Half past two Flashcards
(9 cards)
“Once upon a”
The poem begins with a cliché from a fairy tale “Once upon a”:
This could imply that the poem will contain conventions of a fairy tale: a hero, villain and a happy ending
“Something Very Wrong”
The capitalisation could reflect how the boy sees the incident as something very serious and could also mirror the way the teacher spoke to the child
“forget” what the “Very Wrong” incident was,
It could also suggest that the speaker, who is an adult, could be an older version of the young boy and so he cannot properly recall the incident that got him in trouble. Parenthases is humarous
second stanza uses sibilance
which creates a sinister hissing effect that could reflect the teacher’s anger at the child
third stanza is written entirely in parentheses
it could be used to reflect the idea that she had “forgotten” that he didn’t know how to tell the time:
It could also highlight the teacher’s treatment of the child
The clock is personified and the idea is extended beyond one line
The clock is described as having “little eyes” and “two long legs for walking”, creating a friendly image
“couldn’t click its language”
despite the friendly appearance of the clock, he is unable to communicate with it:
The word “click” could reflect the mechanical clicking of a clock as it ticks and this could be the language the child is referring to
oxymoron of “silent noise”
suggests the child feels so isolated and beyond time that he can even hear the noise of his hangnail
It is a free verse poem that does not have a regular meter
This gives the poem a conversational feel, which could reflect the innocence of the child
