living space Flashcards
who wrote the poem?
Imtiaz Dharker
what are the main themes of the poem?
- sense of place
- faith
- welfare and living conditions
- fragility of life
what are possible links?
- London (welfare and living conditions)
- the manhunt (fragility)
- mametz wood (fragility)
what are the main feelings and attitudes of the poem?
- detachment
- awe
- tentative hope
what is the poem about?
the slums of Mumbai, the poem opens by describing a building and how badly it is built and how someone lives there despite the danger, also sees a basket of eggs which represent hope for the future and fragility
what is the form of the poem and what does it do?
free verse/irregular form - uses stanzas and lines of different lengths, mirroring the sense of chaos and irregularity. the lack of regular rhyme and rhythm emphasises the disorder (as well as the enjambment - which could show how there isn’t enough space there), also free verse shows how there is nothing holding it together
where is the mood shift of the poem?
in the second and third stanza, where the speaker begins to hint slightly that there is optimism
what sort of language does the poem use?
language of disorder - emphasises danger but also makes it seem alive
what symbolism does the poem use?
the poem uses eggs to symbolise faith, but they are fragile, suggesting faith can be broken. eggs are often used to symbolise new life which hints that the inhabitants have faith that the future might be better
why does Dharker use light and dark imagery?
could represent the dangerous nature of the living conditions. white is often associated with innocence, neither the eggs nor the inhabitants are to blame for the situation they’re in
what is the structure of the poem?
3 stanzas: a 10-line stanza, a 3-line stanza, and a 9-line stanza
why is the second stanza much shorter?
the stanza is squeezed into the middle of the poem which represents the small living space the people have to use
why is the title ‘living space’?
- could be ironic because there is little living space in the slums
- or she could have used it to suggest how others view it as just a living space and not a home
- also could suggest that the space itself is living and therefore has the potential to grow and change and develop
what are the first three lines of the first stanza?
There are just not enough / straight lines. That / is the problem.
what are the annotations of ‘not enough’?
- could be criticising the western view of the slums and suggesting we don’t appreciate the beauty of the slums
- could also be that there is not enough love/appreciation/help/aid especially for the lower class
what highlights the lack of straight lines?
the ragged, uneven lines of the poem itself
what are the annotations of ‘That / is the problem.’?
- matter-of-fact tone which distances the narrator from the subject
- also identifying the divide between social classes and explicitly stating that there is a problem with it
what are the middle four lines of the first stanza?
Nothing is flat / or parallel. Beams / balance crookedly on supports / thrust off the vertical.
what are the annotations of ‘Nothing is flat / or parallel’?
- nothing is at the start of the line so it puts emphasis on it and draws the reader’s attention to the severity of the problem
- also the idea of it not being flat or parallel reflects how the social classes are not equal and society is divided
what are the last three lines of the first stanza?
Nails clutch at open seams. / The whole structure leans dangerously / towards the miraculous.
what are the annotations of ‘Beams / balance crookedly’?
- tension between alliteration and enjambment of beams and balance; alliteration holds them together, enjambment creates instability
- adverb also symbolises how the class system is corrupt and could also highlight the dangerous living conditions
what are the annotations of ‘thrust off the vertical’?
verb ‘ thrust’ is almost violent, creating a sense of danger
what are the annotations of ‘Nails clutch at open seams’?
- could be a metaphor for how people in the slums clutch for opportunities to raise their social status and clutch to hope
- also is personification
- could symbolise the potential for a safer, more stable, structure
what are the annotations of ‘the whole structure leans dangerously’?
- long line which juts out beyond the rest of the poem, mirroring the way parts of the building hang over each other
- adverb could imply that the people in the slums have to live in hazardous conditions
