Living space

• who wrote Living Space?

  Imtiaz Dharker
• what else other than a poet is Dharker?

  Artist which may be why this poem is so visual
• where was Dharker born and raised?

  born - Pakistan

  raised - Glasgow

  #live- uk and india
• what type of poet is Dharker?

  contempory
• what does Dharker use in her poems?

  she uses her multicultural perspective throughout her writing
• As a poet , artist and filmmaker , Dharker tries to raise awareness of how people in other cultures live
• what is the poem about?

  The Mumbai slums where millions of people live in hopes of a better life
• people migrate all over india for a better life
• The slums are living spaces created from lots of materials
• There is limited access to electricity , clean water , food and education
• there is alot of poverty in the slums
• title - living space

  suggest a lack of emotional connection or fondness , explicitly not a home and disorder in the slums
• " There are just not enough straight line "
• " Beams balance " 


  Alliteration ties the phrase together while the enjambment tears them apart much like the slums as there is tension in the connectedness of phrase
• " that is the problem "


  declarative sentence - critical tone makes it an observation suggesting the inability to do anything
• " nails clutch at open seams "


  personification of " nails " suggests the precarious existence and insecurity if the structures were to fall
• " the whole structure leans dangerously towards the miraculous"


  the line leans over the rest much like the irregularity of the slums

  "miraculous" miracle the structure still stands despite the hardship
• semantic field of precarity

  " nothing is flat or parallel" fragility of the slums
• " rough frame "


  lack of finesse or recourses
• " someone has squeezed "


  vague language relate to the anonymous millions in slums - " squeezed " suggests the resourcefulness of the people that despite not fitting they still try
• how does the second stanza reflect the context in living space?

  the stanza itself is small and is squeezed between 2 larger poems
• " And even dared to place "


  suggests that someone is rebelling against the poor living conditions - courage in the face of precarious space
• " these eggs in a wire basket "


  egg symbolise the fragility and new life
• " white" ,"light"


  one of the few examples of end rhyme and both words have connotations of hope
• " of a slanted universe "


  could refer to the slums being massive but could also critisise the corrupted society and inequality in the world
• " the bright, thin walls of faith"


  reinforces the fragility of the slums inhabitants existence
• " faith "


  almost religious tone at end of poem ; it is the people belief that keeps them going
• Structure

  line lengths are uneven could symbolise the slums could fall down
• how does the few rhymes contribute to the poem?

  act as a way of holding the poem together similar to the nails of the poem
• poems to compare with theme of place

  london