Half-past Two

Question 1

“Once upon a schooltime / He did Something Very Wrong”

Answer 1

• The phrase “Once upon a schooltime” reminds us of a fairy tale opening, creating a nostalgic and childlike tone. However, this is contrasted with the serious “Something Very Wrong,” showing how adults exaggerate the importance of small mistakes made by children.

• The capitalized “Something Very Wrong” reflects the teacher’s harsh judgment, making the child’s guilt seem larger than life. This highlights the power adults have over children, as the child doesn’t fully understand what he did wrong.

• Fanthorpe uses this to criticize how adults can be unfair, expecting children to follow rules they don’t explain clearly. The opening sets up a theme of misunderstanding between adults and children.

Question 2

“He knew a lot of time: he knew / Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime, / Timetogohometime, TVtime”

Answer 2

• The playful compound words represent the child’s personal way of understanding time. Instead of numbers, he connects time to events in his life, such as “Gettinguptime” or “TVtime.” This shows how children think in simple, natural ways.

• The lack of punctuation makes the lines flow together, reflecting how the child experiences time as continuous and unstructured.

• Fanthorpe shows us that the child’s way of seeing time is free and imaginative, contrasting with the strict and mechanical way adults measure it. She suggests that the child’s view may be more meaningful because it focuses on what truly matters in life.

Question 3

“He forgot, or perhaps he hadn’t learned, / How time runs”

Answer 3

• The line reflects the child’s innocence. He doesn’t understand time in the way adults do, and this is not his fault-it’s simply part of being a child.

• The phrase “how time runs” personifies time, making it seem alive and uncontrollable. For adults, time is something they are always chasing, but the child doesn’t feel this pressure.

• Fanthorpe suggests that adults lose something special when they become focused on the clock, while children are free to live in the moment. This makes us question whether adults’ understanding of time is really better.

Question 4

“She said he’d done / Something Very Wrong, and must / Stay in the schoolroom till half-past two”

Answer 4

• The teacher’s use of “must” shows her authority, making it clear the child has no choice. This highlights the imbalance of power between adults and children.
• The specific time, “half-past two,” represents the adult world’s obsession with exact rules and measurements. The child, who cannot “click its language,” is left confused and isolated by this strict approach.
• By repeating “Something Very Wrong,” Fanthorpe emphasizes how adults make small mistakes seem much bigger to children. This shows how unfair and cold authority can feel to a child, especially when they don’t understand what they’ve done wrong.

Question 5

“Into the air outside the ticking, / Into the sunlight, and escaped”

Answer 5

• The “ticking” of the clock represents the rigid, mechanical way adults measure time, while the “sunlight” symbolizes freedom and joy. By stepping outside, the child escapes from the adult world of rules and enters a more natural and timeless space.

• The word “escaped” shows that the child feels trapped in the schoolroom and in the adult way of thinking. This moment celebrates the child’s ability to live in the present, free from the stress of schedules and rules.

• Fanthorpe ends the poem with a sense of liberation, showing how children can experience life in a way adults often forget.

Question 6

Form

Answer 6

1. Free Verse:
   • The poem is written in free verse, meaning it has no regular rhyme scheme or meter. This reflects the child’s unstructured, natural way of thinking, which is free from adult constraints like time and rules.
   • The lack of formal structure mirrors the poem’s themes of childhood freedom and the fluidity of time as seen through a child’s eyes.
2. Simple Language:
   • Fanthorpe uses childlike expressions and vocabulary, such as “Gettinguptime” and “TVtime.” This mimics how children speak and think, creating an authentic voice that draws readers into the child’s perspective.
   • However, the simplicity of the language contrasts with the deeper ideas about time, authority, and innocence, making the poem accessible yet thought-provoking.
3. Irony in Tone:
   • Although the poem captures a child’s innocence, the tone often has a subtle irony. The teacher’s actions are shown to be overly harsh and rigid, highlighting the poem’s critique of adult authority.

Question 7

Structure

Answer 7

1. Fragmentation:
   • The poem is broken into short stanzas, often just two or three lines. This fragmented structure mirrors the child’s fragmented understanding of the world and his inability to make sense of adult rules.
   • The enjambment (when lines flow into the next without punctuation) reflects the child’s stream-of-consciousness thinking, creating a sense of fluidity and freedom.
2. Non-linear Narrative:
   • The poem does not follow a strict chronological order, reflecting the child’s timeless experience. For example, his punishment feels endless to him, as he cannot measure time using the clock.
   • This structure reinforces the idea that childhood is less about rules and schedules and more about moments and emotions.
3. Contrast Between Stanzas:
   • The early stanzas describe the teacher’s authority and strictness, while later stanzas shift to the child’s imaginative escape. This structural shift emphasizes the poem’s main contrast: the rigidity of adulthood versus the freedom of childhood.

Question 8

Context

Answer 8

• Fanthorpe often wrote about ordinary people and everyday experiences, shining a light on overlooked moments. Her experience as a teacher informs the poem, as she likely witnessed the miscommunication and power dynamics between adults and children.
• The poem critiques the education system and adult authority, suggesting that adults often fail to understand a child’s perspective.

Written in the 20th century, the poem reflects a growing critique of traditional authority figures, such as teachers. The strictness of the teacher in the poem symbolizes outdated attitudes toward discipline, which fail to consider a child’s feelings and understanding.

Question 9

Themes

Answer 9

Childhood
Memory
Punishment
Time
Criticism of education system