"Boxes," by Sampurna Chattarji, tells the story of life in a tiny Mumbai apartment. The poem depicts a woman trying to cook dinner in a small space where she can hardly turn around and where she feels hemmed in by the noises and smells of the sprawling city outside her barred window. Big cities, this poem warns, become inhumane when they stop being built for their citizens: it's increasingly difficult to live a good life in a place where you can't find space or peace. This poem first appeared in Chattarji's 2007 collection Sight May Strike You Blind.

• Read the full text of “Boxes”

• “Boxes” Summary

• “Boxes” Themes

  • 

    The Oppressive Nature of Urban Life

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-20

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Boxes”

  • Lines 1-5

    Her balcony bears ...
    ... in a jar.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-10

    On one side ...
    ... threatening to fall.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-15

    Sleeping room only, ...
    ... on a dump.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-20

    Every day the ...
    ... out the light.

    

    

    

    

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• “Boxes” Symbols

  • 

    The Orchid

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-4: “Her balcony bears an orchid smuggled in a duffle bag / from Singapore. Its roots cling to air. For two hours / every morning the harsh October sun turns tender / at its leaves.”

• “Boxes” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Imagery

    

    

    

    

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    Where imagery appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “Its roots cling to air.”
    • Lines 3-4: “the harsh October sun turns tender / at its leaves”
    • Lines 8-9: “Through the window bars the sing-song of voices high / then low in steady arcs.”
    • Line 15: “two giant black pigs lie dead, or asleep, on a dump”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “she is a giant insect fretting in a jar”
    • Lines 8-9: “the sing-song of voices high / then low in steady arcs”
    • Lines 16-17: “the city grows taller, trampling underfoot / students wives lovers babies”
    • Lines 18-19: “The sea becomes a distant memory of lashing wave / and neon, siren to seven islands, once”
    • Lines 19-20: “The sky strides / inland on giant stilts”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “balcony bears,” “bag”
    • Line 3: “turns tender”
    • Line 5: “giant,” “jar”
    • Line 13: “trains,” “tracks”
    • Line 15: “dead,” “dump”
    • Line 16: “taller, trampling”
    • Line 19: “siren,” “seven,” “sky strides”
    • Line 20: “stilts”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “bag / from”
    • Lines 2-3: “hours / every”
    • Lines 3-4: “tender / at”
    • Lines 4-5: “and / already”
    • Lines 6-7: “she / cooks”
    • Lines 8-9: “high / then lo”
    • Lines 13-14: “tracks / to”
    • Lines 16-17: “underfoot / students”
    • Lines 18-19: “wave / and”
    • Lines 19-20: “strides / inland”

• “Boxes” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Fretting
  • Dal
  • Arcs
  • Readying you for cramp
  • Siren
  • (Location in poem: Line 5: “a giant insect fretting in a jar”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Boxes”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Boxes” Speaker

• “Boxes” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Boxes”

• More “Boxes” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Chattarji's Life and Work — Read a short biography of Chattarji to learn more about her life and poetry.

    • Chattarji on Poetry — Watch a short video in which Chattarji discusses writing poetry for children.

    • An Interview with Chattarji — Read an interview with Chattarji in which she discusses the influence of her multilingualism on her work.

    • Sight May Strike You Blind — Learn more about the collection this poem comes from on Chattarji's personal website.

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