

(i) is ill and exhausted ✅
(ii) has her head bent with shame
(iii) has untidy hair

(b) The paper-seeming boy with rat’s eyes means The boy

(i) sly and secretive
(ii) thin, hungry and weak ✅
(iii) unpleasant looking

(c) The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means The boy

(i) has an inherited disability ✅
(ii) was short and bony

(d) His eyes live in a dream. A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this means The boy is

(i) full of hope in the future ✅
(ii) mentally ill
(iii) distracted from the lesson

(e) The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’. This means they

(i) are insecure ✅
(ii) are ill-fed
(iii) are wasters

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?

‘Sour cream’ is a dull, off-white or yellowish colour. The poet uses this expression to convey the neglect and decay in the classroom. It reflects the dreariness and lifelessness of the slum children’s learning environment.

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?

These images represent culture, prosperity, and opportunity—things the slum children cannot relate to. Their own lives are filled with poverty, illness, and confinement. The contrast highlights the social gap and the irony of decorating a gloomy classroom with such unreachable dreams.

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

The poet calls for justice and reform. He wants the children to have access to quality education, nutritious food, open spaces, and equal opportunities. Their lives can change only if the cycle of poverty is broken through compassion and empowerment from society and authorities.