question_answer 4)

What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?  

Answer:

Stephen Spender, in this poem, questions the value of education in a slum. He suggests that maps of the world and good literature may raise hopes and aspirations of the students which will never be fulfilled. But thence appeals to the governor, teacher, inspector, visitor to rescue the poor and oppressed from the 'tomb' of class discrimination and to 'Show the children to the Fields and make their world'. The poet feels that these people con liberate the children. They can then be seen running on the 'gold sands' and delving into the books. Then the inextinguishable spirit of human creativity will abide in them.