In the following stanza we feel that the child is becoming petulantly defensive of what little knowledge of time he has. He does this by telling us the times he knew in a stream of consciousness:
“He knew a lot of time: he knew
Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime,
Timetogohomenowtime, TVtime”
The register in which the child speaks here can be viewed as sulky and irritable, the words themselves are jumbled and show that his fear of not knowing time is beginning to overtake his logical thinking. The way in which Fanthorpe runs these words together is similar to the way in which an adult might think of “clock” time, as a single unit that is precise and familiar. It conveys to the reader that the child is not ignorant, only unaware of the workings of abstract time. The content within these compounded words also tell us a lot about the child, they seem to be things liked by the child, especially those such as “Timeformykisstime”. As a whole these compounded word conjure up the familiar image of a comforting childhood world. These things more familiar to the child are contrasted with those he does not find so comforting and he does not understand such as objective time which is cold and regulated, illustrated in the bleak title “Half-Past Two”. This idea of a “stream of consciousness” is used to much greater extent by Scannell in “Hide and Seek” emphasised by the fact that there are no stanza breaks.
In addition the child continues to reply in a sullen, defensive tone. He almost boasts:
“He knew the clockface, the little eyes
And two long legs for walking,
But he couldn’t click its language”
This demonstrates that the boy is not stupid nor ignorant, only unaware, by having no knowledge of clock time. It is also significant that he refers to time as a “language” and he understands this language as regulated “clicks”. The “clicks” are the tick-tock of the clock and this demonstrates the child’s innocence. The innocent workings of the child’s mind only serve to make his suffering all the greater. Furthermore he has linked the “language” of time with things he understands such as “walking”. Undeniably we feel a sense of sympathy for the boy as he is in trouble for something where he is not at fault. This is re-iterated in “Hide and Seek” when the young child who has done nothing wrong is left alone and helpless. This theme of loneliness and the uncaring nature of society in general are echoed throughout both poems.
Following this we are introduced to the boy’s escape from time:
“So he waited, beyond onceupona,
Out of reach of all the timefors,
And knew he’d escaped for ever”
The very fact that he has escaped makes the reader question the nature of the entire poem. This young boy, clearly intelligent but not necessarily knowledgeable, has escaped from time, something even the most intelligent adults have been unable to do. This could be a result of him not knowing about abstract time as he has no means of identifying his escape into this “other dimension”. This tells us the time can be viewed on as being only a way to identify our experiences and place them in an order that we can remember, chronological order. It also asks a much greater question;
“Is learning time really maturation?”
This question is important as it to delves into the nature of time and in a more general sense the origins of knowledge. We must ask ourselves that if the boy does learn time will he lose his innocence. This is of course true as we have already seen that no adult can lose themselves in time like the child has. So we come to the conclusion that maturation and the gaining of knowledge comes hand-in-hand with loss of innocence as the child really begins to see, and in the future will become a part of, the harsh nature of society.
As the child has no grasp on this idea of abstract time he is able to escape from it:
“Into the smell of old chrysanthemums on Her desk,
Into the silent noise his hangnail made,
Into the air outside the window, into ever.”
The fact that this is an oxymoron only emphasises the idea that this is a magical experience for the boy and he will “never forget” it. However, the child’s escapement from time is terminated with the entrance of his teacher:
“… My goodness, she said,
Scuttling in, I forgot all about you,
Run along or you’ll be late”
Here we see that the child’s previous respect for the teacher has been undermined, he refers to her as “scuttling” which conjures up insectoid imagery reminiscent of a pest. Her apologetic tone also demonstrates that the sin which he had committed that resulted in him having a detention is really not very serious at all as she does not even tell him off. Furthermore the fact that the simply “slots” him back into time is reflective of the theme that adults have more control of time in general as they know and understand objective time, moreover they have control of other forces that really give them an advantage over the child who has no control over time nor anything else and hence was able to escape from it unlike adults.
The ending of “Half-past Two” is more positive than the rest of the poem; it initiates us to feel that the boy’s life has only just begun. Fanthorpe attempts to explain the nature of time and how the child escaped from it. But there are also negative overtones in the ending such as that of the “hangnail” and its “silent noise”. This of course is illogical and the hint of death makes the reader question what “other dimension” he has travelled into. These negative overtones can be symbolic of the child’s gradual change into an adult in the process of maturation and hence loss of innocence. The death imagery is his first sample of this adult world
Overall, “Half-past Two” is the story of an innocent child who has had his first experience of the cruel nature of society and the world we live in. Most importantly, it studies the nature of maturation, whether knowledge comes with loss of innocence. Similarly, “Hide and Seek” studies many of the themes in “Half-past Two”. It also studies the metaphor for life theme but does so in a more bleak and eerie nature than the more sympathetic and hidden nature of “Half-past Two”.
Both poems are similar in many ways, firstly they are both studies of an individual, a child, who has been forgotten by those who he trusts and also respects. In “Half-past Two” the teacher is clearly a superior figure in the boy’s life and one that he respects, seen through use of capitals when referring to her. In “Hide and Seek” however “they”, the friends of the child, could be seen by the reader to have an even more secure relationship than that between the teacher and the child. Undeniably, your friends are those who you turn to first in times of need, sometimes even before family. This initiates a close link between the two poems as they both contain outside forces, in one case that of the teacher and her adult influence on the child, and in the case of “Hide and Seek” the child and his friends who abandon him
Similarly, they both investigate the theme of isolation; this is very important as isolation is extremely hurtful and even more so in the life of a child. The theme of isolation is emphasised greatly in “Hide and Seek”, most importantly this is because the child who is being sought, is defined as “you” as a single person whereas those who are searching are defined as “they”, a group of people. The “you” is more impactful upon the reader as he or she can identify with it. Furthermore it exaggerates the metaphor for life theme; this will happen to all of us in our lives at one time or another.
