Compare and Contrast the Presentation of Childhood...

Compare and contrast the presentation of childhood memories in ‘half past two’, ‘piano’ and ‘my parents kept me from children who were rough’ focusing on the poet’s use of language, form and structure.’ The poems are different based on theme as piano has a theme of music taking on a memory. Half past two has a theme of life before not being able to tell time. Lastly my parents kept me from children who were rough have a theme of not being able to relive a bad memory. The three poems are contrasting on the meaning as ‘My parents kept me from children who were rough’ and ‘piano’ are about the poet’s memories when they are older and ‘Half past two’ is an exploration of a child’s imagination during his early years before he could tell the†¦show more content†¦Fanthorpe also uses repeating words ‘time, ever, knew, two.’ This makes it seem like its rhyming when it isn’t and makes the reader look into the poem more. Finally Fanthorpe uses emphasis when he describes the imagination ‘Into the smell of old chrysanthemums on her desk, into the silent noise his hangnail made. Into the air outside the window, into ever.’ The reader more interested in the description as the poem is focusing on the wonder of a childhood imagination so this is a good choice of words The poems are all similar in regards to language as they are all in the past tense. In ‘piano’ Lawrence talks about when he was younger ‘Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see a child sitting under the piano.’ This is a reminder of when he was younger that he used to help his mother while she was playing the piano and singing. The event he remembers is happy but the act of remembering makes him very sad. In ‘My Parents Kept Me From Children Who Were Rough.’ Spender is also being reminded of something that happened in the past ‘I longed to forgive them, yet they never smiled.’ Spender is reminded of a group of people that used to bully him. Spender ends the poem with ‘I longed to forgive them, yet they never smiled’ as a reminder to him and us all that although they were bullying him he wanted to