Piano and Half Past Two

Half Past Two, Piano and Refugee Mother and Child share a common theme of childhood. In Half Past Two, the author talks about remembers about the feeling of simplicity and timelessness during his childhood. In Piano, the pt expresses his feelings towards the loss of childhood in comparison to his present. In Refugee Mother and Child talks about the loss of a child and the misery they all have to go through. In Half Past Two, by U.A. Fanthorpe, we are taken into the past from the very start with the use of Once upon a time. The first line of the opening stanza displays the pm as if the author is looking down upon it like a memory. Her use of Once upon a time shows a distinct relationship to childhood and a child‚s fascination for fairy tale stories. This illustrates how much of a fantasy a child‚s life is and how simplistic it is. It also shows that their life is perfect like a fairy tale. Fanthorpe uses a child‚s relationship to fairy tale well because fairy tales are very unrealistic. This relates to children well because they are unaware of the outside world, like a fairy tale. Fanthorpe uses very simplistic language in her pm which relates to the simplicity of childhood for a young child. Another thing Fanthorpe utilizes to show how this story relates to childhood is rhyme. This is because rhymes are more likely to be written by a child. Since there is no rhyme scheme to the pm it creates a sense of disorganization which relates well to the life of a young child.

Fanthorpe uses run on words, such as Gettinguptime, to show that children take everything at face value rather than understanding/comprehending it. Fanthorpe also shows that simplicity dsnt just reside in childhood but in the mind of the child as well, through the use of run on words. However, Fanthorpe dsn‚t incorporate any other important literary devices such as alliteration, similes or metaphors in her text which help make the pm easier to imagine. On the other hand, the repetitive use of time creates a sense of assonance. A sense of timelessness is created in the mind of the reader as the boy drifts from his timeless‚ world into the present. Fanthorpe‚s overall message in Half Past Two‚ is that even though there are a few minor issues in childhood, it is still the least complicated part of life and therefore the most fun and enjoyable. She shows this by indicating an example of the minor problems at the beginning but slowly progresses onto the good part of life with the use of imaginative/descriptive language such as the smell of old chrysanthemums. This illustrates the freedom you enjoy as a young child, and the protection from trouble that you have from trouble due to immaturity.

In Piano by D.H. Lawrence, we are originally seeing from the first person view of the pt describing how he misses the love of childhood due to the sound of a piano, but it changes to third person further into the text. He ds this to show his progression from the present tense, in his adulthood, to his memories of childhood. Piano creates tension between childhood and his adulthood as he tries to hold back the tears but eventually weeps like a child. He gets overwhelmed with sadness because he understands that his childhood was much better than his adulthood, which he shows through juxtaposition. He writes about his mother as an important part of his childhood and he constantly uses his language in a musical aspect. He uses strong and precise description in the first two lines of the pm, which gives an impression of the emotive language to come. The imagery used in Piano‚ sets the tone of a memory which is similar to Half Past Two.

His use of vista of years gives an indication of a visual remembrance which helps us predict use of strong and effective literary devices throughout the text. He also uses sibilance in smiles as she sings which creates a tone of happiness through melodious sounds and illustrates how much better childhood is in comparison to adulthood. His use of words such as, I weep like a child for the past shows that there is pain in his sadness even though he realizes that his childhood is gone. This is shown in more detail as the text progresses because he originally displays happiness at the remembrance. However, as he gs into more depth about his past, sadness creeps into his tone. Lawrence also uses juxtaposition and onomatopia to clearly describe what he thinks about his childhood and his adulthood. He ds this by using words like boom to describe adulthood whereas he uses tinkling and tingling to describe childhood. This further displays the importance he gives to childhood.

Piano‚ incorporates more complicated text with the use of words like vista and appassionato which a young child cannot comprehend. This indicates that this refers to a child who is older than the one portrayed in Half Past Two. The way the pm progresses differs from Half Past Two‚ as well because there is some use of negative language in Piano‚ through the use of sadness. This sadness is incorporated with descriptive language like flood of remembrance which creates an image of lots of tears and adds to the sadness. Lawrence also incorporates a lot of symbolism through words like, great black piano and appassionato to show that his adulthood is full of glamour but this gs on to signify that he still feels sorrow over the remembrance of his childhood. It also shows how much of an impact childhood has on him, due to the sharpness of his memory. The pm also has a more musical feel to it because it uses a lot of musical language associated with its title,‚ Piano‚. It starts off with a woman singing, talks a lot about songs, use of assonance like tingling strings. It also uses the aabb rhyme scheme which gives it a more organized and musical touch to it. It also illustrates how childhood and adulthood are juxtaposed.

