A detailed analysis of the poem ‘Hide and Seek’ by Vernon Scannell, tailored towards GCSE / IGCSE (Edexcel and CIE/Cambridge) students but also useful for those studying at a higher level.
Includes:
VOCABULARY
STORY/SUMMARY
SPEAKER/VOICE
LANGUAGE
STRUCTURE/FORM
ATTITUDES
CONTEXT
TH...
‘Call out. Call loud: ‘I’m ready! Come and find me!’
The sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside.
They’ll never find you in this salty dark,
But be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out.’
(Full poem unable to be reproduced due to copyright)
VOCABULARY
Hide and Seek - a game played by children where one or more people hides, and
another person waits with their eyes closed, before going to find them. In this case,
only one person is hiding and several are looking for him.
Prowling - a low, predatory movement that usually involves walking on all fours -
usually used to describe the hunting behaviour of big cats, such as lions or tigers.
STORY/SUMMARY
The speaker tells the child to call out - he’s ready to be found in the game. He’s hiding
in the toolshed, under some sacks that smell of salt and sea. The speaker warns the
child to keep his feet hidden, and to not call out again (as this may give away his hiding
spot). The floor is cold, and the people are probably looking elsewhere. The speaker
reminds the child not to sneeze, and then comments that the people are here,
whispering at the door of the shed. There’s a tense moment, and then they leave,
laughing. The boy waits longer, thinking they will be so confused and frustrated at
being unable to find him. Eventually, he comes out and shouts ‘I’ve won!’, but there’s
nobody there anymore - either because they are now hiding themselves, or because
they got bored, gave up and stopped looking.
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