Analysis of 'Hide and Seek' by Vernon Scannell

Summary

This video provides an in-depth analysis of the poem 'Hide and Seek' by Vernon Scannell, aimed at students preparing for the Edexcel GCSE English Literature exam. The speaker examines the themes of childhood innocence, isolation, and unexpected feelings of loneliness within the poem. Through a detailed reading and annotation of the poem's only stanza, the speaker highlights the transition from a confident and exuberant tone to one of vulnerability and unexpected solitude, ultimately drawing parallels to life's broader challenges.

Highlights

• The poem shifts from a confident, playful tone to one of unexpected solitude. 🎭
• Childhood themes are explored through sensory descriptions and internal dialogues. 🌼
• The single stanza's free verse style mirrors life's unpredictability. ⏳
• The persona's confidence contrasts starkly with their final feelings of loneliness. 🌌
• The poem serves as both a childhood story and a broader life metaphor about unexpected outcomes. 🤔

Key Takeaways

• 'Hide and Seek' isn't just a game; it's a metaphor for life's surprises! 🎭
• Childhood memories, filled with innocence, can suddenly change to moments of unexpected loneliness. 🌼
• The poem uses a single stanza to build rising tension and surprise, offering a snapshot of emotion. ⏳
• Personification and descriptive language enhance the themes of isolation and vulnerability. 🌌
• Despite life's preparations and confidences, sometimes outcomes aren't what we expect. 🤔

Overview

Vernon Scannell’s 'Hide and Seek' opens with a vivid recollection of a childhood game, brimming with confidence and excitement. The speaker, channeling the child's voice, immerses us in a scene filled with warmth and childhood innocence. Through enthusiastic internal dialogues and playful imagery, we are plunged into a world where a simple game symbolizes youthful joy and the belief in one's cleverness.

As the poem progresses, there's a subtle but poignant shift. What starts as a playful hide-and-seek turns into a tense and solitary experience. The use of descriptive language and personification creates a tangible feeling of isolation. The once playful atmosphere begins to feel vulnerable, tinged with mystery and suspense, mirroring the complexities and sometimes darker aspects of childhood.

In the final act, the poem delivers an unexpected twist—an abrupt realization of solitude and vulnerability. The child emerges victorious, ready to claim their win, only to find themselves utterly alone—a profound commentary on the unpredictability of life. This sudden shift embodies a broader metaphor: regardless of age, life can transition from assured confidence to unforeseen loneliness in just a heartbeat.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The 'Introduction' chapter provides an overview of the poem 'Hide-and-Seek' by Vernon Scannell, which is part of the Edexcel GCSE English Literature Exam Paper One. The reader is encouraged to think about the implications of the poem's title, which suggests themes of childhood and innocence. It's mentioned that the poem is written in one long stanza, although further details on the poem's analysis and themes are yet to be discussed.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Understanding the Title and Initial Observations This chapter focuses on the analysis of the title and the initial observations made when delving into the text. The speaker explains their approach of reading through the material in segments and pausing to discuss annotations. The mention of 'cool out cool out I'm ready come and find me' immediately connects the reader to the theme of the game 'hide-and-seek'. The use of exclamation marks emphasizes the urgency and excitement within the persona's voice.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Narrative Start and Imagery This chapter describes the excitement and enthusiasm of a child playing hide and seek, invoking nostalgia and personal memories of similar experiences. The poem effectively uses sibilance, specifically mentioning the sacks in the tool shed that smell like the seaside, to create vivid olfactory imagery reminiscent of the sea.
• 02:30 - 04:00: Child's Dialogue and Emotional Tone The chapter titled 'Child's Dialogue and Emotional Tone' explores the connection between seaside experiences and childhood memories. It delves into the theme of innocence associated with being a child. The transcript reveals a child engaging in internal dialogue, reflecting on their personal memories linked to a seaside setting. The dialogue suggests a sense of hiding or secrecy, conveyed through phrases like 'they'll never find you in this salty dark,' and hints at cautiousness with 'be careful that your feet aren't sticking out.' These elements depict the emotional tone of introspection and innocence entwined with a subtle undercurrent of playfulness and caution.
• 04:00 - 05:30: The Search and Building Tension The chapter titled "The Search and Building Tension" explores the theme of isolation through internal dialogue. By employing the second person narrative ('you'), it immerses the reader in the experience of playing a game where one hides alone, moving carefully and quietly. This sense of being lost in one's thoughts is relatable and recreates a universal experience of isolation and self-reflection.
• 05:30 - 07:00: Child's Discomfort and Confidence The chapter explores the theme of a child's initial confidence in a game of hide and seek, where they are convinced of their ability to outsmart their friends. This confidence is highlighted by the use of language that conveys certainty and expertise. However, the narrative hints at a shift from this enthusiastic and self-assured tone, suggesting that the child's feelings of confidence may waver or alter as the situation progresses.
• 07:00 - 08:30: Moment of Revelation The chapter titled "Moment of Revelation" conveys a tense atmosphere where individuals are hiding and trying to avoid detection. A specific focus is on the cold environment, which symbolizes discomfort and reflects the need for stealth. The narrative underlines the feeling of stillness necessary to avoid being caught, illustrated by short sentences that mirror their cautious stillness.
• 08:30 - 10:00: Sudden Shift and Themes The chapter discusses the use of negative language such as 'cold prowling' to create tension and a sense of vulnerability for a child in a game. The child is unaware of their vulnerability due to their positivity and confidence. The darkness further emphasizes the isolation.
• 10:00 - 11:30: Form, Structure, and Conclusions The chapter titled 'Form, Structure, and Conclusions' discusses the strategic decision to keep certain characters nameless, which implies a more sinister and threatening presence. The anonymity of these characters is contrasted with the hypothetical situation where named characters, such as Lucy and Joe, evoke less fear. This serves to enhance the atmosphere of threat and fear within the narrative.

