Boxes
Describe the living conditions of the apartment in the boxes.
The living conditions were cramped and confined.
in this line which word symbolises the attractiveness of the city? “Yet with orchestras and glances, O, you betray us”
Orchestra
what is the effect being created in this quote “I made the rising mood go back behind the shouldering hill”
it creates the feeling of being very fast and powerful. It makes it see like the speaker can reverse nature. It all shows the intensity of the journey
What are the main eye-capturing theme/s of this poem?
social inequality/wealth inequality, moral hypocrisy.
Describe the conditions of the city outside the apartment.
The living conditions outside were disgusting and polluted.
what literary device is in this quote and how does it show the wealth and poor gap “O little restaurants where lovers eat each other Cafe where exiles have established a malicious village”
Metaphor, exiles are at malicious villages while others (non exiles) are at restaurants eating. This shows the wealth and poor gap
why does the writer compare “telephone poles” to “years” that “slipped into the pass”
the writer compares there because it shows how fast time is moving during the journey. It makes readers feel that life is moving very quickly and can end in a blur
Why are the rich man’s sins hidden in this poem?
The rich man’s sins are hidden in this poem because he is wealthy and people tend to focus on his wealth status rather than his actions.
What did the quote “seven islands” suggest about the setting of the poem?
This suggests that the story was set in Mumbai.
Find and explain the change in tone between the first stanza and last stanza
the tone in the first stanza is very seductive, the city is painted as a city to escape rules and have fun but the then the last stanza is haunting and threatening it’s not seductive anymore and it reveals th cities corruption
What was the writers effect in the quote "long black carpet"?
Metaphor, as the writer compared a long black carpet to the road.
How does the poem use repetition to express the theme of social inequality?
The poem expresses the theme of social inequality by applying the phrase “The rich man” in nearly every first line of each stanza (except the first stanza).
What was the writer's effect of the quote “trampling underfoot” imply in the poem?
Metaphor and imagery, trampling underfoot was used to describe the overpopulation.
the quote “Far from your light the outrages punitive father” what does the father stand for and why is it important that he’s away from the city
the father stands for rules and laws, punitive father is like a strict parent/person that will punish you for breaking these laws, so the fact that he’s far away from the city means that there’s more freedom and people can act without fearing any consequences
How does the poet use the image of speeding through darkness to symbolize the passage of time and the experience of life’s journey?
The speeding of the car through the night symbolizes the time passing quickly and life moving, feeling how uncertain the future will be. The darkness gives off the vibe of mystery or fear, while the poet also describes a sense of faith & excitement.
“The rich man’s sins are hidden, In the pomp of wealth and station;” how does the poet use irony in this quote to highlight the difference between the way the poor and the rich are treated for doing the same things?
The poet uses irony in this quote by showing that poor people are criticized for doing simple things and named sinners while the richer people do worse things in secret but are still praised because of their higher status in fame/wealth.
What was the writer's effect used in the quote “giant stilts”?
Metaphor, the gap between the sky scrapers were used to compare to giant stilts of the sky.
How does the poem show the difference between what the city shows and shows from people. How does that show unfair power give an example
the poem shows a strong difference between what the city shows and hides, “in unlighted streets you hide away the appalling factories” and “but the sky you illumine your glow is visible” This shows unfair power because the city hides the pain they go through and shows off their power to trick people.
“Like days that fly too fast” what deeper meaning does this metaphor suggest about the speaker’s view of life and their journey ahead?
The simile in this quote refers to the fence post whizzing along the wires, meaning the car is driving very fast, suggesting that speed and the sense of being unstoppable, also connecting to the idea of life moving quickly and unpredictably. The darkness represents the unknown future while the motion forward reflects how time pushes us ahead even if we are not ready to face the challenges.
The poet is a single person whose voice represents the society’s judgement. How does this choice of narrator judgement affect the message of the poem? Alongside with this view, if the poem were to be written by a poor person, how would the tone in the message change?
By using a poet which represents the poem’s judgement itself, while judging the poor harshly and praising the rich, it shows how unfair and biased those judgements are. This makes the question more powerful because it holds up a mirror to the reader, showing how unfairly society treats poor people compared to the rich. If the poem’s author switched roles, the poem might take a shift from being sarcastic and mocking to personal and emotional. Since the poor are dealing with this instead of the actual author, it would be expressed with feelings of frustration rather than exposing society’s hypocrisy through irony.