VOCABULARY

1. MY MOTHER AT 66 :
The tone of this poem is predominantly pensive and sorrowful.

Mother’s face- pale, wan, sickly, haggard, ashen, sallow, weak, lurid, deathlike, blanched.

Poet’s feelings- dejected, low spirited, dismal, melancholic, despondent, gloomy, heavy
hearted, morose, pensive, down in the dumps, mournful.

 The poem is indeed born, out of love as one observes the possessive pronoun ‘my’ when the
word ‘Mother’ is prefixed.
 The speaker’s understanding of her mother at the age of sixty-six, is indeed one of enriched
experience. It comes out of the speaker’s individual maternal experience as with her own
children and also from the past when she was single. She could probably understand her
better as mother now
 Poem touches upon the theme of the filial bond between the mother and daughter smeared in
the backdrop of nostalgia and fear. Nostalgia of the past(the time spent with the mother) and
fear of the future without her. It is a poem on separation. It is a poem on death.
 She compares her mother’s face to that of a corpse. This is a rather morbid image.
 And so makes this stark comparison to show how the process of aging immediately brings up
the fear of losing her mother in her mind.
 She also describes how that fear disturbs her so much that she is forced to turn her attention
away. This turning away doesn’t symbolize a turning away from her responsibility towards
her mother, but only a turning away from her own pain-filled emotions.
 She tries to take her mind off from the despairing thought to other lively things like the
sprinting trees and happy children running out of their homes to play
 Even though her mother is no longer a young woman, she is still beautiful. That is why the
second time around, she compares her mother’s face with that of the moon on a winter night.
 though her mother is no longer a young woman, she is still beautiful. That is why the second
time around, she compares her mother’s face with that of the moon on a winter night. This
image is not morbid, but pleasant. However, both images are used to signal the end of
something. The corpse more directly addresses the issue of human life coming to an end.
 Sad that her mother looked lifeless and dull.
 Sad that she could not stay with her mother and look after her.
 Worried that her mother may die any time soon because she looked unhealthy and sick.
 Childhood fear of being parted from her mother/ losing her.

Children- spirited, zestful, filled with vigour, energetic, bright faced, happy, joyous, lively,
symbolic of carefree childhood

Trees- trees sprinting means : speed, time has flown quickly

Last line: ‘ smile and smile’ :

 Poet wanted to reassure her mother that she would be back soon.
 Poet wanted to convey positive vibes to her mother.
 Poet wanted her mother to have something to look forward to, and not think about her ill
health or loneliness.
 Poet tried to hide her sad feelings from her mother by smiling and smiling.

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 LITERARY DEVICES
Simile:
1.her face ashen like that of a corpse
2.wan, pale as a late winter’s moon

Winter symbolizes death and a waning moon symbolizes decay. Just like winter loses its
magnificence and beauty when covered with fog and mist, similarly the poet’s mother has
lost her youth, vitality and have become inactive and withered.

Metaphor: the merry children spilling out of their homes

Personification: young trees sprinting
Repetition : I did was smile and smile and smile……
Apostrophe: This rhetorical device is used when a poet addresses his or her poem to an
absent audience.
In this poem, the poet uses the device of apostrophe in line 18 when she speaks directly to her
mother, addressing her as “Amma”, even though we never see the mother replying to the
poet.
Contrasts: When the poet notices how old her mother has grown, she tries to focus her
attention on other things. She ends up noticing only those things that are not old. She notices
the trees that her car is going past and they appear to be moving at an equally fast pace by
themselves. This leads the poet to feel that the trees must be very young to be filled with such
invigorating energy. She also notices children pouring out of their houses excitedly.

 The drive from home to Cochin also serves to illustrate the metaphor of journey as
experience.
 the poet has specified that the moon which her mother’s face resembles is the moon seen in
winter shows that winter is also used here to signal the end of a year – one more year that a
man has lived, and one that is drawing him closer to the end of his life as well.
 symbolizes the brevity of human life and the certainty of death. This is the poet’s biggest fear
– that her mother will die, and she will not have the power to stop it from happening.

2. AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM

Classroom - miserable , pitiful, woeful, lamentable, distressing, wretched, dreary,

unappealing, desolate

Children’s future – dismal, bleak, uncertain, insecure, unpredictable, undecided,

undetermined, unclear, indefinite.

