hide and seek poem Flashcards
“Call out. Call loud: ‘I’m ready! Come and find me!’”
-The direct speech immediately immerses the reader in the child’s perspective, creating a sense of immediacy and excitement.
-The imperatives (“Call out. Call loud”) convey the child’s confidence and eagerness at the start of the game, reflecting childhood innocence.
-The repetition of “call” emphasizes the child’s boldness but also foreshadows vulnerability as this confidence later turns into isolation.
-Exclamatory tone: The exclamation mark conveys eagerness and confidence, reinforcing the child’s innocent belief that he will be found.
“Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay dumb. Hide in your blindness.”
-The series of short imperatives heightens tension as the child tries to remain undetected, reflecting his growing anxiety.
-The phrase “stay dumb” carries a dual meaning: it advises silence but also hints at ignorance, suggesting that the child is unaware of being abandoned.
-The metaphor “hide in your blindness” suggests both literal concealment in darkness and symbolic naivety, reinforcing themes of innocence and betrayal.
-The phrase “Hide in your blindness” creates a visual image of darkness, emphasizing the sensory deprivation of the hiding place
“Your legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat; / The dark damp smell of sand moves in your throat.”
-Personification (“the cold bites”) adds a sinister tone, emphasizing discomfort and vulnerability as time passes.
-The sensory imagery (“dark damp smell”) creates an oppressive atmosphere, contrasting with earlier positive descriptions like “seaside.”
-The alliteration in “dark damp” reinforces the suffocating environment, symbolizing how childhood joy can turn into isolation and fear.
-Olfactory and Gustatory: The “damp smell of sand” that “moves in your throat” combines smell and taste, creating an almost suffocating sensation
“The darkening garden watches. Nothing stirs. / The bushes hold their breath; the sun is gone.”
-The personification of nature (“garden watches,” “bushes hold their breath”) intensifies the child’s isolation, as even his surroundings seem indifferent or ominous. suggests an eerie stillness, emphasizing the tension of waiting. The silence contrasts with the earlier excitement.
-The phrase “the sun is gone” symbolizes both literal darkness and metaphorical loss—of innocence and hope.
-The stillness (“nothing stirs”) contrasts with earlier lively descriptions, underscoring the emptiness and finality of abandonment.
-This imagery encapsulates the poem’s central theme: the transition from childhood innocence to harsh reality.
“The sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside.”
-The simile (“smell like the seaside”) evokes sensory imagery, connecting the child’s hiding place to a pleasant memory or a sense of adventure.
-This nostalgic image contrasts with the darker tone that develops later, symbolizing how childhood imagination can mask underlying fears or dangers.
-The use of sibilance (“sacks,” “smell,” “seaside”) mimics the sound of waves, adding a rhythmic quality that reflects the child’s initial excitement.
structure
-The poem consists of 27 lines written as one continuous stanza. This single-stanza structure serves several purposes:
It mirrors the continuous flow of the child’s experience during the game, from excitement to anxiety and finally to realization.
The lack of breaks between stanzas emphasizes the unbearable length of waiting time for the child.
It creates a sense of claustrophobia and isolation, reflecting the child’s growing discomfort in the hiding place.
form
-Iambic Pentameter: Despite being free verse, the poem largely follows iambic pentameter. This gives the poem a subtle rhythm that echoes the child’s heartbeat or nervous anticipation.
-Free Verse: The poem is written in free verse, without a strict rhyme scheme or meter. This allows for a more natural, conversational tone that captures the child’s thoughts and emotions.
-Variation in Line Lengths: While most lines adhere to iambic pentameter, there are variations in line length. This reflects the child’s changing emotions and the unpredictability of the situation.
tone
-The tone in Vernon Scannell’s “Hide and Seek” is a complex and evolving element that reflects the child’s emotional journey throughout the poem. It transitions from initial excitement and confidence to growing tension, unease, and ultimately, bitter realization and disappointment.
-“The darkening garden watches. Nothing stirs. / The bushes hold their breath; the sun is gone.”
-This quote effectively captures the poem’s tonal progression from childlike excitement to a more mature, disillusioned perspective. The language choices create a palpable sense of unease and abandonment, mirroring the child’s emotional state as they come to terms with being left alone
-Ominous atmosphere: The personification of the garden as “watching” creates an eerie, almost threatening tone. This contrasts sharply with the playful tone at the beginning of the poem, signaling a significant shift in mood.
-This somber tone reflects the child’s dawning realization of abandonment.
-Isolation: The dark, silent environment emphasizes the child’s solitude, contributing to a tone of loneliness and vulnerability.
