An Elementary School Classroom in a slum - a reflection

 Stephen Spender touched my heart and forced me to reflect on what the haves do for the have-nots in the name of charity. The very name itself has a pun on 'elementary' questioning what is the elementary, basic requirement of a person, others not in their shoes may not be able to even perceive. 

The dowdiness of the run down school room is amply displayed through the use of 'sour cream walls' and the windows painted with fog depicting the oppressive lives and future cloaking the very neighbourhood, clearly portrayed through, 'street sealed in with a lead sky'. The sibilance serves its purpose of creating a sinister tone.

The pointless donations of classroom paraphernalia in terms of  Shakespeare's picture and a map of the world, encouraging the poor children to a dream world through means of crime as they would be easily misled, in trying to achieve it.

The children themselves merit empathy as they have inherited poverty and disease. The powers that be are focused on feeding their minds and providing a formal education, when their starving bodies need to be nourished. They need to be in open, pollution free environments, in the laps of nature so they become robust children, who are healthy in body and mind. 

The diction  evokes sympathy for the poor children whose fate seems to be doomed right from the outset. Its not completely true we know, but the poet's perspective does make us wonder if everyone should be measured by the same yardstick. The similes and metaphors pack meaning into this short poem of 4 octet verses.

My Mother at Sixty-six by Kamala Das : A synopsis

 Kamala Das is well known for her bold style of expressing herself through her poems and stories. This short poem of a single verse is remarkable in consisting of one complex sentence from beginning to end.

The love for one's parent has been encapsulated through use of similes like: 'a late winter's moon' while dealing with the childhood fear of losing one's parent simultaneously. Kinesthetic imagery of 'Young trees sprinting' and 'merry children spilling' refer to the childhood of the persona while she comments on her dozing mother- 'her face ashen like that of a corpse'. It comes as a shock to the readers as they come to terms with the mortality of each one of us. The apostrophe at the end where she addresses her 'Amma' promising to see her soon is comforting for she smiles continuously more to reassure herself, rather than her mother. 

In just a few lines Kamala Das forces us to reflect on the impermanence of life and our loved ones, specially our parents, particularly our mothers with whom each individual has a distinct bond. 

Moving away from home is not easy, but as time passes, not knowing if we will see our mother on our next visit can be brutal.