Certain poetic techniques are used in both poems to create a certain effect. In Half-past Two, the clock is the object of some personification: "he knew the clockface, the little eyes and two long legs for walking, but he couldn't click its language". This makes the clock out to be some unapproachable being who the boy doesn't understand. Repetition is also used in this poem to show emphasis of certain themes and ideas. For example, the constant repetition of "time" in "gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime, timetogohomenowtime, Tvtime" empasises the boy's misunderstanding of the concept as well as adding to the childish, conversational tone this poem shares with Leaving School. In the latter, Williams doesn't use as many obvious poetic techniques, but like Half-past Two, uses capital letters when they are not needed ("Inspection") to show how certain things are peculiarly significant to children.
Both poems present the child in a similar way. In Half-past Two, the boy is timid ("he was too scared of being wicked to remind her"), and also seems to be quite dreamy and in a world of his own ("he escaped into the clockless land of ever"). The child in Leaving School appears to be shy and scared- the poet recounts how he "started saying nothing"- and also quite scatty: "Every day my name was read out because I'd forgotten to hang something up".
Both U A Fanthorpe and Hugo Williams set out to explore wider themes and issues in their poems. In the last stanza of Half-past Two, the narrator says "but he never forgot how once by not knowing time he escaped into the clockless land of ever, where time hides tick-less waiting to be born". The message from this could be interpreted as something along the lines of "if you don't know how to tell the time you are basically living in a dream world". "Waiting to be born": this almost means that your life doesn't start until you learn how to tell the time. This poem examines the greater concept of time and shows how in today's busy society there is no time for just "escaping for ever". In Leaving School, Hugo Williams' purpose isn't as clear but when you look closely you are able find how the poet explores some wider issues. The title, Leaving School, suggests an end of an era; a new beginning; escaping from rules and regulations. However, the actual poem isn't about literally 'leaving school'. In the last line of the poem, the narrator explains how he "was miles away, with my suitcase, leaving school". Of course, the child was dreaming, and "miles away" is meant metaphorically explaining how his daydreams were taking him far away from reality. The boy has had to grow up fast ("wearing a grey flannel suit"…), learn new responsibilities, and gradually gain independence. However, you get the impression that he doesn't want to grow up ("I liked all the waiting…but I didn't like the work") and therefore isn't having the best of times at his boarding school. Leaving School examines the issue of children being forced to become like adults and the detrimental effects this can have when the children in question are determined to act their age. As you can see, both poems suggest how it is possible to escape into a dreamworld and sometimes that is the only solution