Living Space

Living Space

• The miraculous nature of living in a crowded city
• Space shows that they only have a space not a house and aslo links to everyones place in the universe
• Living shows tahat spaces are alive and constantly changing

• Dhaker was born in Pakistan
• She was brought up in Scotland whcih supports the idea of changing spaces
• She deals with the theme of identity

• There are not enough/ Staright lines' Enjambment and mid conversational tone suggests lack of space as if we only get half of the picture
• 'Someone has squeezed a living space' Third person suggest an outsider looking in or could show the anonymity of living in the slums

Enjambment: 'Beams/balance crookedly on supports/ thrust off the vertical/ - Lack of space and alliteration creates precarious tone

 Danger and poverty - problem, thrust, fragile, clutch - Suggests slums have dangerous effects on people

Hope and Religion: miraculous, light, faith - Celebrtaes how peoople and things are able to survive

Personification: 'Nails clutch at open seams' - 'nails' and seam suggest pain

Imagery and symbols: 'Dared to place/ these eggs in a wire basket' Eggs symbolise new life and hope. Dared represents people's faith

Metaphor: 'fragile curves of white/ hung over the dark edge/ of a slanted universe' - humans fragile place in the universe

Antithesis: 'white' 'dark' -  there is good and bad and we wouldn't have faith without both

• Free verse - haphazard nature of living in slums and the unpredictableness of life
• Poems shape imitates crooked buildings an the skyline of the slums