Hide & Seek Flashcards
Repetition of ‘Call’
Imperative verb, repetition. Places reader in middle of game. Almost as if speaker is trying to advise the boy.
Smell like the seaside
Sensory imagery, sibilance, simile. Enables reader to imagine they’re there with the boy. Increase empathy for him.
Cold
Adjective. Implies lack of emotional warmth in group of boys.
Never heard them sound so hushed before
Implies group might be conspiring against him.
‘And here they are’ after end stopped line
Signals anticipated arrival of group of boys
Mustn’t sneeze
builds tensions. Needs to avoid detection by remaining silent.
Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay dumb.
Imperatives instructing the boy.
Caesura- short sentences build tension further
Hide your blindness
Double meaning- he is blind/ naïve to what the other boys are doing.
Cold bites through your coat
Personification. Cold= threatening + hostile atmosphere
Rhyme stops in final to lines of penultimate stanza
Rhyme is harmonious. Lack of rhyme signals turning point when the boy realises his relationship with the other boys is harmonious, they are cruel.
You’re the winner
Thinks he’s won, doesn’t realise his ‘friends’ have deserted him
The sun is gone
Sun symbolises hope- boy has lost hope that he’s won. Realisation of his so called friend’s cruelty
But where are they who sought you?
Boy’s initial confusion followed by realisation they have abandoned him
Caesura after ‘watches’ and ‘breath’
Creates ominous, suspenseful atmosphere
Emphasises stillness of garden
Slows pace, reader is waiting for boy’s realisation
