Living Space

Question 1

‘beams
balance’

Answer 1

• alliteration
• ties the phrase tog
• enjambment tears it apart
• tension in the connectedness of the phrase - much like the slums generally

Question 2

‘the whole structure….

Answer 2

…leans dangerously to the miraculous’

Question 3

‘the whole structure leans dangerously
towards the miraculous’

Answer 3

• the line ‘leans’ over the rest of the stanza
• like the irregularity of the slums

Question 4

‘white’
‘light’

Answer 4

• last stanza
• one of the few end-rhymes in the poem
• both have connotations of hope

Question 5

structure of the 2nd stanza

Answer 5

• tiny
• has been squeezed between the two larger stanzas, similar to the living space in the slums

Question 6

‘There are just not enough
straight lines. That’

Answer 6

• enjambment
• lines 1 and 2
• reflects lack of ‘straight lines’ in the slums

Question 7

‘nails clutch…

Answer 7

…at open seams’

Question 8

‘nails clutch at open seams’

Answer 8

• personification of the structure trying to keep itself intact
• inhabitants desperately trying to repair the structure

Question 9

‘rough frame’

Answer 9

• 2nd stanza
• could suggest lack of finesse or resources
• or that it’s not supposed to be a frame at all

Question 10

‘of a slanted…

Answer 10

…universe’

Question 11

‘of a slanted universe’

Answer 11

• could evoke the slums
• criticise inequality

Question 12

‘these eggs in a…

Answer 12

…wire basket’

Question 13

‘these eggs in a wire basket’

Answer 13

• egg imagery
• eggs symbolic of fragility and new life

Question 14

‘the bright…

Answer 14

…thin walls of faith’

Question 15

‘the bright, thin walls of faith’

Answer 15

• metaphor
• reinforces the fragility of the slum inhabitants’ existence

Question 16

‘That is…

Answer 16

…the problem’

Question 17

‘That is the problem.’

Answer 17

• declarative sentence
• makes an observation
• suggesting inability to do anything about it

Question 18

‘Living Space’

Answer 18

• title
• suggests a lack of emotional connection or fondness
• explicitly not a home

Question 19

‘not enough straight lines’
‘nothing is….parallel’
‘crookedly’
‘supports….vertical’
‘clutch’
‘dangerously’

Answer 19

• emphasises fragility of slum existence

Question 20

‘miraculous’

Answer 20

• could be saying that the structure still standing there is a miracle
• could suggest that its inhabitants are desperate for a better future

Question 21

‘squeezed’

Answer 21

• the living space barely fits inside of the ‘rough frame’
• implying that it does not, or should not belong there

Question 22

‘dared…

Answer 22

…to place’

Question 23

‘dared to place’

Answer 23

• the slum inhabitants ‘rebel’ against the poor conditions they live in
• suggesting a hope and aspiration for something better

Question 24

‘someone’

Answer 24

• vague language
• could relate to the anonymous millions of the Mumbai slums

Question 25

‘faith’

Answer 25

• brings an almost religious tone to the poem
• it is the people’s belief that keeps them going

Question 26

mood and tone

Answer 26

• begins in a slightly critical tone - points out how dangerously constructed the slums are - ‘there are just not enough straight lines’
• as the poem progresses, the mood becomes more hopeful as shown by ‘the bright, thin walls of faith’