Living Space - Imitiaz Dhaker (Summary Sheet) Notes, explanations and interpretations on 'Living Space' by poet Imitiaz Dhaker. This summary sheet contains everything you need to know about this poem. Categorised into individual boxes make finding information easy and it also helps when it comes to writing essays, and structuring answers. Thank You. To all of you out there who may find my presentation helpful in any way, shape or form. Hopefully, you find these presentations useful and helpful for exams or just general revision. More presentation coming soon on this profile, JaskiratKanwal. - Jaskirat Created By: JaskiratKanwal Uploaded By: JaskiratKanwal Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/JaskiratKanwal

1. Living Space
Imtiaz Dharker
THEME & ABOUT:
AO1
1 Point Min.
STRUCTURE: AO2
The Way The Poem’s Organised – Enjambment,
Repetition, Stanzas, Rhythm, Rhyme etc.
2 Points Min.
MAIN QUOTES:
6 Point Min.
LINKS TO OTHER POEMS:
1 Link Min.
IMAGERY: AO2
Similes, Metaphors, Personification...
2 Points Min.
LANGUAGE: AO2
Specific Words & Phrases Used To
Create Effect; Tone etc.
4 Points Min.
CONTEXT: AO3
3 Point Min.
IMTIAZ was born in Pakistan but was brought up in Scotland.
Her poems question ideas about home, freedom and faith. Her
writing speaks plainly to anyone who has ever felt adrift in the
increasing complex, multicultural and shrining world we inhibit.
Her restless search for meaning and identity focuses in this
poem, and others on the fragility of homes in Mumbai.
MUMBAI is home to 22 million people, of which 70% of them
live in slums. Asia’s largest slum is in Mumba, where there is
limited access to electricity, clean water and food. Many
inhabitants are 2nd generation residents whose parents moved
there many years ago looking for work. There’s tremendous
poverty, unending stretches of narrow dirty lanes with small,
cramped and overcrowded huts.
Living space is written with 22 short lines, each varying in length. The longest, “The
whole structure leans dangerously”, appears considerable longer on the page than the
others, perhaps echoing the fact the whole structure is leaning over. The effect of this
is to create a poem that appears as precarious as the physical structures it describes.
The lines of different lengths seem to jut out into the page like some of the crooked
beams the poet presents.
RHYME: There are some instances of rhyme in the poem (that/flat, beams/seams,
space/place, white/light). The rhyme acts as a way of holding the poem together, as
the rhymes are similar to the nails in the poem which are attempting to lend stability to
the overall structure. *
The first half of the poem describes the structure. From line 11 onwards we are
presented with an image of something inside; people living in the space, and the eggs
hanging in a basket. This makes the second half of the poem more hopeful, as if
showing the power of faith
The poem describes a ramshackle
living space, with its lack of 'straight
lines' and beams 'balanced
crookedly on supports'. In this poem
she celebrates the existence of
these living spaces as a miracle. the
poem represents the fragility of
human life and celebrates the way
that faith brings boldness.
Personification of the building’s description =
“Balance”, “Clutch”, “Leans”.  Emphasises
that the buildings and the inhabitants are in the
same poor conditions.
“EGGS” = Symbolic of children and hope. The
‘bright eggs contrast with the ‘dark edge/ of a
slanted universe.’ They stand out as something
white, pure and whole against a broken dark
world.
STANZA TWO, ONE SENTENCE: “Rough Frame” – Suggests
that something is being squeezed into these rough frames.
“Squeezed” (verb) – Small. Struggle.
“A Living Space” – Squeezed into an irregular poem. In the
same way a home is squeezed into the slums.
“Hung out over the DARK EDGE of a SLANTED UNIVERSE”
= Creates a sense of danger, as within this living space the
eggs can go bad or break at any moment.
= Something pure and fragile amongst slanted houses.
“UNIVERS” = (Noun) Slums are their entire universe and
there’s no way to escape the slums.
“Gathering the light into themselves” = The eggs are becoming
something even better, even pure. – Emphasises that the
eggs are a symbol of hope.
From the very beginning of the poem, Dharker recognises that
there “is a PROBLEM”, and is unhappy by what she sees.
“NAILS CLUTCH at open seams” = (Personification) The nails
are desperately truing to keep everything together. “CLUTCH”
= (verb) A desperate action. – Reflective on people living there
who are desperate for their homes not to fall.
 Reader feels that just like the buildings, the people
themselves are clinging on to life by a thread that could easily
be broken.
“Towards the MIRACULOUS” = It’s a miracle everything's
hadn’t been broken and is still together. The use of the
adjective highlights just how remarkable the situation is.
“Fragile CURVES” = Opposite to straightness.
“The bright, thin WALLS OF FAITH” = “BRIGHT” (adjective)
represents purity. “THIN” (adjective) emphasises the fragility of
the eggs which can be easily broken. “FAITH” (Noun) As
children grow faith, purity and innocence goes away.
 Ends with the idea of hope and light. There is an
acknowledgement that the eggs can be destroyed.
TITLE: Not a warm, comfortable, cosy
home. Instead a place where you’re
forced to live.
__________________________________________________
* Dharker uses ENJAMBMENT throughout this poem with lines
spilling over into one another. This reflects the way the slum
structures lean over and are on top of each other.By: Jaskirat Kanwal
GCSE English Literature – Poetry Anthology