Hide and Seek

Vernon Scannell

Call out, call loud -"I'm ready. Come and find me!"The sacks in the tool-shed smell like the seaside.They'll never find you in the salty dark,But be careful that your feet aren't sticking out,Wiser not to risk another shout.The floor is cold.They'll probably be searching the bushes, near the swing.Whatever happens you mustn't sneezeWhen they come prowling in.And here they are, whispering at the doorYou've never heard them sound so hushed before.Don't breathe, don't move, stay dumb.Hide in your blindness, they're moving closerSomeone stumbles, muttersTheir words and laughter scuttle and they're gone,But don't come out just yet, they'll try the laneAnd then the greenhouse and back here again.They must be thinking that you're very clever,Getting more puzzled as they search all over.It seems a long time since they went away.Your legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat.The dark damp smell of sand moves in your throat.It's time to let them know that you're the winnerPush off the sacks, uncurl and stretch.That's better! Out of the shed and call to them -"I've won! Here I am! Come and own up! I've caught you!"The darkening garden watches, nothing stirsThe bushes hold their breath, the sun is goneYes, here you are - But where are they who sought you?

Hide and Seek

Structure

• A single stanza poem – why?

• Perhaps it reflects the relentless flow of time towards adulthood? Perhaps it shows the excitement of the game itself?

• Free verse.

Call out, call loud -"I'm ready. Come and find me!"The sacks in the tool-shed smell like the seaside.

The poem starts with a mix of the internal and external voices of the speaker….

OR Perhaps the first line is that of someone telling the story in the present looking back at the past.

The game starts and the speaker notices the unusual smell of the space he is in – what do you associate with the Seaside?

Sibilance in line 3 might sound like the sea at times.

They'll never find you in the salty dark,But be careful that your feet aren't sticking out,Wiser not to risk another shout.The floor is cold.They'll probably be searching the bushes, near the swing.Whatever happens you mustn't sneezeWhen they come prowling in.

The speaker has contradictory feelings about being found – thinking it will and won’t happen almost at the same time.

At the same time as the excitement of the game there is also a slightly frightening range of vocabulary introduced.

There is a creeping feeling of discomfort… ‘cold’, ‘sneezing’.

And here they are, whispering at the doorYou've never heard them sound so hushed before.Don't breathe, don't move, stay dumb.

Is this the peak of the tension in the poem? Tension is created as we wonder - will they find him?

The aching silence highlighted by the use of dumb – what are the different meanings of dumb? When would we normally use it?

Notice the use of parataxis (placing clauses/phrases next to each other without a conjunction) in the final sentence.

Hide in your blindness, they're moving closerSomeone stumbles, muttersTheir words and laughter scuttle and they're gone,But don't come out just yet, they'll try the laneAnd then the greenhouse and back here again.

He thinks that he has won – but stays still in case they return.

Notice all the ‘u’ sounds – why do you think the poet uses this assonance?

They must be thinking that you're very clever,Getting more puzzled as they search all over.It seems a long time since they went away.Your legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat.The dark damp smell of sand moves in your throat.

Real discomfort sets in for the speaker – look for words that indicate this…

Notice that the things that had previously seemed exciting and exotic such as the seaside have an undertone of misery and menace.

Use of time words in the third line – look for the others in the poem.

Scannell uses adjectives to reinforce the helpless, uncomfortable situation the boy is in. Words such as cold, dark, damp and stiff convey the uneasiness of the child.

It's time to let them know that you're the winnerPush off the sacks, uncurl and stretch.That's better! Out of the shed and call to them -"I've won! Here I am! Come and own up! I've caught you!"The darkening garden watches, nothing stirsThe bushes hold their breath, the sun is goneYes, here you are - But where are they who sought you?

• The boy thinks that he has won and is initially elated.• BUT he is left with a sense of isolation and loneliness.

What might the last line mean? Who speaks it?• What does the last line mean if it was spoken by a reminiscing adult? • Look at the examples of internal monologue balanced with direct

speech. Where else does this happen?• A series of personified phrases, ‘The darkening garden watches,’ ‘The

bushes hold their breathe,’ describe the quite of the scene.

Imagery

• Isolation – both as a positive and negative quality.

• Childhood pleasures and fears.

• Dark and light – compare the start and the end of the poem.

• Noise and silence.

Themes

• Childhood

• Excitement

• Loneliness

• The observational skills of children

• The nostalgia for childhood friends?