Children’s looks –
(describing the deformed child) contorted, crooked, twisted, gnarled

(other children) suffering, needy, underprivileged, destitute, impoverished

(How the Society treats the children)- slag , waste, discrimination, unwanted, undesirable,
redundant, hatred, injustice, prejudiced, partiality towards rich kids alone, unfairness,
ignorance, disregarded, neglect, thoughtlessness,

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 ‘Values raised in the poem: Sensitivity to the underprivileged, equity, equality, awareness,
philanthropy, optimism, determination, change etc.

 Written in 1964, the best example of Spender’s political voice resonating in a poem.
 Expresses his ideological positions on government, economics, and education.
 The students in this classroom are underprivileged and malnourished.
 The capitalistic government is supposed to supply equal opportunity for education, but the
classroom in the slum offers little hope for change or progress.
 A commentary about race issues in American education and a Socialist proclamation against
capitalism and social injustice in general.
 Although Spender was British, the poem names no nation or race and was a response to the
global question concerning social injustice which was an essential issue in the American
Civil Rights movement of the time.
 The poet’s tone changes from pensive to belligerent and frustrated to an appeal

Poetic Devices:
Like rootless weeds – simile
Paper-seeming boy – metaphor
Rat’s eyes – metaphor
Like bottle bits… – simile
Shut upon their lives like catacombs – simile
Last four lines – visual imagery

The metaphor of Nature as a teacher appears in the last stanza and it is represented in the
words, ‘gold sands’ and the books with, ‘white and green leaves’. The ‘green leaves’ are
pages in the book of Nature.

The ‘Open ended map’ rather paradoxically is a metaphor for slavery or imprisonment
because it shuts ‘upon their lives like catacombs’

‘Catacombs’ a twisted maze from which there is no escape

The windows of the classroom are the true maps that they can relate to, not the ‘open ended
map’

The Sun, incidentally is a metaphor for freedom as opposed to the ‘fog’.

 The sense of hopelessness and the lack of a bright future symbolised by the words, ‘fog’, and
‘foggy slum’ suggest that the very purpose of educating these children has been defeated

 What Spender means is that it is only after the policy makers have addressed the problem of
poverty and its attendant problems like malnourishment and inherited diseases that you can
hope to provide an education that is empowering in the true sense!

 The metaphor of ‘Shakespeare’s Head,’ represents the teaching of concepts and ideas that the
students are not able to relate to because of their impoverished nature.

 ‘Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example’ because their exclusiveness tempts ‘them to
steal’. It is ironical that by teaching them about Shakespeare, you are in fact teaching the

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 students to steal. What they can’t hope to achieve in the normal course of time, they will try
to achieve through unfair and illegal means, and this is more so because you have taught
these children that Shakespeare is good, and the world shown in the map is good.

 The metaphor of Nature as a teacher appears in the last stanza and it is represented in the
words, ‘gold sands’ and the books with, ‘white and green leaves’. The ‘green leaves’ are
pages in the book of Nature. The ‘Open ended map’ rather paradoxically is a metaphor for
slavery or imprisonment because it shuts ‘upon their lives like catacombs’.

The philosophy of the Poet Stephen Spender’s poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in
a Slum’ very aptly encapsulates his philosophy of life which is based on the themes of social
injustice and class inequalities. The poet constantly highlights his belief in the paradox of
poverty, the idea that the more advanced the society, the larger the gap between the poor and
the rich. His philosophy of life exposes the sham that exists in the society today, and the so-
called hollowness in the intentions of the humanitarians of the world who want to do good to
the underprivileged by donating gifts which are in effect of no use.