Analysis of 'Hide and Seek' by Vernon Scannell Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 I'm going to read through hide-and-seek by Vernon scandal this is in preparation for your edexcel GCSE English literature exam paper one so I haven't annotated the title but when you read the title I think it's clear what the poem is about it's about the game hide-and-seek instantly for me I think about childhood and I think about maybe the innocence connected to that time so as you may have noticed it's one long stanza so I'm
• 00:30 - 01:00 not going to read it standard by stanzas so every after every few lines I'll stop and talk through the annotations cool out cool out I'm ready come and find me so straightaway we have the title that tells us this is about that game hide-and-seek and the reader is thrown straight into the game with the phrases call out cool out and the exclamation marks make it clear that's the persona
• 01:00 - 01:30 who in this poem is is the child playing hide and seek it's full of enthusiasm extremely excited about about playing this game and that should link to your own memories of your experiences of playing this game the sax in the tool shed smell like the seaside so we've got sibilants here which creates kind of them a old factory image of seaside in other words relating to the smell of sea so it helps create that image or that
• 01:30 - 02:00 experience again again you could say that seaside links with childhood as well and might remind you of a time when when you were younger and can linked us to kind of the innocence of childhood they'll never find you in this salty dark but be careful that your feet aren't sticking out why is it not to risk another shout so what we notice here is the child is speaking to themselves that's what we call an internal dialogue you could argue this
• 02:00 - 02:30 internal dialogue which we see through the use of the second person you helps create that sense of isolation which you experience when you're playing the game I didn't see often you hide on your own and you have to be extremely careful and quiet and and maybe get lost in your own thoughts and so it's kind of replicating that experience that we potentially have all had but despite the isolation the
• 02:30 - 03:00 child is extremely confident they'll never find you the modal verb there shows great confidence that they will not be found they see themselves as an expert in this game and they believe they can outwit their friends so there's a really positive confident tone in this poem to begin with so please keep that in mind because it will change we've had this enthusiastic tone and this very positive confident tone at the beginning we will see that change the floor is
• 03:00 - 03:30 cold they'll probably be searching the bushes near this wing whatever happens you mustn't sneeze when they come prowling in so we have that short sentence the floor is cold and the word cold highlights the discomfort of of what they're doing short sentence you could argue mirrors the the stillness of how they have to be to make sure they're not caught as well and then I've underlined a number of words dark risk
• 03:30 - 04:00 cold prowling these all seem to be quite negative words negative language which helped increase the tension and create this sense of vulnerability for this child although I feel that they're unaware of that vulnerability because they're so positive and confident that they're going to win this game I should have mentioned earlier as well the fact that it is dark helps create that sense of isolation as well they refer to their
• 04:00 - 04:30 friends as their I didn't highlight this but I've got they there and they here so keeping their friends nameless you could argue seems more sinister it makes them seem more threatening if you gave them names Lucy and Joe then maybe you would be so fearful but I think this helps create or
• 04:30 - 05:00 build tension in this poem the fact that they're prowling as well describes them almost like they are predatory and that makes the child who is hiding seem even more vulnerable I would still argue that I don't feel like the child feels scared at this point because we've had that positive tone you've never heard them sorry and here they are whispering at
• 05:00 - 05:30 the door you've never heard them sound so hushed before so now they're even closer again building that tension the fact that they're whispering at the door and they're hushed creates this image of of children kind of plotting against this child and that helps increase this sense of isolation as well the alliteration of the H heard and hushed I think mirrors the breathing of think
• 05:30 - 06:00 about when you play have played hide and seek and when they get closer or when you're on your own and you're waiting for them to turn up do you become really conscious of your breathing so is this a moment there close to the door that this child has become very conscious of their breathing and they must have cuz on the next line we have don't breathe followed with other imperatives don't breathe don't move stay dumb hide in your blindness those imperatives again show
• 06:00 - 06:30 this sense of expertise and this supports this idea that at the moment this child is so confident that they are going to win at this game but the short sentence is as well here like before I think create a sense of stillness so you can imagine how close they aren't they're just thinking don't move don't do anything to attract any attention and that helps build tension but the tension I think is one almost of excitement for