Another similarity between the two poems is the characteristics of the children in each. They are both naïve and innocent; oblivious to the cruel environment that surrounds them. It is clear to the reader that they have only misunderstood the “rules” of society. Moreover both “Hide and Seek” and “Half-past Two” focus at first on a vivid childhood memory and then employ it as a metaphor for life. In “Hide and Seek” this metaphor is centred on the theme of shattered dreams and loss of enthusiasm. Themes that occur in both poems are those of loneliness, abandonment, and the realisation that in the world you really are on your own.
“Hide and Seek begins by revealing the childish excitement and enthusiasm experienced by a child when playing a game:
“Call out, Call loud: I’m ready! Come and find me!”
Through the use of exclamation marks we can see the child’s joy at partaking in this game. The staccato syntax is reminiscent of an increased heart beat when you are excited. Furthermore the first line of the poem is in the present tense which really entices the reader into the “salty dark” atmosphere by making the entire poem feel more immediate. In comparison, “Half-past Two” is written in the past tense by someone who is looking back on the experience; this gives the poem an air of nostalgia.
“The sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside.
They’ll never find you in this salty dark,
But be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out
Wiser not to risk another shout.”
This emphasises the excitement of the child as well as showing this “game” is also quite competitive; this effect is intensified when the child’s friends are said to be “prowling in”. This is because the word “prowling” initiates a sense of danger in the reader as it recalls imagery of an animal chasing after its prey. Moreover the idea that this is the experience of a child who is growing up in this almost mercenary society is accented by Scannels’ use of the five senses. Here, this can be seen by the sense of smell and also that of sight, “they’ll never find you in this salty dark”. All of these images conjure up an idea of childhood memories that are flowing and blended together, this is achieved by the poem being a piece of continuous text. In effect a stream of consciousness emphasising the child’s excitement but also contrasting this with his fear and disappointment.
Contradictorily, “Half-past Two” is clearly divided into regular three-lined stanzas. This demonstrates the fact that the poetic voice in this poem is more mature and is reflecting upon his childhood with organized and systematic thoughts. In addition, the deeper significance of the poem in general is stressed by the descriptions of “them”. The very fact that it is “they” and not “he” or “she” is significant as it represents the boy who is being sought as a single child whereas his friends are in a group. It exaggerates the metaphor for life theme and also the theme of hunting as his friends are moving together in a pack whereas he is lonesome. Moreover this group is described as “whispering” this makes them seem almost threatening even towards their own friend. It also stresses that the poem is a metaphor for something far greater than a simple child’s game:
“Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay dumb. Hide in your blindness.”
Here, the fact that the child is denied the right to breathe or move illustrates that the poem is imbued with greater relevance than what at first may be apparent. It also demonstrates the need to win in this simple “game”; this can also be seen in the ferocious competition of modern society. The tone also becomes more bleak and desolate; the short staccato sentences could be related to strict military commands. The viewpoint of a child can be seen here to be competitive and his concerns associated only with winning. Likewise the attitudes and characteristics of those who are searching could be viewed as competitive:
“Their words and laughter scuffle, and they’re gone.
But don’t come out just yet; they’ll try the lane
And then the greenhouse and back here again.”
The fact that their “laughter scuffles” implies that these children are playing more tactically than one may expect. The dedication the boy demonstrates to win is commendable but the boy goes to such great lengths that:
“Your legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat;
The dark damp smell of sand moves in your throat.”
Now, the boy’s determination to win can be seen as excessive, the reader feels the pain that the boy experiences through the use of alliteration in the “dark, damp smell of sand”. It makes the entire poem feel more immediate for the reader. In contrast with the second line where the theme of a seaside was used to a more positive effect, here it is associated with frigidity and darkness. In addition the young child feels that he is winning, this only exaggerates his abandonment at the end of the poem:
“They must be thinking that you’re very clever,
Getting more puzzled as they search all over.”
Followed by:
“It’s time to let them know you’re the winner”
This false sense of achievement that the child has makes his suffering only greater. A similar theme is seen in “Half-past Two” when the child becomes defensive and petulant over the teacher not teaching him the concept of time. In “Hide and Seek” the same is seen only the child does not know of it until the end of the poem where his friends have left him and he has no-one to share his joy with. Also the boy is caught up in the misconception that he is winning the game and his attitude is therefore smug and somewhat arrogant. Furthermore, when the boy thinks he has won the game he exclaims in sheer joy:
“Push off the sacks. Uncurl and stretch. That’s better!
Out of the shed and call to them: I’ve won!”
This series of exclamation marks really highlight this boy’s enjoyment at winning the game. However, due to the fact that he has not actually won his suffering his made even greater and the reader further sympathises with him. Moreover the reader senses the boy’s loss as soon as he exits his hiding place:
“The darkening garden watches. Nothing stirs.
The bushes hold their breath; the sun is gone”
It is significant that this technique of pathetic fallacy is used when the boy leaves hiding as can be seen to be symbolic of coming into the world where life is lonely. Here the negative connotations are very apparent by them being stated overtly, “Where are those who sought you” whereas in “Half-past Two” the conclusion is significantly more positive and hidden
In conclusion we see that each of the poems study how innocent children first experience the nature of oppressive society but the conclusion and essentially message of “Hide and Seek” is considerably bleaker. We sense that “Half-past Two” is more of a magical experience for the child rather than the barren jejune nature of “Hide and Seek”. It is also more positive and is more of a lesson than “Hide and Seek” that is a revelation of abandonment and loneliness.