 Weeds’ indicate being unwanted and ‘rootless’ indicates not belonging

 The slum children are like ‘rootless weeds’ unwanted by society and not belonging to society.
Their uncombed hair fall on their pale faces.
 The first child is a “tall girl with a weighed-down head.” This girl is physically and
emotionally exhausted, as if all life has been dredged from her body and sapped from her
mind.
 “The paper- / seeming boy, with rat’s eyes” is paper-thin and weak. His eyes are defensive
and scared, like a scavenger, a rat. His eyes might be searching food like rats’ eyes do. His
prospect for survival, let alone success, is bleak.
 “the stunted, unlucky heir / Of twisted bones,” is the victim of a genetic disorder. Spender
writes that the boy has inherited his “father’s gnarled disease”; he has been left disfigured,
trapped in a physically challenged body. Spender has used the word ‘reciting’ to show that in
addition of studying/reciting the lesson, the boy shows/recites his inherited crippling disease
in the class
 Spender then describes the boy “at back of the dim class,” stating, “His eyes live in a dream.”
This last student represents both a glimmer of wary hope and a shiver of mental damnation. It
is unclear whether he is dreaming of a life he may achieve or has lost his mind to the
“squirrel’s game.”
 This last boy, “unnoted, sweet and young,” may understand his position in society and see the
sadness of his fellow students. With this understanding, he may represent hope for social
change, instead of merely being an individual who has lost his mind.
 The word ‘sour’ used to describe the cream walls of the classroom indicates its derelict
condition.
 The classroom is full of “donations.” The children are from the lowest class; they are the
children of proletarians. The classroom is constructed through donations of others’ capital.
All that the students possess comes from their oppressors, the bourgeoisie.
 The upper class, which holds these children in their place, also offers them their only tools to
escape. The maps, books, and “Shakespeare’s head” that give the students hope of something
outside their dreary existences are gifts from the very hands that clamp them down in their
economic and social position.

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 .The “donations” may give a glimpse of some world to the students, but not of their world.
The students do not perceive their world as like the one depicted in the classroom’s
“donations.” Contradicting their state and the slum children are Shakespeare’s head
indicating erudition, the picture of a clear sky at dawn and a beautiful Tyrolese valley
indicating beauty of nature and hope, dome of an ancient city building standing for
civilization and progress and a world map awarding the children the world.
 The lines “Open-handed map / Awarding the world its world” could refer to the map of
the world hanging on the wall of the classroom giving/showing (awarding) everyone (the
world) the world out there to explore and know (its world).
 But the world of the slum children is the limited world that can be seen though the windows
of the classroom and not what the map promises.
 To these children the window which opens to them only shows a grey sky and a foggy future
which never changes. Their future is bleak, unknown, and dreary.
 Their life/world is confined within the narrow streets of the slum enclosed by the dull sky far
away from rivers, seas that indicate adventure and learning and from the stars that stand for
words that can empower their future.
 ‘Lead sky’ means a dullsky or a dimly lit sky. It suggests pollutin and burden of industrial
world.
 This symbolises the bleak, dull life and future of the slum children. The children in “An
Elementary School Classroom in a Slum” are trapped by their social and economic status.

 Although Spender voices cynicism, he does not lose sight of the true victims of the injustice
of the class struggle: the children.
 Spender describes the children “on their slag heap.” Their emaciated wasted bodies are
compared to slag (waste) heaped together.
 He returns to their thin, malnourished bodies, stating that they “wear skins peeped through by
bones.”.
 Even their glasses are repaired ones, as they cannot afford new ones-the lenses are like
broken pieces of bottle.
 Spender is making a resounding humanist statement about the treatment of children in this
poem. It appears that he is more sickened by humanity’s disregard for the children than by
the social and economic framework that has doomed these children to the slums.
 The poet appeals to the governor, inspector and visitor to do something to improve the
condition of these children.
 If there is political will, this map showing the beautiful world outside can become their
reality too. The poet hopes the authorities would realize their moral responsibilities and free
these children from their grave-like entrapments (catacomb – cave).
 He wants all the barriers to be pulled down; barriers that keep away true education from
them. The children must be given freedom to experience the wholesome bounties of nature-
view the green fields and run on ‘gold sand’.
 The poet begs to let them read books and form their opinions. Let them breathe in fresh air.
Let them discover themselves and let them be creative so that their names can also enter the
books of history. Let them find their place in the sun.
 Stephen Spender highlights the plight of slum children by using vivid images and apt words
to picture a classroom in a slum

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 Why is Shakespeare described as wicked?

– no correlation between Shakespeare’s works and the life of the slum children
– classic literature of Shakespeare beyond the understanding of slum children
– beautiful world depicted by Shakespeare is denied to the slum children
– Arouses the desire among the students to taste the joy of higher education, which for them
seems to be unattainable

What does the reference to ‘slag heap’ mean ?

( miserable condition of the slum children / unhygienic conditions / extreme

poverty / waste / rejected / neglected / considered useless)

Explain “from fog to endless night.”

