How is the world of childhood presented in 'Hide and Seek', 'Leaving School' and 'Half Past Two'?
How is the world of childhood presented in 'Hide and Seek', 'Leaving School' and 'Half Past Two'? 'Hide and Seek', 'Leaving School' and 'Half Past Two' are all about children who at one point in all the three poems are alone, uncertain and confused. In each poem the poet is writing from a different perspective. Vernon Scannell is looking back on when he was a boy, and remembers one game of hide and seek which he describes in detail. He uses the word "You" which is ambiguous. It could mean the poet is addressing the readers or he could be addressing himself as a child. The poet U.A Fanthorpe is writing describing a little boy. She takes us into his mind so we can see what happens from the child's perspective. U.A Fanthorpe used to be a teacher so she may have been describing something that once happened when she was a teacher. Hugo Williams writes the poem 'Leaving School' as if he is telling the readers the story of when he went to boarding school. He uses the word "I" a lot, which gives the impression that he is talking about himself at the time when he was going through this traumatic experience. Each of the boys in the three poems is at times confused and isolated. In ' Hide and Seek' the boy is puzzled by the fact that his friends do not come to find him and this makes him feel cut off from the world around him. "The darkening garden watches. Nothing Stirs." (We
How do: "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka and "Not My Best Side" by U.A Fanthorpeconvey a feeling of disappointment and judgement?
Comparative Poem Essay By David Hughes I will be using quotes from the poems to explore the question: How do: "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka and "Not My Best Side" by U.A Fanthorpe convey a feeling of disappointment and judgement? Throughout this essay I will be analysing these two reasonably short poems, comparing their structure, language and tone. Firstly I will be focusing on the structure of the poems. "Telephone conversation" is more or less one block of writing using different sentence structure (syntax) but "Not my best side" is split up into stanzas, each of which contains a different voice: stanza 1 is that of the dragon, and he explains his side of the story, criticising the way he is depicted in the painting. Stanza 2 describes the maiden's feelings about being rescued. Stanza 3 gives us the knight's point of view; he feels that he deserves to rescue anyone with his "prototype armour" and his "latest model" horse. These stanzas give the audience a clear indication of who is speaking.The sentence structure of "Telephone conversation" is somewhat distorted, for example:"...but madam, you should see (new line) The rest of me." As a result the lines are all roughly the same length, so that the poem keeps its continuity and more importantly emphasises the last sentence, which is very brief: "See for yourself?" This is ultimately the message of the poem,
“Half Past Two,” and “Dear Mr Lee,”
Essay The two poems "Half Past Two," and "Dear Mr Lee," are both written by U.A.Fanthorpe. They are both about school-life, one from a young child's point of view and the other from an older child's point of view. The titles of these two poems do not, at a first glance, give the reader the distinct impression that they are about school-life. The reader's first thought on the poem "Half Past Two," is probably that it is about a meeting. A first impression from "Dear Mr Lee" could be that it was a letter. Although both the ideas fit very well into the poems, it is hard to get a full impression of what is exactly going on in the poems. Both poems give quite negative impressions of school. "Half Past Two," mentioning that the child does not quite understand what is going on, and that the teacher has left him on his own "I forgot all about you." Fanthorpe makes the reader feel quite sympathetic towards the child as the poem implicates him feeling quite bewildered and worried. "He was too scared of being wicked...." This could perhaps make the reader have negative feelings towards school, once realising what a terrible time the boy was having. "Dear Mr Lee," gives strong, negative feelings towards the teacher, the teaching system, and school. An older child writes the poem and expresses his opinions on his favourite book in contrast to his feelings about English lessons
Half Past 2 Analysis
Will Brewer How does U.A.Fanthorpe use language to convey his experience in 'Half-past Two'? Fanthorpe's 'Half-past Two' is spoken from the perspective of an older man reflecting back on the moment in his childhood when he had a naïve, subjective concept of time. The writer uses compound words to convey his concept of time before his teacher told him to stay 'till half-past two', and this gives the impression that the boy cannot 'click' the 'language' of time. Compound words are used to illustrate how much different times mean to the boy and the meaninglessness of numbers. When Fanthorpe says 'He knew a lot of time' she is showing how he knows different times: like 'Tvtime' and 'Timetogohomenowtime' but not, the time, and this leads to him escaping 'into the clockless land forever'. The boy has divided the day up into reasonable sections to try to understand time. 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
"The day my bum went psycho" written by Andy Griffiths.
"The day my bum went psycho" written by Andy Griffiths book report by Sebastien Hammond 9f This children's fiction book about a young boy's bum running away from him and bums creating a new world order is ,in actual fact, pretty hopless. The book is incredibly simple to read and understand, as it was written for 8 - 12 year olds. The main character in the book is a young boy named Zack. Zack is a typical boy, set around the targeted age level, who's only worries in life are computer games and whats on the tele. To me, Zack doesn't really seem to differ from any other 10 year old boy. He has the exact same amount of adventure and imagination as any other child of that age. He loves to fight evil and fight for justice. E.g - pg 54. "Zack knew his tennis raquet would be no use against that many bums" Zack is an adventurous young boy who indulges in the stupidity of the book and seems to adore the toilet humour (no pun intended) which this book clearly delivers. Never-the-less, I must congradulate Andy Griffiths on the way he fits the language and reactions of Zack in today's ( 2002 ) modern day society, in Melbourne. I can really invision many young boys and girls laughing their headds off at this book. The theme of the book would most probably have to be bum jokes and toilet humour. It exposes bum jokes and toilet humour in a way that the younger audience can really
Comparing “Warning” By Jenny Joseph and “Old Man, Old Man” By U.A. Fanthorpe
Comparing "Warning" by Jenny Joseph and "Old man, old man" by U.A Fanthorpe There are many ways of viewing the ever-nearing presence of old age, but we all seem to have different attitudes towards it. There is the one opinion that many of us have and it's the typical stereotyped view that we will slowly, deteriorate physically and mentally, where we will lose the independence, wit and charming looks we once had and will sit in a rocking chair reminiscing with an old photo album whilst awaiting the arrival of death. However there is also a less pessimistic view and that's what Jenny Joseph tries to demonstrate in "warning" and quite the opposite is UA Fanthorpe with "Old man, old man". In the following Composition I will be comparing how Fanthorpe and Joseph analyse old age in their poems. U A Fanthorpe who is quite mysterious when she writes old man and keen on putting hidden messages that one must uncover if one wants to truly understand the poem. In this particular poem it shows the life of an old man to whom everything has become quite misty and one gets the feeling he is nearing the end and basically all he does is sit and look back on the days when he was a DIY man. Fanthorpe like to use things like "things in bottle with tacky labels" to represent how much of a clutter and confusion he has become. By portraying him in this manner she displays the complete opposite as
“Fanthorpe is a master in speaking in the voice of another” - Discuss.
