Half-Past Two – Ursula Askham Fanthorpe: Poem Analysis

Theme: Childhood

Type: Free Verse

Background

• Tells the story of an incident in a young boy’s life – told to stay back in class as punishment for “Something Very Wrong” he had done
• Forgetting is another key theme of the poem
• The boy knows the important times of the day (to him) – doesn’t think the actual time is important
• The teacher presented in an unfavorable light – a reference to her “scuttling in”

Beginning and ending

• The opening line (“Once upon a schooltime”) is a variation of a classic fairytale opening
• This line immerses us in the child’s world
• Encouraged to think of it as a narrative story
• Ends on a note of nostalgia – describing the time-free state

Language

• Personification – “time hides tick-less waiting to be born” – personifying time
• Personification is also used on the clock to a person with legs and arms
• Repetition used a lot
• Anaphora is used – repetition of “into” at the beginning of each line
• Oxymoron – “silent noise”
• Onomatopoeia – “scuttling in” and “tick-less”
• Sensory language – the smell of old flowers “silent noise”
• Made-up words emphasize the child’s response to time and are very endearing and make the reader sympathize
• These made-up words also enable the readers to see things from the child’s point of view

Form and Structure

• 11 three-line stanzas
• Simple structure and free verse contribute to the innocence of the child
• Short verses echo the child’s made up chunks of the day