half past 2
How does the poet show the child’s view of time?
The child sees time in events (“Getting Up Time”) not in numbers on a clock
What does the piano music make the speaker remember?
His childhood and sitting with his mother
Where is the war photographer at the start of the poem?
In his darkroom, developing photographs.
How does the poet feel about her father?
She loves him and misses him deeply.
What game is the child playing in the poem?
Hide and seek.
What words or phrases sound like a child speaking?
Phrases like “Half-past two” and “Something Very Wrong” sound childlike.
What word shows the speaker feels like a child again?
Child” (he says the music makes him a child again).
What is suggested by the line “a priest preparing to intone a Mass”?
His work is serious and almost sacred.
What does she remember about him teaching her?
He taught her practical skills like writing cheques and discipline.
What advice does the child give himself at the start?
To stay quiet and not sneeze or giggle.
How does the teacher seem in the poem?
Strict and impatient, punishing the child without explaining clearly.
How does the speaker describe the songs from his past?
As “hymns in the cosy parlour.”
What does the phrase “a half-formed ghost” describe?
A photo of a man in pain appearing on the paper.
How is repetition (“how I miss my father”) important?
It shows her sadness and longing for him.
How does the child feel while waiting to be found?
Excited, then impatient, then proud.
What happens when the child “forgets about time”?
He feels free, enjoying a timeless moment of peace.
What emotion overwhelms the speaker at the end?
He weeps with nostalgia.
How do readers at home react to the war photographs?
They glance at them but quickly move on.
What parts of her life remind her of him?
Her habits in cooking, living, and writing.
What surprise comes at the end of the poem?
The child has been left alone; no one comes to find him.
How is childhood shown in the poem?
Innocent, confused by adult rules, but also imaginative and free.
What is the main theme of the poem?
Memory and longing for the past.
What is the main theme of the poem?
The contrast between war’s suffering and people’s indifference.
Is the poem more about sadness or love?
Both — sadness that he is gone, but strong love for him too.
What theme does the poem explore?
Isolation, loneliness, and the reality of growing up.