Throughout the poem, Fanthorpe uses capital letters to indicate the importance of the teacher and the effect that has on him. When the boy does 'Something Very Wrong' the writer uses capitals to emphasize the importance of the event and the impact this has on the little boy. This is then repeated in the second stanza, and this reinforces the importance of the event. In the third stanza, Fanthorpe writes in the reflective voice of an adult but still uses a capital letter for 'Time' to show how much it meant to him when he was younger.
Half-past Two is written in the voice of an adult reflecting on the moment in school when he was lost in time. The writer uses literacy devices, to show the immaturity of the boy at the time, for example he personifies the clock to show the boy does not understand the information given from it. The writing in brackets shows the older boy remembering his emotions when he was younger.
Fanthorpe uses descriptive language about senses to illustrate the fact that the buy has 'escaped for ever'. The little boy at this moment has heightened sensitivity, as he can hear 'silent noise' because he has forgotten about time. The heightened sensitivity is because the boy is not doing anything else, and he has forgotten about time altogether. The writer juxtaposes 'The air outside the window' and chrysanthemums to show the boy's imprisonment.
Near the end of the poem, there is a comic element to it as the teacher comes 'Scuttling in' and then 'slotted him back into schooltime'. This shows how the teacher is more interested in slotting the student back into his time scheme, and this seems to take priority over the the true meaning of time. By slotting him back into this time-frame, she has taken him out of his trance-like state of mind, and fixed him back into his normal life, now that he has awareness of the time.
In conclusion, through two different abstract meanings of time, and the persona of the boy after the event - Fanthorpe coveys the experience of a boy that goes into a trance after forgetting about time. I believe that the most important use of language is when Fanthorpe makes compund words that illustrate the boys perspective of time, as this allows the reader to empathise with him as he is stuck 'in the school-room till half-past two.'
