‘Half-past Two’ (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
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‘Half-past Two’
Below you will find a guide to U.A. Fanthorpe’s poem titled ‘Half-past Two’ from the Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology (part 3: unit 1, section B). This guide includes:
Overview: a line-by-line breakdown of the poem
Form, structure and language: an exploration of the techniques and poetic choice that U.A. Fanthorpe has used
Themes: a summary of key themes and ideas in the poem
Comparing poems: suggestions for anthology poems to compare ‘Half-past Two’ to
Overview
To answer an essay question on a poem, you must understand what it is about. The overview section includes:
A summary of the poem
A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Fanthorpe’s intention and message
A summary of ‘Half-past Two’
Published in 1992, ‘Half-past Two’ was written by U.A. Fanthorpe. The poem recounts the story of a schoolboy who is told to wait alone in a classroom until half-past two after getting into trouble. The boy does not know how to tell the time and so has no real understanding of how long he has to wait. The teacher rushes back into the room at the end of the poem and releases him after forgetting he was there.
‘Half-past two’ analysis
Lines 1–4
“Once upon a schooltime
He did Something Very Wrong
(I forget what it was).”
Translation
The speaker introduces a boy who did something wrong at school
Fanthorphe’s intention
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
The speaker introduces the boy and states that he had done “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
Parentheses is used at the end of the stanza where the speaker states that they “forget” what the “Very Wrong” incident was, which adds humour to the poem:
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
Lines 5–9
“And She said he’d done
Something Very Wrong, and must
Stay in the school-room till half-past two.
(Being cross, she’d forgotten
She hadn’t taught him Time.
He was too scared at being wicked to remind her.)”
Translation
The child is told to remain in the room until half-past two but the child cannot tell the time
Fanthorpe’s intention
The second stanza begins with the conjunction “And”, which could reflect the way a child recounts an incident that has happened to them
The teacher’s name has not been mentioned but her message is repeated in this stanza, which could reveal the nervous confusion of the child:
It still appears that he does not know what crime he is being punished for
The second stanza uses sibilance, which creates a sinister hissing effect that could reflect the teacher’s anger at the child
The third stanza is written entirely in parentheses and 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 child is “too scared”, which could highlight the teacher’s neglect and mistreatment of the child as he is being punished beyond his understanding
Lines 10–15
“He knew a lot of time: he knew
Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime,
Timetogohomenowtime, TVtime
Timeformykisstime (that was Grantime).
All the important times he knew,
But not half-past two.”
Translation
The speaker writes about the child’s understanding of time
Fanthorpe’s intention
These stanzas group words together without spaces to reflect the child’s understanding of time and how he uses it in his day-to-day life
Each of the times mentioned are defined by an action or an activity such as getting up or going home:
Therefore, the child’s version of time has a purpose and goal rather than being something abstract
Through the phrase “important times he knew”, the poet could be suggesting that the child’s understanding of time is more meaningful and important than the adult’s
Lines 16–21
“He knew the clockface, the little eyes
And two long legs for walking,
But he couldn’t click its language,
So he waited, beyond onceupona,
Out of reach of all the timefors,
And knew he’d escaped for ever”
Translation
The speaker describes the child’s understanding of a clock and how long he waited for his teacher to return
Fanthorpe’s intention
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
The phrase “couldn’t click its language” suggests that, 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
The seventh stanza begins with “so”, which suggests that the child moves on as he cannot decipher the clock and returns back to his understanding of time
The child is stood waiting “beyond onceupona” which suggests that the boy has run out of ideas for what is going to happen next:
The hyperbole “for ever” suggests that he feels like he has passed into eternity as he has moved beyond his understanding of time to a more adult version of it
Lines 22–27
“Into the smell of old chrysanthemums on Her desk,
Into the silent noise his hangnail made,
Into the air outside the window, into ever.
And then, My goodness, she said,
Scuttling in, I forgot all about you.
Run along or you’ll be late.”
Translation
The speaker explains what the child escaped into and when the teacher returned
Fanthorpe’s intention
The eighth stanza reveals where the child escapes to:
It is a place filled with sights and sounds and smells as if he has transcended beyond time and his senses are now heightened
The speaker mentions the “old chrysanthemums”, which could convey the teacher’s neglect and carelessness
The oxymoron of “silent noise” suggests the child feels so isolated and beyond time that he can even hear the noise of his hangnail
The teacher comes “scuttling” back into the classroom and states that she had forgotten “all about” him:
This image suggests the teacher moves quickly like a mouse or an insect
The statement “forgot all about you” is revealing as the child’s experience of this punishment is very different to the teacher’s, who forgot that she had left him there:
This juxtaposition emphasises the difference between a child’s perspective and an adult’s
Lines 28–33
“So she slotted him back into schooltime,
And he got home in time for teatime,
Nexttime, notimeforthatnowtime,
But he never forgot how once by not knowing time,
He escaped into the clockless land for ever,
Where time hides tick-less waiting to be born.”
