Question

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.
(a) Who are these children?
(b) What future do these children have in store for themselves?
(c) What does ‘lead sky’ symbolize?
(d) What facilities are these children deprived of?

Answer 1

The phrase is from the poem An elementary school classroom in a slum.

a) The children referred in the poem are the poor children who are living in the slum.

b) As per the poet, the future of these children is bleak and dull. They wish to nurture themselves, and lead a happy life, but is like a dream for them.

c) Lead sky in the poem symbolizes a gray and a dull sky. This means that there is no hope for the children to progress and they have a bleak future.

d) The children belong to a dirty slum with cramped holes and narrow lanes. The children are deprived of basic necessities such as food along with the high dome buildings, beautiful rivers, and even the fragrance of flowers.