Thursday, 05 August 2021 09:50

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM POEM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADE 12

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

BY  STEPHEN SPENDER

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Far far from gusty waves these children's faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor:
The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper-
seeming boy, with rat's eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir
Of twisted bones, reciting a father's gnarled disease,
His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class
One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream
Of squirrel's game, in tree room, other than this.
 
On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare's head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world. And yet, for these
Children, these windows, not this map, their world,
Where all their future's painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky
Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.
 
Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example.
With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal —
For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.
 
Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
Break O break open till they break the town
And show the children to green fields, and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books the white and green leaves open
History theirs whose language is the sun.

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem on above and answer the questions below.
  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list Write down only the words next to the question number (1 - 3).
    good; primary; children; resources; high; poor 
    The setting (background) of the poem is a (1) ... school in a (2) ... area. There are very few (3) ... in the classroom.                                                                        (3)
  2. Using your own words, describe the children in the classroom
    State THREE points.                                                              (3)
    NOTE: in this question use your own words. Do not quote directly from the poem. For 3 marks, give 3 points.
  3. Refer to lines 6-8.
    In your OWN words, say how this child is different from the rest of the children in his class.                              (1)
  4. Refer to stanza
    How does the speaker feel about the “donations”? Give a reason for your answer.                                                                     (2)
    Note: When you are asked to give a reason, the reason must be based on the poem.
  5. Refer to line 15 (“A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky”).
    5.1 Identify the figure of speech used (1)
    5.2 Explain why the poet has used this figure of (2)
  6. Refer to stanza
    Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Quote TWO consecutive words to support your answer.
     The children’s homes are large and comfortable.                  (2)
  7. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: In stanza 4, the speaker’s tone shows that he is ...
    1. commenting critically.
    2. pleading passionately.
    3. complaining bitterly.
    4. demanding forcefully.                                                                                                (1)
  8. Refer to stanza
    Name ONE experience the speaker wishes the children to have.                                                                                   (1)
  9. In your view, how does the speaker (poet) feel about the children? Using your OWN words, give TWO reasons for your (3)  [19]
    Note: When asked for your view, the answer requires your emotional response and understanding of the poem. For 3 marks, make 1 point about the speaker,s feeling (1 mark) and then give 2 reasons (2 marks).

ANSWERS

  1. 1 = primary ✓; 2 = poor ✓; 3 = resources ✓ (3)
  2.                                
    • They are malnourished/ underfed/ very ✓
    • They are pale. Their hair is untidy. ✓
    • Some children are handicapped/ did not grow properly/ are too small for their age. ✓
    • Some have darting, suspicious, hungry eyes. ✓ The girl’s head seems too big for her body. ✓
    • The boy has red eyes. ✓
    • Some have diseases/ inherited diseases. ✓
    • They have broken glasses. ✓                                                      (3)
      Any of the above 3 answers are acceptable.
  3. He is a dreamer. ✓/ He has an active ✓/ He is unassuming. ✓/ He is almost invisible. ✓/ He looks younger/ more innocent. ✓/ He is not affected by his circumstances as muchas others. ✓  (1)
  4. He is against the donations because they show a world that the children have no experience of. ✓/The donations may tempt the children to steal/ their circumstances will not allow them to experience what the donations offer. ✓                                             (2)
  5.  5.1 Metaphor ✓ (1)
    5.2 He compares their circumstances to a lead sky/ a narrow ✓✓
    OR
    The poet suggests that the children are trapped/ caught/ cannot escape and that they are heavily burdened/ very poor/ live in bad circumstances. ✓✓                    (2)
  6. “cramped holes” ✓✓ (2)
  7. pleading passionately ✓ (1)
  8. He wishes them to get out of the ✓
    OR
    He wishes them to experience nature/a beach/green fields. ✓
    OR
    He wishes them to read/experience literature/be exposed to books/good education. ✓                                                           (1)
  9. He feels sorry for ✓
    AND
    He describes the conditions in which they live/ their appearance vividly./ He objects to the so-called donations./ He is concerned that they might resort to stealing./ He appeals to the authorities to make a difference/ to intervene/ to help/ to save the children. ✓
    OR
    He is unsympathetic/ he does not care. ✓
    AND
    He is merely making a social point/criticising a bad education system./ His description of the children is cold and detached/ unemotional./ This is just a typical protest poem.✓                                                                           (3)  [19