Lawrence also uses a lot of literary devices. He uses descriptive language, great black piano and flood of remembrance, which helps you picture the scene very clearly and just as he wants you to. He also uses similes like I weep like a child to add further emotion to the scene and the pm. He also uses sensory imagery such as tingling to help the reader create a feeling of music. Tingling is also gives an impression of a soft and happy sound which he uses to describe his childhood. He also uses phrases such as boom of tingling strings to show suddenness and the power with which the memory hits the author. This further symbolizes the impact and the value that childhood has on him. Overall, Lawrence shows that his adulthood maybe glamourous but it cannot replace childhood. At the end of the pm he also says that he would give anything to give back. He also shows his love for the freedom of childhood. Refugee Mother and Child‚, by Chinua Achebe, gives off the initial impression that the pm is focused on a refugee and her child, and the troubles the child endures during his childhood. This creates the impression that the childhood life depicted in this pm may contrast from Half Past Two and Piano, and therefore a different perspective of childhood will be shown to the reader.

In Refugee Mother and Child, the writing style also differs from Piano, though it is similar to Half Past Two. This is because the text is written in a very simple manner, though it carries a sad tone with it. In the first stanza, it is revealed that the child‚s days are limited, and this is done through the quote, For a son she would soon have to forget. Further on, the pm gs on to talk about unwashed children and washed out ribs which indicates that her child is starving and this will be the cause for death. This reveals that the misery is worse for the child than for the loving mother who is depicted as the perfect mother because of the strong image created of her in the first stanza. This is done through the quote, No Madonna and Child could touch that picture of a mother‚s tenderness, which indicates that her love is better than that of a Madonna and Child who are typically described as a perfect relationship. The pt uses complicated language to explain the difficulties of their life. It also illustrates the mothers inability to comprehend why she has to go through the torture of being useless/powerless in her situation.

There is no rhyming used which further indicates that there is no enjoyment to them, no glimpse of hope, and not the slightest thing to rejoice about. At the end of the pm Achebe says that, act of no consequence before breakfast and school. This shows that the child and she dream of the perfect childhood but are helpless in their situation though the mother tries to bring him up and give him love as if everything was normal. Achebe uses a lot of literary devices to create a very strong image of the scene into the minds of the readers so that they can visualize their position and troubles. He uses alliteration in the phrase, behind blown empty bellies, which reinforces the conditions in which the children have to spend their childhood, and how deprived they are. A lot of descriptive and imaginative language is used, such as rust-coloured hair. This helps you picture the scene more cleanly and shows you that the misery the child has to endure is more that you can imagine and shows that he hasn‚t just been deprived of life, but of an enjoyable childhood as well.

A lot of symbolism is incorporated into the pm by Achebe. An example of this are the symbolism is the skull which symbolizes death very clearly and keeps reminding us that the child is dying and suffering when childhood is meant to be the most enjoyable part of life. Overall, Achebe‚s message is that many families were deprived of the perfect life and a mother was deprived of a child. He also shows that many innocent people are suffering, like the perfect mother, who had done nothing wrong to lose the one she loves most. In conclusion, Half Past Two and Piano show a distinct love for childhood and the fun there is, but they both use very different methods to prove their point. One uses very simplistic language with no literary devices whereas the other ds the complete opposite. The only difference between the two pms is that one has a silly yet fun feel to it whereas the other comprises mainly of sadness.

However, Refugee Mother and Child gives a completely opposite perspective and shows the suffering of refugees of war and the life they are deprived off, and how much they long for it. In the end, Half Past Two and Piano depict how priceless childhood is, though Piano creates the impression that it carries a lot of misery with it, later on in life. Refugee Mother and Child, however, depicts childhood in a negative tone showing the suffering of a child and his mother have to go through when they should be enjoying it. It also shows that childhood isn‚t the same for all children, and their opinion was impacted by a political disaster in their country or poverty.