LIVING SPACE

• Where was Imtiaz Dharker born and raised?

  Born in Pakistan and raised in Scotland
• What global issues does Imtiaz Dharker aim to bring awareness to in her work?

  Poverty and other global issues
• Where is the poem "Living Space" set?

  In the slums of Mumbai
• How does Dharker use the instability of the slums in her poem?

  To represent society
• What does the poem "Living Space" describe about life in the slums of Mumbai?

  • Life in the slums where people migrate from all over India
  • Hope for a better life and opportunities
  • Cycle of poverty despite their efforts to help their families
• What does the enjambment in the poem signify?

  It indicates too many people and not enough resources, creating disorder
• What does the alliteration in 'Beams balance' emphasize?

  The resilience of the people
• What do the verbs in 'nails clutch at open seams' convey?

  The desperation of the people
• What does the small stanza in the poem emphasize?

  The lack of space in the slums
• What does the symbolic language 'these eggs in a wire basket' represent?

  Hope and opportunity
• What do the contrasting images in "bright, thin walls of faith" suggest?


  Faith is strong but not strong enough; it is all they have
• What does the quote 'That is the problem' refer to?


  Unsafe living and imbalanced society
• What does 'thrust off the vertical' imply about the people in the poem?

  They are pushed away by the rich and forced to live in poverty
• What does 'towards the miraculous' signify in the poem?


  A better life and amazing opportunities that are just out of reach
• What does the phrase 'and even dared to place' suggest about the people?

  They were brave to move into the slums in the first place
• What does 'hung out over the dark edge' imply about the people's future?


  Their future is unknown and they lack control
• What does 'walls of faith' signify in the context of the poem?


  Faith is all they have, and they cling onto hope