hide and seek Flashcards
(22 cards)
‘Hide and Seek’
The title creates an image of childhood as it evokes the idea of a game
This also highlights childhood innocence which contrasts isolation and darkness
‘shed smells like the seaside’
The use of sibilance and simile creates imagery of the seaside which reflects a childhood experience through olfactory description.
This allows the reader to empathise with the boy better.
‘Call out. Call loud. ‘I’m ready!’
The use of repetition and caesura slows down the rhythm of the poem and immerses the reader into the game.
Referring to the experience as a game could be metaphorical for a description of the war at the time, and that people in power saw it as nothing more than a game.
The use of punctuation creates the image of childhood excitement.
‘shed smells like the seaside’
The use of sibilance and simile creates imagery of the seaside which reflects a childhood experience through olfactory description.
Perhaps the “seaside” image is meant to evoke the loneliness of a deserted shore, since the shed is its own kind of isolated retreat
This allows the reader to empathise with the boy better.
‘The floor is cold’
The use of a short sentence highlights the caution and stillness that the boy has during the game.
The use of caesura slows down the tempo and allows the tension to build.
The imagery here shows the boy’s physical discomfort, and if foreshadows the emotional discomfort that he will face later due to isolation.
‘They’ll never find you in this salty dark’
The boy takes on an inner dialogue as he talks to himself, this is reflective of his isolation.
The use of the modal verb shows that the boy is confident in his ability to win the game, but this means that he is blind to the isolation that he is to face.
‘dark’ ‘risk’
emotive words like these contrast his confidence and create fear to highlight his vulnerability and isolation
they come prowling in’
The use of the 3rd person pronoun takes on an ominous tone which creates a threatening mood.
This is further highlighted by the animal metaphor which paints his friends in a predatory light and highlights his vulnerability, much like the prey he is unaware of what is to come
Don’t breathe. Don’t move’
The use of short sentences and the repetition of the imperative shows his expertise in this game which eh has probably played before.
The repetition of the prohibition creates tension and a threatening tone which highlights his excitement to win the game.
The idea of the boy not moving or breathing creates the image of a corpse, this could be an extended referral to the war and those who died ‘playing the game’
‘never heard them sound so hushed before’
The use of alliteration imitates the sound of breathing which shows that he is alone and builds tension.
The silent imagery of his friends highlights his isolations and portrays them as plotting against him.
‘Hide in you blindness’
This is a metaphor for the boy being blind to his own vulnerability and that his confidence in the fact that he will win means that he is unaware of the isolation which he is to face.
someone stumbles,mutters’
The use of sibilance creates the connotations of evil which is in referral to his isolation and the effect that is going to have on him when he faces realisation.
cold bites through your coat’
The use of alliteration creates a set rhythm which emulates the heightened emotion of the boy as the game comes to an end.
The cold is personified to show the power of nature, in the sense that even nature is against him and is causing him grief but that it is his only companion at this point, this further highlights his isolation and discomfort
Ive won! Here I am!’
We see a string of direct speech which has no reply to highlight his loneliness.
The boy’s enthusiasm still shines through and shows that until this point, he is still unaware of his isolation.
The darkening garden watches’
describing the garden in this way creates a sinister image with an ominous and threatening tone.
The garden is personified to highlights the boy’s vulnerability.
The use of caesura creates tension as to what is going to happen next, this also is the volta of the poem and highlights his realisation that he is all alone, this pause shows his shock which contrasts his beaming confidence.
‘where are they who sought you?’
The use of the rhetorical question alludes to the idea that there is no winner to this ‘game’ and this could be a final reference to war, to show that despite people’s opinions, because of the countless lives lost, there is no winner to war either.
ironically you’re now searching for the seekers! You’ve gone from a position of centrality and certainty to one of instability and confusion
the situation, punctuated by that question mark, suggests a deeper, psychological conflict.
The question remains unanswered to emphasise his loneliness and his uncertainty is contrasting his pervious confidence.
STRUCTURE: ENJAMBMENT
Enjambment here shows the passing of time with a gradual increase in tension.
This emulates the way in which the isolation creeps up on the boy as he is unaware until the volta of the poem.
STRUCTURE: FREE VERSE
This creates an internalised narrative which reflects a train of thought.
There is no narrative voice besides that within the boy and this further highlights his loneliness
STRUCTURE: INCONSISTENT RHYME SCHEME
This creates a mood of uncertainty which reflects the outcome of the game, and of war to that extent.
It highlights the fact that the boy remains unaware of his loneliness through the poem.
why is there absolute loneliness at the end
to emphasise the consequences of “hiding” in a broader sense: you may discover that no one wants to “seek” you, or connect with you, anymore
“Nothing stirs” in the vicinity, and “the sun is gone.” It’s as dark and lonely outside as it was in the shed—as if you’ve turned the whole world into a hiding place.
“Your legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat/The dark damp smell of sand…
The use of alliteration at the end of the poem with the harsh “c” and “d” sounds reflects a sense of abandonment and isolation
The use of personification creates a harsh and sinister environment
sack in the tool shed smell like the sea side
soldiers sometimes use piles of sandbags as barricades. As a WWII veteran, Scannell would have been familiar with this.
Sandbags are also used as barriers against flooding from the “sea[]” or other large bodies of water.
Hiding amid bags of sand could suggest a strong desire for self-protection, an impulse to defend oneself against a hostile world
