In The City Chapter Notes | Year 7 English IGCSE (Cambridge) - Class 7 PDF Download

The Drama of Delhi

In Aravind Adiga’s “The White Tiger,” the narrator, a driver in Delhi, vividly captures the chaotic energy of the city’s rush hour. The streets are a battleground where cars, scooters, motorbikes, autorickshaws, and black taxis jostle for space, creating a frenetic scene. The air is thick with pollution, so toxic that motorbike and scooter riders wrap handkerchiefs around their faces, resembling a city-wide band of robbers preparing for a heist. The narrator notes that Delhi’s air is rumored to shave ten years off a man’s life, a grim reality for those exposed to it. Inside the cars, however, the wealthy escape this fate, cocooned in cool, air-conditioned comfort behind tinted windows. These cars, described as dark eggs gliding through the city, shield their passengers from the outside world. Occasionally, an egg cracks open—a woman’s hand, adorned with dazzling gold bangles, emerges to toss an empty water bottle onto the road before the window seals shut again, reinforcing the divide between the privileged and the struggling masses. Later, the narrator describes a fierce traffic jam on the road to Gurgaon, where vehicles inch forward only to halt again at red lights. The cacophony of honking horns blends into a single, mournful wail, like a calf separated from its mother, while fumes create a foggy haze. An autorickshaw driver nearby coughs violently, spitting repeatedly, some of it splattering the narrator’s Honda City. The narrator glares and raises his fist, but his employer, Mr. Ashok, makes a lighthearted comment about a “concert of spitting,” oblivious to the harsh conditions outside. The narrator silently reflects that anyone breathing the city’s acidic air would react the same way, highlighting the stark contrast between the car’s insulated interior and the gritty reality beyond.

The Delights of Doha

An informative travel article paints Doha, Qatar’s capital, as a captivating blend of modern skylines and desert landscapes, poised to rival Dubai with its expanding cityscape. The article recommends visiting during winter, from November to March, when temperatures are mild, averaging 12 degrees Celsius in the mornings and evenings and reaching 25 degrees in the afternoon. The author, who visited in February, describes the weather as perfect. Among Doha’s highlights is the Museum of Islamic Art, a must-see even for those uninterested in museums. Admission is free, with the museum open from 9 am to 7 pm daily, except Fridays, when it operates from 1:30 pm to 7 pm. Free guided tours in English and Arabic are offered on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 pm, lasting about 40 minutes. Another gem is the Katara Cultural Village, a top destination for exploring Doha’s culture. Open 24/7, it hosts numerous events and festivals year-round, offering visitors a vibrant glimpse into local traditions. Beyond its reputation for oil and gas, Doha surprises with friendly locals, scenic views, and stunning architecture. Despite its scorching summers, the city’s cultural richness, beauty, and grandeur draw countless tourists, inviting them to discover its soul through shopping, glittering buildings, and warm hospitality.

Mysterious London

In Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere,” Richard, the protagonist, finds himself thrust into a surreal underworld beneath London’s streets, accompanied by three enigmatic companions: Hunter, Door, and the Marquis. The scene begins as Hunter cautiously lifts a sewer cover and descends, ushering Door into the tunnel below. Door avoids Richard’s gaze, and the Marquis delivers a startling revelation: there are two Londons—London Above, where Richard once lived, and London Below, the Underside, home to those who have “fallen through the cracks” of society. He declares Richard now belongs to this hidden world and abruptly wishes him good night before descending the sewer ladder. Richard, refusing to be left behind, grabs the cover and follows, stepping into shallow, fast-flowing grey water that smells of drains, soap, and cabbage. He splashes through the brick tunnel to catch up, spotting the lights of his companions ahead. The Marquis curtly tells him to leave, but Richard refuses. Door, with a hint of guilt, apologizes softly. The Marquis, stepping between them, explains that Richard’s former life—his home, job, and identity in London Above—no longer exists. They reach a junction where three tunnels converge, and Door and Hunter take a dry path without looking back. The Marquis lingers, offering a final piece of advice: Richard must adapt to life in the sewers, magic, and darkness of London Below. With a wide, gleaming smile, he suggests that surviving the next few days might allow Richard to endure a month, then strides off after the others. Richard leans against the tunnel wall, listening to their fading footsteps and the rush of water, alone in this strange, shadowy realm.