“Fog” stands for obscurity and uncertainty and “endless night” signifies endless darkness and
misery. The phrase means that slum children have no hope of progress and prosperity. They
simply exist in their cramped holes stumbling from one despair to another.

Why does the poet refer to the Tyrolese valley ?

The beautiful Tyrolese valley is in sharp contrast to dim and dingy slums. . The life of slum
children is far removed from the life represented in the photograph of alpine valley as they
never get to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains and the flowery valley.

3. KEEPING QUIET

 Introspection, self-analysis, contemplation, soul-searching, reflection, self-questioning, self-

observation, ponder, rumination, deliberation, musing.
 To walk in brotherhood, harmony, peace, fraternity, community, kinship, comradeship, union
 Earth is a teacher- remains quiet and still but activity going on inside
 A piece of introspection and retrospection
 Not inactivity but ‘super activity
 A message of peace and a scorn to tyrants and war mongers.

The poem is a very simple, and is written in a free verse. The poet has paused on the points
where he wants the reader to ponder on, and understand the meaning. There are no rhyming
words, or sentences, that are seen in almost all the poems of Neruda, including this one. The
themes that are present in the poem are about introspect, retrospect, and brotherhood among
the people of the world. The significance of counting till twelve could be that it divides a
day in two parts of twelve hours each. Another interesting fact about the poem is that
even the title has twelve letters in it.

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1. ‘Count to twelve’ – symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve markings on it, the
year has twelve months and the day has twelve hours

2. Let’s-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point.

3. ‘Fishermen in the cold sea…hurt hands’-symbolic image showing how man is ruthlessly
destroying nature and harming other species in cold blood for his selfish need and greed. The
‘hurt hands’ – the sore hands of the salt gatherer would make him realize how he is harming
himself by his mindless corrosive activities.

4. ‘…put on clean clothes’- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection will make us
comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man would shed his blood soiled clothes and don
on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul, heart and mind, purging it of all anger and
hatred.
5. Brothers – symbol of mankind

6. In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we will protect and
shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace and harmony.

7. no truck – euphemism

8. Earth can teach us as when everything… symbol, Just as earth, the greatest creator, in its
sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually dormant and carefully preserving
the seeds of life, human beings too need to keep still and quiet to rejuvenate and awaken the
life forces within and be productive.

9. Language: the usage of the term ‘language’ is an instance of metonymy, in which a symbol or
sign is used for the thing signified. Language here stands in for culture/race.

10. Arms: ‘Arms’ is an instance of pun. In puns, duplicity of sense is created because of the
unity of sound. Arm here stands for a body part as well as weaponry.

11. Sudden Strangeness: Instance of alliteration. The same syllable is repeated at the beginning
of successive words.

12. His hurt hands: This is an instance of alliteration.

13. The Earth can teach us: This is an instance of personification. Earth is given the human
attribute of teaching.

14. Wars with fire, Wars with gas: This is an instance of Palilogia. In Palilogia, there is a
repetition of same words in a line or sentence – ‘Wars with’ occurs twice.

15. Extended Metaphor: An extended metaphor can be found in the lines – “Perhaps the earth
can teach us/as when everything seems dead/and later proves to be alive”. Here the stillness
which Neruda advocates is being compared to the stillness of winter. Just like winter
leads to rejuvenation, even the quietness recommended by Neruda leads to re-growth.

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16. Symbolism: Symbolism is abundant in Keeping Quiet. Fisherman and whale stands for the
oppressor and oppressed respectively. Salt gatherer is symbolic of humanity whereas ‘clean
clothes’ symbolize peace.

17. Once on – Alliteration

18. Without .................without – Repetition

We would – Alliteration.
Sudden strangeness – Alliteration

19. Cold sea – symbolised as polar region

20. His hurt hands – Alliteration

21. Wars with – Alliteration

22. Wars with – Repetition

23. Clean clothes – Alliteration
24. We were – Alliteration

25. dead ……alive – Antitheses. ( Definition: Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a

rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a
contrasting effect.)