• 06:30 - 07:00 the child I don't think they're really nervous because we've got again we've still got this car it's coming from them with the use of the imperatives they're moving closest someone stumbles mutters their words are laughter scuffle and they're gone assonance here with the repetition of me you sound assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds so we've got stumble mutter and scuffle and it sounds it reflects the
• 07:00 - 07:30 struggle you could argue that their friends are going through trying to find them but then they're gone but don't come out just yet they'll try the lane and then the green house and back here again they must be thinking that you're very clever getting more puzzled as they search all over we still see that positive tone okay they think they've really outwitted them to the point that they can imagine their friends talking about gosh they're so clever we haven't found them yet it
• 07:30 - 08:00 seems a long time since they went away your legs are stiff the cold bites through your coat the dark doubts malice and moves in your throat so now we're actually starting to see a growing discomfort the legs are feeling stiff the cold has been personified as if it's biting through their coat and the Sun seems to be choking them so we have this growing discomfort so again I think
• 08:00 - 08:30 that's building tension as well for the the readers wondering what's going to happen to this so this poor child but again they're still very very confident it's time to get to let them know that you're the winner see that positive tone push off the sacks and curl and stretch that's better out of the shed and call to them I've worn here I am coming on up I've caught you so we've got a game positive tone we've got exclamations I've worn they're
• 08:30 - 09:00 still very very enthusiastic so I would argue up until this point the tone is still very very positive even though we've seen a building of tension and suspense the persona has been very confident as for short up until this point and then they come out but what happens the darkening garden watches nothing stirs the bushes hold their head the Sun is
• 09:00 - 09:30 gone yes here you are but where are they who sought you so there's a very sudden change in tone here we have the darkening of the garden which helps build tension and increases the sense of isolation the garden is personified to be watching them so that also creates this sense of vulnerability as well as if the environment is actually quite threatening to them the short sentence which I haven't annotated please do and again like I said before I think just
• 09:30 - 10:00 helps emphasize the stillness of the of the environment and creates quite a kind of eerie atmosphere the bushes hold their breath so that's a game personification but she's holding their breath almost sounds like the bushes are waiting for something bad to happen so it's quite an ominous feeling there as well and finally they end on a question but where are they who sought you so I think it's obvious to the reader now that they the children that were playing
• 10:00 - 10:30 I've gone home they've left in all her but the question shows suddenly uncertainty from this persona and we haven't seen that before we've only seen great confidence from them and so this offers a contrast these this final question really contrasts with earlier on where they're saying things like they'll never find you I'm the winner and the question is also unanswered and I think that helps emphasize the great
• 10:30 - 11:00 loneliness that they feel at the end of this poem so form and structure it's free verse as you can see there the lines of an equal there isn't a clear rhyme scheme either so I think an inconsistency of the poem you could argue represents the uncertainty that they feel towards the end a kind of the uncertainty of the game itself that you never quite know when you're going to be found and
• 11:00 - 11:30 because why did Scannell use one stanza I think it's to help increase the tension gradually if the stanzas if there are multiple standards with that tension break a little so I think it's this to represent this one moment of rising tension and I would argue that the valta which means the turning point or the change in tone is from this point here that I've highlighted the darkening garden because even though there's rising tension almost from the beginning
• 11:30 - 12:00 especially like from the salty dark onwards I would argue that the child the persona is still extremely confident their tone is still very positive and self-assured and it's not until we get to this point when they jump out that they realize that they're on their own and they actually feel really quite scared so the theme is you could argue negligence childhood and obviously the innocence that links with that loneliness would be a great one to look
• 12:00 - 12:30 at especially the use of cold and and darkness and the internal dialog as well but you could also look at this and as a symbol of Cana the ironies in life is this really just about a game of hide-and-seek or does this relate to just things in life even if you're older do you ever work really hard at something and all think you're really good at something you don't get the
• 12:30 - 13:00 result that you want for example have you ever revised really really diligently for a exam and left the exam thinking smash there I'm gonna get full marks and then you haven't got a very very good grade this could represent that moment of that kind of positive tone and that self-assuredness and then that chain that sudden change when you realize oh god I I wasn't as good as I thought I was