Bringing the City to Life

In Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” London is brought to life through a vivid depiction of a cold, foggy day in the city. Old Scrooge, engrossed in his counting-house, is surrounded by bleak, biting weather. The fog is so dense that, despite it being only three o’clock, darkness has already settled, with no daylight to speak of. Outside, people in the court wheeze, beat their hands on their chests, and stamp their feet on the pavement to stay warm. Candles flare in the windows of nearby offices, and fog seeps through every chink and keyhole, enveloping the city in a ghostly shroud. Similarly, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Sign of Four,” Sherlock Holmes navigates a dreary September evening in London. A dense, drizzly fog blankets the city, with mud-colored clouds hanging low over muddy streets. The yellow glare of shop windows cuts through the steamy air, casting a murky, shifting glow across the bustling thoroughfare, painting a moody, atmospheric portrait of the city that sets the stage for mystery.

City Jungle

Pie Corbett’s poem “City Jungle” transforms an urban landscape into a vivid, anthropomorphic wilderness. Rain splinters the town, setting a restless tone. Cars, likened to lizards, cruise by with grinning radiators, while their thin headlights stare ahead. Shop doorways stand silent, keeping their “mouths shut.” Houses at the roadside huddle and cough, as if afflicted by the city’s grit. Newspapers shuffle along, hands in pockets, and the gutter gargles like a living throat. A motorbike snarls, causing dustbins to flinch, while streetlights bare their “yellow teeth” menacingly. The motorway becomes a cat-black tongue, lashing across the glistening tarmac night, evoking a predatory, untamed urban sprawl where every element pulses with life and danger.

Last Night, I Saw the City Breathing

Andrew Fusek Peters’ poem “Last Night, I Saw the City Breathing” imbues the city with human emotions and actions, creating a dynamic, living entity. The city breathes through “great gusts of people” rushing in and out of station entrances, their movements like inhalations and exhalations. It laughs as takeaways giggle, cinemas split their sides, and living rooms crease with mirth. The city dances, with shadows cheek-to-cheek with brick walls, trains wiggling their hips, and trees swaying in the breeze for an audience of windows. It starves, as Snaking Avenue swallows roundabouts, and fat office blocks gorge on light, gloating over empty parking lots. The city cries, its cracked windows pouring “falling stars” and streets paved with reflective mirrors. Finally, it sleeps, with roads lost in night-dreams, street lamps boasting of starry ambitions, and the wind snoozing like a cat in the nooks of roofs, crafting a multifaceted portrait of a city alive with emotion.

City Problems

An online article titled “Urban Threats” explores the challenges facing modern cities. It begins by noting that cities, driven by promises of jobs and prosperity, now house half the global population, with two-thirds expected to live in urban areas by 2050. However, this growth brings together two critical issues: poverty and environmental degradation. Poor air and water quality, along with high energy consumption, are worsened by increasing population density and urban demands. The article illustrates these issues with vivid examples: New York’s Grand Central Station, where 1.3 million commuters flood Manhattan daily; Bangkok’s clogged streets, reflecting the urban population boom from 3% in 1800 to 47% in 2000; New York’s 12,000 taxis, each clocking over 100,000 miles annually; and Los Angeles, where smog creates a hazy, polluted skyline, trapped by the San Fernando Valley’s geography. These snapshots underscore the environmental and social strains of rapid urbanization.

City Solutions

Laura Laker’s newspaper article envisions “child-friendly” cities, opening with a scenario where a ten-year-old cannot safely walk to a friend’s house or a park due to dangerous roads, a common reality for many children. The article then highlights innovative urban solutions. In Rotterdam, school playgrounds are transformed into community squares with playable spaces, including community gardens and sports facilities, fostering interaction between kids and the wider community. The “Droomstraat” program lets residents design street improvements, replacing traffic and parking with vegetable patches or public seating. In Bogotá, efforts to make public spaces equitable began two decades ago with a bus rapid transit system, bike lanes, and 1,200 parks and play spaces. Street paintings and planters mark safe routes between kindergartens, schools, and parks, slowing traffic and creating play areas, while buildings are painted brightly. The city’s cable car company plans to extend these ideas, adding play spaces and elderly centers along its route. In Vancouver, housing guidelines mandate that a quarter of developments cater to families, with communal buggy storage, play areas, and family homes on lower floors. Developments must be near schools, day-care centers, and grocery stores, with safe walking routes. The River District, built on former industrial land, includes 25 acres of parkland, an elementary school, a community center, and four childcare centers. The revamped Creekside Park playground, now Vancouver’s largest, features musical instruments, a climbing tower, a giant tube slide, a zip line, and sand and water play areas, creating a vibrant, family-friendly urban space.