Translation
The speaker concludes the poem and states how the incident left a lasting impression on him
Fanthorpe’s intention
The use of the word “slotted” suggests something that is methodical and without feeling:
This highlights how unimportant and insignificant the event was for the teacher
The child’s understanding of time has been restored as he is in “time for teatime/nexttime, notimeforthatnowtime” suggesting that the world is operating the way he knows it to be
The final stanza of the poem reveals how the incident had a profound and lasting impression on him and how he has never forgotten it:
The personification of time that is “waiting to be born” suggests that time is hiding and waiting to begin its existence
Form, structure and language
When writing your analysis, it is important to consider how Fanthorpe has used form, structure and language to present her ideas and themes in ‘Half-past Two’. You will gain more marks if you focus on the poet’s themes than on individual poetic techniques.
Below you will find some suggestions for form, structure and language that you might want to consider:
Form:
The poem is a free verse poem which is constructed of 33 lines split into 11 three-line stanzas or tercets.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Childlike innocence and understanding | 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 |
Adulthood and power | Only some lines rhyme | This perhaps highlights how the poem is not intended for children, even though it is about a child:
|
Structure
The poem consists of thirty-three lines, which are broken up into eleven three-line stanzas or tercets.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Adulthood and power | While the line lengths vary, each stanza is three lines long | The consistent stanza length gives the poem some structure and organisation:
|
Language
The poet has used language techniques to not only reflect the innocence of the child who is being punished, but the abuse of power at the hands of the adult inflicting the punishment.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Adulthood and power | The writer uses symbolism in ‘Half-past Two’:
| Fanthorpe may have used the clock for various reasons:
|
Childlike innocence and understanding | The speaker uses hyperbole to reflect the child’s perspective:
| Hyperbole could reflect the child’s perspective and how everything seems more serious than it is:
|
Alliteration and consonance is used:
“Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime,/ Timetogohomenowtime…” | Alliteration is used and the repetition of the “t” sound is significant:
|
Exam Tip
The most important thing to do is to make sure your comments on a text are meaningful and detailed. Do not feature spot. While examiners do want you to identify language techniques, what they are more interested in is your analysis of that technique. How has the writer used language and structure to achieve an effect? The key words to focus on are “to achieve an effect” and so you need to be able to link the language technique you’ve identified back to the key words in the question. This is the key to achieving high marks in your exam.
Themes
While it is important to know the poem really well, you need to also be able to write a personal response. Therefore, you have to make sure you understand the themes, main ideas, setting and events depicted. You are not explicitly assessed on context but it is still important that you have an awareness of background information that is relevant to the main themes in the poem.
In order to help you do this, the section below has been divided into two main themes that Fanthorpe explores:
Childlike Innocence and Understanding
Adulthood and Power
Childlike Innocence and Understanding
U.A. Fanthorpe published ‘Half-past Two’ in 1992 but didn't begin writing poetry until she was nearly 50:
Fanthorpe was an English teacher for many years
‘Half-past Two’ appears in Fanthorpe’s 1992 collection called ‘Neck Verse’, which explored institutional settings, including schools
This poem gives the reader a close insight into the mind of a young child who is being punished with detention for something he did wrong, though he cannot tell the time
During his detention, the child attempts to understand the grown-up version of time:
Time is, therefore, presented in the poem as the child understands it with the phrases “gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime” etc.
