Living space Flashcards
who wrote living space?
Imtiaz Dharker
context and meaning of living space?
-uses this poem to represent the experience of marginalised people- similar to Blake and London
-draws attention to the struggle and bravery of people living in slums.
-religious element to the poem. final lines imply that faith can support you through difficulties and is a form of shelter for these people ( even though they lack physical shelter)
how does Dharker use a pattern of language and what quotes?
-to create instability
-words such as “clutch” and “thrust” create a sense of desperate energy of the slums
-“crookedly”- used to suggest the dangerous conditions in the slums. could imply the persistent corruption that allows life in the slums to continue
How does Dharker use the extended egg metaphor?
-to convey vulnerability and fragile nature of the people in the slums.
Egg is also symbolic of new life and so hope for the future
-continues to describe them as “bright thin walls of faith”- implies optimism about the future- whilst the metaphor “walls” suggests that their faith can protect and shelter them
how does Dharker use no rhyme scheme/irregular form and analyse it?
-all stanzas are different lengths
-uses this to mimic the unpredictable lack of order in the slums themselves
finish the quote, “nothing is flat…
or parallel
analyse the quote “nothing is flat or parallel”
it draws the readers attention to the severity of the situation
-enjambment and alliteration- gives the poem stability whilst enjambment gives it instability
-fragile life
finish the quote , “someone has squeezed….
a living space
analyse the quote “someone has squeezed a living space”
its not a real home- and have forced themselves into the edges of society- uncomfortable- unwanted
-short stanza- reflects how the inhabitant has “squeezed” a home into the structure- not wanted by society
finish the quote, “slanted…
universe’
analyse the quote “slanted universe”
suggests that the life of people living in slums is like another world
-implies that the world is corrupt and there may be other inequalities
finish the quote, “gathering the..
light’
analyse the quote, “gathering the light”
light= hope for the future and positivity
-juxtaposition with ‘dark’- represents how hazardous the area is that they are living in
finish the quote, “leans dangerously…
towards the miraculous
analyse the quote, “leans dangerously towards the miraculous”
-emphasises the unstable nature of the living conditions in the slums
-whilst “miraculous” is unexpected and implies that there is still hope
