Vernon Scannell: Life, War, and Poetry

• Vernon Scannell (1922-2007) was born in Lincolnshire to a poor family that moved frequently for work.
• He left school at fourteen and worked in an insurance office.

Military Service and Desertion

• In 1940, Scannell joined the army and fought in North Africa.
• He was court-martialed for desertion after witnessing looting and abuse of the dead by his fellow soldiers after a major battle.
• He served six months of a three-year sentence before being released to fight in the Normandy landings.
• After the war, he deserted again and spent two years on the run, eventually being arrested in 1947 and sent to a military hospital.

Post-War Life and Writing Career

• After his release, Scannell moved to London, supporting himself through teaching and professional boxing to allow time for writing poetry.
• He published many poems and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Themes in Scannell's Poetry

• Scannell often wrote about the pains of childhood, particularly those experienced by his son.
• His experiences in the army made him sensitive to injustice and cruelty, which is reflected in his work.

Summary of "Hide and Seek"

• The poem depicts a children's game of hide and seek.
• A boy hides in a shed, believing he has outsmarted the others.
• The other children search for him outside the door, laughing but not discovering his hiding place.
• After a long wait, the boy emerges, expecting to be declared the winner, only to find that his friends have abandoned him.

Analysis of "Hide and Seek"

• The title has both a literal meaning (the game) and a deeper meaning (growing up and the revelation of cruelty).
• The poem is written in one long stanza, creating a sense of focus and emphasizing the increasing significance of the game's details.
• The poem is narrated from a third-person perspective, addressing the child directly and describing his feelings.

Poetic Voice

• The opening line, "Call out. Call loud," is a double imperative from the narrator, acting as a guide for the boy.
• The voice could also represent the boy's inner thoughts, encouraging and instructing himself.

Character Introduction

• The boy's dialogue, "I am ready! Come and find me!" establishes him as excited, friendly, and happy.
• This contrasts sharply with the poem's ending.
• The use of the present tense creates a sense of immediacy and immerses the reader in the action.

Setting and Imagery

• The simile "The sacks in the tool shed smell like the seaside" evokes playful memories of the beach, suggesting the boy's initial happiness.
• The metaphor "salty dark" combines taste and sight, heightening the boy's senses in the darkness.
• The advice "Be careful that your feet aren't sticking out. Wiser not to risk another shout" adds to the feeling of excitement.

Rising Tension

• The description of the floor as "cold" hints at a more sinister turn.
• The boy wonders what the other children are doing, highlighting the importance of the game to him.
• The narrator advises him not to sneeze, increasing the sense of stakes.
• The seekers are personified as animals "prowling," suggesting they have become predators and the boy is their victim.

Suspicion and Exclusion

• The use of "And" at the beginning of a sentence emphasizes the boy's surprise when he hears the searchers whispering outside the door.
• The fact that the children have "never heard them sound so hushed before" adds to the suspicion.
• The whispering suggests a secret, excluding the boy and making the reader feel uneasy.

Imperatives and Blindness

• The triplet of imperatives "Don't breathe. Don't move. Stay dumb" illustrates the boy's efforts to avoid detection.
• "Stay dumb" implies both silence and ignorance, suggesting the boy is unaware of the trick being played on him.
• The metaphor "Hide in your blindness" implies that the boy is oblivious to the reality of his situation.

Aggressive Imagery

• The metaphor "Their words and laughter scuffle" describes the voices of the searchers as a fight, portraying them aggressively.
• The advice "Don't come out just yet" highlights the boy's belief that he is winning.
• The reader, however, is aware that his perception is inaccurate.

Growing Isolation

• The description of the game as having lasted a "long time" adds to the tension.
• The boy's legs are "stiff," and the "cold bites through your coat," creating a disturbing image.
• The alliteration in "Dark damp smell" and the description of the smell moving in the boy's throat depict him as being assaulted by nature.

Shift in Tone

• The advice "It's time to let them know that you're the winner" marks a turning point in the poem.
• The rhyming couplets, which previously created a sense of harmony, disappear from this point onward, signifying the end of the boy's innocent world.

Disillusionment

• The boy's triumphant call, "I've won. Here I am" contrasts sharply with the poem's final lines.
• The garden is personified as "darkening" and "watching," emphasizing the boy's isolation.
• The short sentence "Nothing stirs" reinforces the sense of emptiness.

Pathetic Fallacy

• The bushes "hold their breath," personifying them as waiting for the boy's realization.
• The setting sun symbolizes the loss of light and joy in the boy's world.

Rhetorical Question

• The poem ends with the rhetorical question "Yes, here you are. But where are they who sought you?"
• The unresolved ending forces the reader to confront the truth that the boy has been deserted.
• The broader implication is that growing up involves realizing that people will not always be supportive, and the world may not be friendly.