An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum by Stephen Spender

The poem relates the story of a woman who lives in constant fear from her husband. She longs for a life of freedom and fearlessness but becomes a victim of male dominance. She is able to express her feelings only through the art of embroidery. Over a period of time when she gets tired and exhausted she is unable to use her fingers even for that. Finally she dies in fetters. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

In the poem the poet presents a sad and gloomy picture of the poor and deprived people living in the countryside. He draws a contrast between these people and those living in the city. He is upset that the rich city dwellers are least bothered about their poor brethren. They are callous and harsh. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

The poet says that beautiful things are sources of eternal joy. Otherwise Life is full of sadness and gloom. It is the beautiful things like the sun, the moon, trees, flowers and other forms of nature and art that provide solace to human beings. They help him come to terms with life. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

In the poem the poet pleads with the human beings to keep quiet and reflect on their mindless acts that are leading them to self destruction. He is particularly concerned about man's constant quest for victory over his fellow human beings or over nature. He is not against the progress as such in the modern age as long as it is going in the right direction. He believes that the progress in the wrong direction is going to be suicidal for human beings. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com.

The poem reveals a gloomy picture of the children in a slum school. It brings the reader's attention to the effects of poverty on their health, education and life. The poet exhorts the authorities towards the end of the poem to provide due care so that the children are able to fulfill their ambitions in life. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

The poem depicts the pain that the poet undergoes at the separation from her ageing mother. The poet is going to catch a flight from Cochin and the mother accompanies her to the airport. Looking at her mother the poet becomes nostalgic. She tries to divert her attention by looking at the sprinting trees or spilling children but in vain. Her pain increases when she finally separates from the mother after the security check. The mother is ageing and the poet probably has the fear of losing her. The poem has been prescribed in the course of class XII by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected]. My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

The poem is in the form of a conversation between the poet and a young woman. The poet conveys to the lady that a young man would not be attracted towards her inner beauty. He would be interested only in her outward appearance. The lady is still hopeful that she would get a young man who would love her soul, and not her body. But the poet insists that it is only God who can love her soul, and not anyone else. The poem has been prescribed for class X by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected] My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a humorous poem in the form of a ballad. A ballad is a poem that tells a story. And this poem tells a humorous story. Belinda lived with four other animals, a dog, a kitten, a mouse and a dragon named Custard. Everyone made fun of Custard, the dragon and called him a coward. But when the occasion arose it was the dragon who showed up. Everyone ran for their safety. The poem has been prescribed for class X by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected] My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

Fog is one of the best known poems of Carl Sandburg. In this short poem the poet reveals the features of Fog by comparing it with a cat. The cat has been used as a metaphor. The poet depicts the pace and unpredictable nature of the fog here. The poem has been prescribed for study in Class X English by CBSE in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected] My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com

Should the trees live in the forest or stay in the houses of the human beings? Should their parts just become the decorative pieces for humans? It is this conflict of man with nature that has been revealed in the poem, The Trees. The poem has been prescribed for class X by Central Board of Secondary Education in India. Please feel free to share your feedback of listening on [email protected] My blogs are available on arupedia.wordpress.com