Living Space

• "Eggs in a wire basket"

  • 'eggs' - represents hope and the potential for a new or better life -also fragility and vulnerability of their society and living areas
  • 'wire basket' - strong and sturdy-these two points juxtapose 
  • trapped in uncomfortable spaces they live in
• 'The bright, thin walls of faith'

  • tension, between the words, there is hope but also fragility within their society
  • referring to the eggshells ("eggs in a wire basket") but using the word 'walls' makes the reader think about the building too- 'walls of thin faith' suggests the eggshells, 'living space' and faith are similar - involve optimism but are breakable
  • stanzas one and three end with references of faith - speaker is trying to convey that faith is what keeps people in difficult situations going
• 'beams balance crookedly on supports'

  • tension between alliteration and enjambment- literation holds words together across the lines giving the poem stability however, enjambment creates instability - mimics the structural integrity of the buildings in the slums-even with support, the structure still isn't able to maintain a safe position
  • 'crookedly' - symbolise corrupt class system - highlights dangerous living conditions that people have to endure
• context

  • born in Pakistan but raised in Scotland, Dharker has an interest in representing a different culture
• structure

  • The poem Living Space begins with Dharker being sarcastic towards the negative views of the slums
  • The middle stanza represents the small ‘Living Space’ the people have to use as the stanza is ‘squeezed’ into the middle of the poem.
  • The poem ends with Dharker’s admiration of the people who live in the slums and their positive attitudes towards their negative circumstances