Living Space by Imtiaz Dharker Flashcards
1
Q
Story + message of ‘Living Space’:
A
- The poem describes the ramshackle homes of people living in the slums of Mumbai.
- The poet explains that the problem is the lack of “straight lines”.
- In terms of buildings, straight lines suggest solidity and security; the lack of them fragility and risk - the precariousness of the structures is a metaphor for insecure lives, with no guarantee of the essentials for survival - the houses may collapse just as their lives may
- Yet the survival of the people is praised by the poet as miraculous, their dependence on scraps, old bits and pieces with which to construct their homes is presented as a triumph of hope and faith
2
Q
Tone of ‘Living Space’:
A
- Tone of admiration – as narrator admires the faith and aspirations of the people living in the slums
- Tone of fragility – fragility of human life, still able to exist in ramshackle environment
3
Q
Imagery in ‘Living Space’:
A
- Imagery of ramshackle living space – crowded + unstable nature of slum life and slum infrastructure
- Religions imagery - religious connotations in the use of the colour white, the ‘gathering of the light’ and the ‘walls of faith’
4
Q
Who is Imtiaz Dharker?
A
Imtiaz Dharker is aa contemporary poet (currently 70 years old)
5
Q
Cultural background of Imtiaz Dharker:
A
She is Pakistani born but grew up in Glasgow - she draws one her multi-cultural experience in her work
6
Q
What has Imtiaz Dharker written?
A
Dharker has written 5 collections of poetry and often deals with themes of identity, the role of women in contemporary society and the search for meaning
7
Q
Where did Dharker say ‘Living Space’ is set?
A
- Although no city is mentioned, Dharker has said that it is set in the slums of Mumbai, where people come and live in hopes of a better life
– Dharker’s intimate knowledge of Mumbai is evident in this poem
– she works to raise awareness of issues in other countries
8
Q
Professions of Dharker:
A
- Dharker is also an artist and documentary and filmmaker
o As well as painting a picture of poverty in developing country in ‘Living Space’ , there is also a general sense of life and hope, in even the poorest places
9
Q
How many people move to Mumbai, why and what do they face?
A
- Each year 1,000s of people move to the city of Mumbai, India from rural areas as many think that the city will provide them with lots of opportunities
- Although, people who move think that they will have a better quality of life, cities such as Mumbai face lots of challenges e.g., poverty, lack of sanitation, homelessness etc. and they do not always have a better quality of life
10
Q
What is there in Mumbai?
A
In Mumbai, the squatter settlement of Dharavi is now home to over 1mn people
11
Q
Description of Dharavi slum:
A
- Dharavi lies between 2 railway lines and is one of the biggest squatter settlements in the world
- The squatter settlement of Dharavi is unplanned, overcrowded and noisy
- Houses are made from cardboard, wood, corrugated iron, plastic sheeting and metal from oil drums
- There is a lack of sanitation and clean drinking water
- Open sewers mean pollution and disease are common
- Nevertheless, the colour and vibrancy of ‘slum’ settlements mean creativity and hope abounds – strong sense of community in slum settlements
12
Q
“There are just not enough straight lines.”
A
- begins with abrupt sentence
- doesn’t start with a positive view but focuses on what the living space lacks
- lack of “straight lines” – metaphor for the fragility of people’s lives in the slums of Mumbai
- Properly constructed buildings with perpendicular walls and sturdy ceilings are secure- these walls and lives are not
- It could be interpreted that prosperous Western lives move forward — in straight lines — and people progress in a positive direction as they grow older- the slum dwellers have no progression; go nowhere
13
Q
“Beams / balance crookedly on supports / Thrust off the vertical.”
A
- the plosive and alliterative ‘b’s in ‘Beams balanced’ adds to the idea of the rough and ready nature of the homes
- This is a metaphor for the fact that nothing is easy for this community, things aren’t handed out on a plate
- ‘Balanced crookedly’ suggests that the beams are unstable; that the Mumbai slums are at high risk of collapsing, just as lives are precarious - the enjambed, irregular-length lines that reinforce this idea
14
Q
“Nails clutch at open seams.”
A
- The personification of “Nails clutch” give the reader a sense of the desperation of the community - these shacks could give way any time
- The fact that the seams are “open” suggests lack of protection, bareness and vulnerability, like their lives
- buildings are unstable and the fixings are loose – nails not actually joining anything together and the whole structure is “open” and exposed
- nails are personified and seem to want to join the structure more solidly – verb “clutch” gives the nails a human characteristic and implies that they are desperately reaching forwards – however there is nothing for them to grasp only “open seams”
- the nails represent faith like the eggs - the word “clutch” is used as a verb in this line, but it is also a collective noun (a word that describes a collection of things) describing a group of eggs - the poet links the nails and the eggs showing how each of them represent faith
15
Q
“The whole structure leans dangerously / Towards the miraculous.”
A
- There is a juxtaposition of negative and positive; a change from danger and hardship to the idea of aspiring towards ‘…the miraculous” - the people’s survival here is remarkable
- protruding line (longest line) imitating the protruding beams and lack of infrastructural stability in Dharavi slum
- This introduces the poet’s own feelings, her admiration for their resilience