POEM IN POINTS

 With a sole message to keep ourselves quiet for a moment Pablo Neruda hints at a
state of equilibrium where without any movement without any activity we shall get
a chance to introspect within ourselves about our views, and activities whether we
are right or wrong, true or false.
 The poet here hints at to introspect to work for unity, peace, and universal brother
hood. He even asks us to retrospect i.e. to look back at our past events and thus
evaluate for good.
 We only get an opportunity to introspect or retrospect when we find ourselves in the
state of being quiet.
 The poet has solicited here that we must cease all our activities and be quiet for a
moment and come under one umbrella of silence breaking the differences we
possess.
 He gives us a call to break the barriers of enmity, every creed, caste, religion and
country and get united to introspect ourselves and despise all negativities and empty
for a better world.
 Pablo Neruda urges us to not consider keeping quiet to be total inactivity but
keeping quiet is a state we do the most precious act i.e. introspection retrospection
and take a right decision.
 He even urges inactivity not to be confused with death. He rather gives us a call to
think above our single mindedness

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 . We should stop a while and put aside our possessiveness and narrow minded
thoughts.
 Pablo Neruda with his symbolical implications urged us to unite for good and he
even made sarcastic indirect comments to those war mongers, and oppressors and
invited them to abscond their negative acts and introspect for better values.
 He symbolically presented the fishermen to be the oppressors and whales as the
innocuous people. Then he presented the salt gatherers representing the lower
section of the society who are the victims of several works that damage themselves.
 The poet gave a call to those war mongers, the people who do green wars, wars
with gas and wars with fire to cease their brutal work and think positive.

ANALYSIS
 The poet begins with counting twelve urging everyone to be still. He chose ‘twelve`
for several reasons. ‘Twelve’ hints at the twelve hours of a day which rules our life.
‘Twelve` refers to twelve zodiac signs believed to be the controlling forces of our
lives. ‘Twelve` refers to twelve months of a year. ‘Twelve` even may be aimed for a
preparation for all to be ready to plunge into the state of silence.
 The poet here urges everyone to break the barriers of language and unite with one
invisible tune i.e. silence. With the word ‘earth` the poet hints at all the humans
living devoid the identity of country creed and caste. Though language is the
identity of a country or race, he affirms that humans are more important and the
identity of being a human of earth is broader realization.
 The poet here urges to stop for one second. Here ‘second’ presents the tiniest part of
time calculation. He ushers us to keep ourselves off for at least one second from the
negative aspects. Here ‘arms’ is with dual meaning. He apparently indicates ‘arms’
as our hands engaged in several activities and at the same time refers to the
weapons we use for destruction.
 We are always on move. We are all busy in accomplishing our work and go on
rushing in our lives. The poet even urged to stop engines (referring industrial works
causing harms to environment) . The poet urges us to stop our personal activities
and stop engines and unite in one tune i.e. silence. The poet declares silence as
exotic because this silence will make us blissful, strange and will bring complete
equilibrium.
 If we be still, we shall be able to introspect the mistakes and wrongs done. Here
fishermen are the representatives of all kinds of tyrants and killers. The poet wants,
them to cease their work and realise their mistakes. The salt gatherer is explained as
the representative of poor and lower section of the society. They go up to any level
to earn their livelihood and often hurt themselves irreparably.
 The poet here condemns the people with green wars (biological weapon or creators
of pollution) and wars with fire (Atomic war) . They become victorious but with no
survivors left. The poet mocks at the victory of those people who get victory over
destruction. The poet asks them to leave the path of destruction and join the group
of silence. He urges them to put on white (symbolising – purity and serenity)

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 clothes. And walk with others doing nothing (meaning anything negative and doing
self introspection)
 The poet here warns us that his message of silence should not be confused with total
inactivity or inertia. He further clears that his message does not have any affinity
with death even. His message is aimed at the way of living. He wants us to stop a
while and feel the tranquility so that a positive introspection is done.
 We human beings are single minded. We are always busy in achieving our goals,
completing personal responsibilities. And we never stop a while to evaluate
ourselves and understand ourselves. We never understand that we shall never be
able to come out of these desires and achievements. If we could stop a while from
these using we would have understood the real purpose of our lives and ourselves.
Rather we go on with the fear of death calculation how much of our dreams and
wishes will be achieved.
 In conclusion the poet taught us through the example of earth which at one season
may look as if dead but comes back with life in another season. Likewise our life
will also bear certain meaning when we walk on the right path i.e. introspecting in
silence. In the last two lines the poet leaves us to introspect as if he himself has
gone through the same.

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