This highlights how the child’s concept of time is linked to specific activities that are significant to his day-to-day life
Due to the young child’s limited understanding of reading the clock, the child then transcends the concept of time and believes it has no end:
As a result, he is able to see, hear and smells things that he would not normally notice
However, years later, the child, who is now an adult, still remembers the event as it had a lasting impact on his life
Adulthood and Power
From the very beginning of the poem, the child’s fear and confusion is evident as he is being reprimanded by his teacher
The phrase “Something Very Wrong” is repeated and capitalised:
The capitalisation could reflect the manner in which the teacher says these words and also the fear of the child
The poem is written from the perspective of the child and so the adults appear cold and distant
The incident may appear exaggerated as the poem is written from the child’s perspective
The child does not explain the incident that resulted in him getting detention, which could indicate that he was not told:
As the teacher does not feel the need to explain why he was being punished, the punishment may not actually fit the crime
The child does not argue and is “too scared” to tell her that he does not understand time as he was afraid “at being wicked”:
The child places emphasis on the adult’s opinion and so changes his behaviour and conforms in order to please
At the start, the child’s fear is palpable as the teacher leaves him in the classroom until half-past two:
However, near the end of the poem, the teacher appears to be somewhat vulnerable as, “scuttling in”, she forgets about him
This could suggest that even adults do not have a real understanding of time
At the end of the poem, power is taken slightly from the teacher as she “slotted him back into schooltime” and the child returns to his understanding of time
Comparing poems
For your exam, you will be required to compare two poems from the anthology. This means that you must have a good knowledge of poetic form, content and meaning to be able to compare the poems effectively. You must be able to explore links and connections between texts which includes exploring use of language, form and structure. In ‘Half-past Two’, Fanthorpe’s main ideas are centred around innocence and memories, therefore, the following comparisons would be a good starting point:
‘Half-past Two’ and ‘Piano’
‘Half-past Two’ and ‘Hide and Seek’
For each pair of poems, you will find:
Comparison summary
Similarities and differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and difference
‘Piano’ and 'Half-past Two'
Comparison summary:
Both 'Half-past Two' and ‘Piano’ are poems that look back on childhood memories. 'Half-past Two' begins from the perspective of a speaker who recounts a memory of a child and writes from the child’s point of view. However, it could be inferred that the speaker in 'Half-past Two' is the adult persona of the child in the poem, whereas ‘Piano’ is written from the perspective of an adult who is forced to remember his childhood despite his attempts at resisting.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both ‘Half-past Two’ and ‘Piano’ look back on childhood memories | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Half-past Two’ | ‘Piano’ |
‘Half-past Two’ is about a young child who has done something naughty at school and so his teacher is punishing him | ‘Piano’ is about an adult who is forced to revisit a pleasant childhood memory after listening to a song | |
'Half-past Two' uses the clock to symbolise power, knowledge and a contraption that adults use to organise their day:
| The poem uses symbolism to transport the speaker back to the past:
| |
The child personifies the “clockface” by describing the “little eyes” and “two long legs”:
| The speaker uses personification in the poem:
| |
'Half-past Two' does not follow a strict meter to reflect the conversational and childlike tone of the poem | ‘Piano’ does not follow a regular meter and its lines vary in length, which reflects the thought processes of someone trying to recall a memory | |
Differences:
Topic sentence | Although both poems are about a childhood memory, they both present childhood in different ways | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Half-past Two' | ‘Piano’ |
In 'Half-past Two', the speaker recounts an incident with a child who is given detention by a teacher until half past two but he doesn’t know how to tell the time | In ‘Piano’, the speaker presents childhood in a very positive way as he recounts a fond memory that makes him long for his childhood | |
However, in 'Half-past Two' the speaker uses language to reflect the child’s innocence and point of view of the incident:
| Lawrence uses language that is sophisticated to reflect the age of the speaker and the fact that he is recalling a childhood memory:
| |
It is written in free verse and is made up of 11 three-line stanzas, which is also known as a tercet:
| ‘Piano’ has three quatrains or four-line stanzas, which consist of two rhyming couplets per stanza:
| |
The speaker uses hyperbole to describe aspects of the incident from the child’s perspective:
| The speaker uses assonance to add to the rhythm by creating a lyrical sound throughout:
| |
‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Half-past Two’
Comparison summary:
Both poems are about childhood experiences. In ‘Half-past two’, the boy is left alone by an adult as a form of punishment. However, in ‘Hide and Seek’, the child experiences loneliness and isolation after being abandoned during a game of hide-and-seek.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems try to capture a child’s experience of the world and their sense of loneliness as a result | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Half-past Two’ | ‘Hide and Seek’ |
The reader is never told who the speaker of the poem is, however he knows many details of the child:
| The speaker in ‘Hide and Seek’ is observing the movements of the child and instructing him on what to do:
| |
‘Half-past Two’ does not use a rhyme scheme, which could reflect the fact that it is an adult speaking rather than a child | The poem has a consistent rhyme scheme but there are some rhyming couplets and slant rhymes in the poem | |
Personification has been used in ‘Half-past Two’ as the child views the clock as a face:
| The poem uses personification to reflect the child’s isolation and loneliness:
| |
The speaker also uses sensory language to make the child’s surroundings appear real:
| The poem uses sensory language to describe the child’s environment:
| |
Differences:
Topic sentence | Although both poems are about childhood experiences, the lesson that the child in ‘Hide and Seek’ learns is harsher than in ‘Half-past Two’ | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Half-past Two’ | ‘Hide and Seek’ |
The child in ‘Half-past Two’ is in trouble and is being punished by being isolated in a room:
| The child’s excitement in ‘Hide and Seek’ is evident at the beginning:
| |
This poem consists of 33 lines that are broken up into 11 three-line stanzas, also known as tercets, written in free verse:
| The poem is made up of one stanza which is 27 lines long with no set rhyme scheme:
| |
The speaker uses hyperbole throughout:
| The speaker uses personification to highlight the child’s loneliness and abandonment:
| |
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