"Fanthorpe is a master in speaking in the voice of another". Discuss. I believe that Fanthorpe is indeed a master of speaking in the voice of another. She is capable of seeing things from various perspectives and points of view, and expressing that view in her writing. Fanthorpe herself once mentioned that she enjoyed working for voices in the 'Browning' way, and this can be seen in her somewhat humorous perception of her character's experience. Fanthorpe has become the master of voices she is today as a result of going through many different experiences and meeting a huge variety of people. She was once a nurse and was also previously a schoolteacher. The latter profession undoubtedly gave Fanthorpe an insight into the mind of a child; an advantage which enables her to create such wonderful poems as 'Reports', 'Dear Mr. Lee' and 'Half-past Two'. Going into as many professions as Fanthorpe would have possibly given her all the interview experience she needed to write 'You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly'. One thing that makes U. A. Fanthorpe a master of speaking in the voice of another, and separates her from most other poets, is her ability to understand and correctly use the language of the character that she is trying to portray. Fanthorpe once said, "I take all language as my province (including slang words, rude words- whatever)- use anything that's necessary to get
W far do you agree with the view that Fanthorpe "offers us new perspectives on the things we take for granted"?
How far do you agree with the view that Fanthorpe "offers us new perspectives on the things we take for granted"? I agree to a great extent with the view that UA Fanthorpe presents the reader a new perception into the things that are so important in our lives but we are seen to be taking advantage of these things. These views are illustrated by Fanthorpe in her collection of poems "Safe as Houses" and two of these poems that tie in with this theory are "The Unprofessionals" and "Water Everywhere". The first poem looks at the event of bereavement after the death of a close person and the time of consoling and supporting the individual through their mourning phase. The poem indicates that the people surrounding you who have come to support you during your bereavement don't have their presence appreciated, as it is expected from them to be there during this time and situation. In the opening stanza of the poem the Fanthorpe describes the moment as "The worst thing" and the use of the superlative adjective demonstrates that the person is going through the worst crisis of their life, in this circumstance the death of a close one and that this tragedy would have a knock on affect through the life of the grief stricken person. "That uproots the future, That you must live for every hour of your future," The author implies that the only way through this situation is letting time
In "Not My Best Side" U A Fanthorpe challenges the traditional, stereotypical characters in the legend Of St George and the dragon only to replace them with another equally stereotypical
In "Not My Best Side" U A Fanthorpe challenges the traditional, stereotypical characters in the legend Of St George and the dragon only to replace them with another equally stereotypical set In the poem "Not my best side" U A Fanthorpe has challenged the orthodox images of the characters in Uccello's painting of St George and the Dragon. She has successfully manipulated them into modern day caricatures. Through traditional stereotypical views and legends, Uccello has portrayed the fire-breathing dragon as grotesque and beastly. Yet this is the dragon whom a boy no older than a teenager, can tame. The poem contrasts any stereotypical view the reader may have taken and reveals that the dragon is no more innocent than the other characters. In the first sentence of the first stanza, the reader is confronted by a dress conscientious victim of fashion; this is hardly a fire-breathing monster. The dragon criticises all but himself, from the painter Uccello who, "didn't give me a chance to pose properly" to the, "horse with a deformed neck". Fanthorpe has given such a beast a pitiful personality the painter is described as a, "poor chap" however this is not an obvious reaction expected from such a beast. The phrases used by the dragon portray how the poem is the inverse of the painting itself. The fact that the angle of the picture was not in his favour has proven to
Analysing the Poem ‘Half Past Two’
Argue and Persuade I can see why some people may think that there is no benefit to be gained by analysing the poem Half-Past Two, as some may find it tedious and would rather enjoy the poem as it is. Yet, I firmly believe analysing a story/poem definitely does assist our understanding of a certain story/poem. In the poem Half-Past Two there is no doubt in my mind that without discussing the poem with others you can not understand or appreciate it fully. As with all poems there are so many concealed or secret meanings with in it, by discussing the poem these can be revealed so everyone knows the whole meaning of the poem. By understanding a poem/story you will also enjoy it more as you won't have to try and figure out the plot of the story. After reading a poem you can then analyse it then read it again with a better understanding, therefore relish its full significance. If you were reading a story or a poem, which you do not understand it would become more of a choir to read, rather than a pleasure. By studying the poem Half-Past Two you can see the good use of puns, personification, repetition and other literary devices and begin to cherish the real effort and skill put in by the writer. You can also learn new ways that you could possibly improve your own standard of writing. You may acquire improved methods of adding literary devices into your work, you can also expand