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OTT Essay on Living SpaceLiving Space by Dharker has a title that on first impression suggests there is some room and a sense of freedom through the connotations of ‘space’. However, as you delve into the poem this sense of space is immediately truncated with the structure of the poem. In the first stanza, ten lines which have an uneven appearance, adds to the disjointed and unstructured feel of the poem; perhaps reflecting the chaos that the people in these ‘Living Spaces’ have to live in. Further reflecting this chaos and lack of space is the squashed second stanza of three lines squeezed in between the final stanza of 9 lines. The disparity in stanza size and way the poem appears on the poem reinforces how little space there is in the shanty towns that she is describing in the poem. People live in these houses (if you can call them that) as they are predominantly made of cast offs and shaped out of rubbish built unevenly and defy structural engineering by remaining standing, despite their very haphazard and non-linear construction. “Space” is something you imagine being vast and wide, but here the title contradicts the poems meaning. Of course, this is the personas “Living Space” but ironically there is not actually enough of it. Interestingly, Dharker never calls these places homes or houses, an omission that I think is important, as it suggests a recognition that although people have to live here this isn’t or shouldn’t be a permanent housing solution. Perhaps, she is suggesting that these are not good enough to be called homes, despite the thousands of people who have to call these their home. In the poem enjambment is used to emphasise the haphazard and dangerous structures that people have become used to living in “That/is the problem.” reinforces the nature of the crooked buildings. It is placed directly after “not enough straight lines” which gives the imagery of a strange juxtaposition of shapes within the area. Our experience of housing is vastly different and the idea that structures are not straight seems odd. Buildings tend to be parallel and this idea is reinforced in the starkness of the imagery in “Nothing is flat or parallel” meaning that everything is a confused mix in the buildings or spaces that have been created. She uses active verbs interestingly “thrusts” and “clutches” to personify the way the buildings cling onto different aspects of themselves in order to avoid collapse. However, this is also juxtaposed with a real sense of hope and awe in the “lean dangerously towards the miraculous” with the final adjective having an almost religious tone to it. Miracles tend to be the preserve of the gods or have heavenly connotations, but here she has used this to reinforce the impossibility and difficulty of having to live in this way. We are maybe being forced to readjust any sympathy we may have for the people who live in these conditions and instead by amazed by the wonder that they do actually manage to live in this way, in spite of the hardships that they face. Dharker’s intention could be to draw attention to the mundanity of life that goes on within the confines of these small spaces, or the normality of living in this way for some, while still highlighting the vast poverty and injustice of these living conditions. She doesn’t use obvious phrases or clichés to highlight the problems, instead choosing a matter of fact and observational tone to show us how wonky the conditions are. In the second stanza, which is short (only 3 lines) and squashed into the middle of the poem, reflecting the conditions, the adjective “rough” is used to describe how irregular and uneven the surfaces are. Furthermore, the idea that it is a “frame” suggests that it is only a snapshot of how they live and shouldn’t be permanent, but somehow it has become a permanent home, where people live, go to work, eat and continue a normal life. The past tense of “squeezed” implies that this has already happened and now is normality. The title is also repeated at this point in the poem, which reinforces the idea that it is where they live, but that it shouldn’t be the normal. Again the third stanza uses the past tense verb “dared” to show that this is a courageous way to live. They have “place(d) these eggs in a wire basket,” which shows the normality of life happening within the “slanted universe”. Nothing is taken for granted in the poem. This small act of precariously resting the delicate eggs on the top of a door frame that is “hung out” suggests that there is faith in this act. Faith that the eggs will be fine, faith that they won’t be knocked or fall and faith that they will provide a meal later, despite being left out in the open for all to see, therefore reinforcing a faith in humanity itself. The imagery of “slanted universe” also reinforces the vastness of the size of these shanty towns. In India, where the poet took inspiration for this poem, these shanty towns have many problems including overcrowding, risk of fire (due to the materials that are used for the buildings), few jobs, diseases that spread quickly as a result of the proximity in which people live and many other problems, but they still maintain faith. The poem ends with the phrase “bright, thin walls of faith.” with the final word suggesting perhaps that all the poverty and issues and problems are surmountable if the people who have to live in this way remain hopeful. In this way the poem, although it addresses issues within society and India in particular that are hard to comprehend and difficult to understand from a privileged view, the poet manages to encapsulate a view of humanity that prevails regardless of the difficulty faced. The poem is excellent in allowing us a metaphorical window into another world, showing us how a different lifestyle, while not ideal, can still give us a sense of hope and show us that humanity is incredibly strong and can overcome difficult situations and make the most of these against all the odds. ................
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