: The poem highlights how adults use time as a tool for control and organization, whereas for children, "time" is tied to concrete activities (e.g., "Gettinguptime," "TVtime"). Innocence and Power
Fanthorpe uses compound words to mimic the child’s unique way of categorizing the world. Words like "Gettinguptime," "Timeformyk," "Timetogohomenowtime," and "Grundytime" show how the child understands time only as events, not numbers. This creates a naive, innocent voice. half-past two poem pdf
The clock struck one, The sun was setting, The master went, And I was left To mark the time Till half-past two When work was done, And all the gates Were closed. : The poem highlights how adults use time
Or half-past three.
The moment I waited For seemed A half- Past two When all The gates Were locked, The master Gone, The school Left. This creates a naive, innocent voice
The teacher’s "half-past two" is a foreign language he cannot "click".