F5 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH [2]

THEME(S) and PERSONALISED RESPONSE

Recite the poem again.

What feeling does it evoke from the disjointedness?

Now, let's take it apart, separate them and recite again. Note the difference.

There is a clear contrast in home and school life. This is evident between the ‘handmade’, ‘rich’ treats wrapped in ‘special smooth paper’ from Town and the ‘square tall piles of bread’ and ‘featureless red jam in basins’ at the school.

The long, unproductive afternoons of the holidays are compared with ‘clashing’ of duets even ‘solitary knitting’ at school. Schoolwork is ‘reliable’ while the new people she meets over the holidays are ‘temporary’. The ‘awkward’ inactive afternoons on holiday are somehow contrasted against the ‘awkwardness(es) of work’ at school.

While there are several mentions of ‘school’, “home” is not once mentioned. Perhaps the attraction of the half term break is not in the going home, rather in the comforts found in ‘Town’ even, spending time with the family and ‘temporary’ acquaintances is much more lacklustre. Even the buttered crumpets are descripted with images akin to that of school life such as ‘ringing’ and ‘drilled’.

This becomes clearer as the poem progresses, with the speaker plainly stating that she will miss the treats and comforts, but not the love which she ‘only senses’ at home. This also does not last, that it is described as ‘vague in the streetlamps of November’ (November is at the tail end of autumn). 

In fact, one could argue that the only positive remarks about home have been about its comforts – in particular the crumpets and chocolates , which are mentioned in both opening and stanza 8. Perhaps being away at school is in some ways an escape from the solitude of home or the lack of ‘patterned’ of holiday life. She probably is more in favour of a more regimented but more crowded and hectic community at school in which the speaker is more comfortable with.