U. A. Fanthorpe’s “Half-past Two” presents the concept of time through the eyes of a child. Time is a concept for some. For others, it is a source of measurement. For those who detest it, it is the Eternal vanquisher and the Universal enemy of beauty. Here the poet puts forward the notion of Time as viewed by a child, who does not actually comprehend the idea of time. It also explores the psychology of a child who is too small to understand his mistake juxtaposed against a callous teacher who ticks him off for something beyond his comprehension.

The style of the poet and his stylistic histrionics are reminiscent of Dylan Thomas, when he asserts :”Once upon a schooltime.” Note that the words ‘school’ and ‘time’ are compounded to imply how intricately that part of time was linked with school. It may also point to the little kid’s notion of time, for whom activity defined time, and was not bothered about time guiding his activities. Once upon a time, the child had did “Something Very Wrong.” The capitalization of the word exemplifies the gravity of the mistake of the kid that is blown out of proportion for his age .…