Living Space (People and Places/poverty) Flashcards
Who wrote Living Space?
Imtiaz Dharker
What is the story of Living Space?
-Describes the inequality between the rich and the poor.
-Describes the dangerous structures within the slums.
-Shows the fragile nature of the slums.
-Shows her admiration as residents of the slums still remain hopeful.
What does the title of Living Space show about the poem?
It’s about somewhere where the people of Mumbai call home, the slums
What might ‘There are just not enough straight lines’ illustrate? (1st/2nd line)
-‘not enough’ emphasises the lack of housing and dense population and this could illustrate the economic state of Mumbai
-‘straight lines’ may show there’s a lack of safety and stability in the houses and that they are fragile
What could ‘Beams balance crookedly’ show? (5th/6th line)
-oxymoron of ‘balance’ and ‘crookedly’ shows that the slums are unsafe and it might also show the inequality/imbalance between the treatment of the poor and the rich in Mumbai
-Adverb of ‘crookedly’ shows the dangers of the situation and highlights the fragility of the people and place where they live in the slums of Mumbai
Describe what ‘Nails clutch at open seams’ may show? (8th line)
-‘clutch’ illustrates the slums are unstable
-verb ‘clutch’ has been used metaphorically to the people of Mumbai’s desperation and struggle to hold on to life, as they ‘clutch’ at opportunities to survive
-noun of ‘seams’ (line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together) illustrates the immense struggle that these people face as they attempt to almost sew their lives back together and improve their position/social status
What might ‘leans dangerously towards the miraculous’ convey? (9th/10th line)
-Adverb ‘dangerously’ suggests this is an unsafe/dangerous living condition people have to survive in
-Possibility of building collapse is an ever present danger to life, a metaphor for harsh life these people lead
-‘miraculous’ conveys although slums are unstable they are a miracle as they have been made quickly and with low quality materials/it is a miracle that it’s still standing
-Shift in tone from a more sorrowful tone to a more hopeful tone
What may ‘someone has squeezed a living space’ mean? (2nd stanza)
-‘squeezed’=a verb illustrates working hard and being proud of what they created, they make most of what they have
-‘living space’ conveys being proud of their living space, they have faith things will be better- population of Mumbai are resilient and persevere
-‘squeezed’ might illustrate central stanza needed to be squeezed into poem which reflects confined living space/how one of the most important things in life (a home) is confined for them
-‘squeezed’ also reflects ramshackle/dangerous living conditions
Tell me what could ‘eggs in a wire basket’ illustrate? (3rd stanza)
-‘eggs’ link to life, even though conditions are unsafe they can still accommodate life
-‘eggs’ could show the fragility of the structures and that can collapse any minute
-metaphor ‘wire basket’ describing their situation as a person which they can’t get out of (almost like a prison), just as their lives are confined to harsh daily struggle to survive
