Living Space Flashcards
introduction
Dharker uses the poem as a vehicle to expose the harsh and inhospitable living conditions endured by the inhabitants of the Mumbai slum of Dharavi. However, in spite of the poverty and limitations of the environment, Dharker celebrates the human capacity to endure and adapt to difficult situations, focussing on the power of hope and faith. As such, she renegotiates our view of those living in slums, as being worthy of awe and admiration in addition to pity.
Structure
In the first stanza of the poem, Dharker depicts the harsh living conditions endured by inhabitants of the Mumbai slum of Dharavi, conveying a sense of dislocation and irregularity through the inconsistent rhyme scheme and line length, which creates a graphic representation of the uneven construction of shanty dwellings in Mumbai.
‘clutch at open seams’ ‘beams balance crookedly’
personification of nails.
Verb ‘clutch’ along side alliterative phrase create a precarious sense of balance, indicative of the dangerous position the inhabitants of the slum are living in. Alliteration ties the phrases togther however the enjambment tears them apart, adding tension on the phrase as it is hanging by a thread similar to the slums they are not strongly connected but not compete,y distinct from eachother
‘leaning dangerously towards the miraculous.’
Poem remains optimistic
Through the juxtaposition of the buildings ‘dangerously’ on the verge of collapse and the ‘miraculous’ Dharker suggests that as a result in her faith in divine goodness, the inhabitants of the skin are able to overcome the challenges posed by their physical surrounding so
There are just not enough
Dharker seems to be grappling with language as she attempts to find words that will adequately convey the living conditions and experiences on the inhabitants. Adj ‘enough’ implies that the conditions are below adequacy, only just
Context of Dharkers background as a documentary producer
In line with dharkers background as a documentary producer, she would have had a desire to share her first hand experiences with others, as such Dharker emphasises on the hope and optimism of the inhabitants of the Dharvi slums throughout the poem and serves to make the reader reflect on their own attitudes and level of gratitude towards their own circumstances, perhaps even suggesting that these people are ‘living’ more fulfilling lives than others with ostensible preferable living conditions.
‘Gathering light’ ‘squeeze’ length of second stanza
The poem has a tone of admiration towards the people who are creative and resourceful with what they have, as they are ‘gathering the light’ and ‘squeez(ing)’ domestic spaces into all available space,
this is reiterated by the structure of second stanza which is forced in between the two larger stanzas, this is also emphasising the overcrowded conditions of the slums.
‘Squeezed’
Through this she encourages the audience to admire their creactivity and resourcefulness to be able to adapt to thier harsh living conditions
dared to place these eggs in a wire basket
Alludes to the vulnerability of the people as shown through the symbolism of ebbs with their delicate and fragile shells. The verb ‘dared’ illustrates the peoples courage, boldness and faith in divine goodness which enables them to over come the conditions that threaten to extinguish their faith, hope and light.
She uses ‘eggs’ to symbolise her hope and optimism for the future as a result of the courage of the families living in dharvi.
‘Dark edge’ ‘gathering the light’
Through the light imagery of the ‘gathering the light’ Dharker suggests that there is a spiritual conviction which enables the, to transcend the limitations of their physical environment, represented by the ominous ‘dark edge’ .
Thin walls of faith
Religion keeps the people going
Adjective ‘thin’ suggests that their is not so much faith left, as the people moved to the slums to get a better life. However the fact they still cling on to that ‘faith’ reinforces their faith in divine goodness, which helps them overcome these challenging conditions they are made to endure.
