WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LULU ???

BY

CHARLES CAUSLEY

CHARLES CAUSLEY

Prize-winning poet, playwright and children's author Charles Causley was born in Launceston,

Cornwall, on 24 August 1917, and was educated at Launceston College and Peterborough

Training College.

He began writing plays in the 1930s including Runaway (1936) and The Conquering Hero (1937),

and served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, an experience he wrote about in

Hands to Dance: Short Stories (1951), a collection of short stories, and in his first two

collections of poetry, Farewell, Aggie Weston (1951) and Survivor's Leave (1953). Union Street:

Poems (1957) included poems from both collections and was published with an introduction by

the writer Edith Sitwell.

After the war he trained to be a teacher, teaching at the grammar school in Launceston, and

became literary editor of two BBC radio magazines, 'Apollo in the West' and 'Signature' (1953-6).

In 1954 and 1966 he was awarded Travel Scholarships by the Society of Authors. He served on

the Poetry Panel of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1962-6 and was awarded the Queen's

Gold Medal for Poetry in 1967. He later won a Cholmondeley Award (1971) and the Ingersoll/T.

S. Eliot Award (1990). In 2000 he was awarded the Heywood Hill Literary Prize.

Other poetry books by Charles Causley include the collections Johnny Alleluia: Poems (1961),

Underneath the Water (1968), Secret Destinations (1984), and A Field of Vision (1988), as well

as poetry written for children including Figgie Hobbin: Poems for Children (1970), Jack the

Treacle Eater (1987), winner of the Kurt Maschler Award, and The Young Man of Cury and

Other Poems (1991). He is also editor of, and contributor to, numerous poetry anthologies and

wrote the librettos to William Mathias' opera Jonah, and Phyllis Tate's St Martha and the

Dragon. Charles Causley was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1958, and a CBE

in 1986. He died on 4 November 2003.

What Has Happened to Lulu ? ( Subject Matter)

What Has Happened to Lulu? is a poem told in a child’s voice about his older sister running

away.

A child is asking his mother what has happened to his sister, Lulu. There is nothing in her room,

and her money-box has gone, with only an open window and an old rag-doll left behind. His

mother is crying and burning a note. He thinks he heard voices and a car in the middle of the

night, but his mother tells him he was only dreaming.

The poem is a ballad, written in four line stanzas where the second and fourth lines rhyme. This

regular and simple form seems appropriate for the voice of the narrator, which is of a young

child.

It is a first person dramatic monologue that is addressed to the mother of the narrator. It is

almost entirely written in questions, both reflecting the age of the speaker and his puzzlement

at what has happened to his sister. The form suggests the child’s innocence, while allowing the

reader to read between the lines and understand what has happened.

Imagery

The image of the abandoned bed is the main one, described by the child narrator. The inclusion

of childhood objects such as a rag-doll and a money-box emphasise the youth and innocence of

the run-away Lulu. They are contrasted with the roar of the car engine heard in the night and

the grown-up world that the narrator does not understand, emphasised by the constant

questions. The curtain can be seen as a metaphor for Lulu’s new freedom, contrasted by the

dust on the shelf that represents her previous life.

Sound

The doubling of the sound in ‘Lulu’, together with the high level of repetition of both the name

and its shortening in the poem, create a strong echo of the sound – which is also the rhymed

sound in the first and last stanza. This is quite a childish sound, and helps to create the plaintive

note in the child’s questioning.

The poem takes an approach that makes the reader work to figure out what has happened. We

have to piece together the clues given in the poem. This is in contrast to the apparent simplicity

of the poem provided by the ballad format and the child’s voice. Doing this also puts the reader

in the position of the child, who does not understand what is going on. We, like the narrator,

have more questions than answers. The tone is one of puzzlement.

What Has Happened to Lulu? deals with themes of grief and love. The mother is grieving over

her lost child. The fact that the child has run away does not make the grief less significant. The

confusion of the narrator about his or her parent’s reaction also tells us something about the

nature of grief.

The poem also considers how we deal with children, in dismissing what they have heard or seen.

The child narrator has some valid knowledge of what has happened, but his mother tells him he

dreamed it. The poem raises the question of how the child can react, when he has been told

nothing is the matter, when clearly it is. Ironically the mother does not know what to do, as the

final stanza makes clear.

Questions

What has happened to Lulu ?

What caused her to leave ?

Who cried ? Why, do you think ?

How did Lulu leave the house ?

What did she take with her?

How does the mother feel?

Who is the narrator of the poem?

What does the mother tell him/her? Why?

Activity 1 - Turn it into drama !

How can we turn this poem into a piece of drama ?

What characters are needed?

Where should we start ?

What happens?

Why does she go ?

Elements of the Poem

Setting

Persona

Moral Values Themes

Message

Tone and Mood

Language and Style

The Living Photograph

BY

Jackie Kay

Jackie Kay

Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1961 to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father. She was

adopted by a white couple at birth and was brought up in Glasgow, studying at the Royal Scottish

Academy of Music and Drama and Stirling University where she read English.

The experience of being adopted by and growing up withing a white family inspired her first collection of

poetry, The Adoption Papers (1991). The poems deal with an adopted child's search for a cultural

identity and are told through three different voices: an adoptive mother, a birth mother and a daughter.

The collection won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award, the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year

Award and a commendation by the Forward Poetry Prize judges in 1992.

Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1961 to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father. She was

adopted by a white couple at birth and was brought up in Glasgow, studying at the Royal Scottish

Academy of Music and Drama and Stirling University where she read English.

The experience of being adopted by and growing up withing a white family inspired her first collection of

poetry, The Adoption Papers (1991). The poems deal with an adopted child's search for a cultural

identity and are told through three different voices: an adoptive mother, a birth mother and a daughter.

The collection kay_jackiewon a Scottish Arts Council Book Award, the Saltire Society Scottish First Book

of the Year Award and a commendation by the Forward Poetry Prize judges in 1992.

The poems in Other Lovers (1993) explore the role and power of language, inspired and influenced by

the history of Afro-Caribbean people, the story of a search for identity grounded in the experience of

slavery. The collection includes a sequence of poems about the blues-singer Bessie Smith. Off Colour

(1998) explores themes of sickness, health and disease through personal experience and metaphor. Her

poems have appeared in many anthologies, and she has written widely for stage and television.

Her first novel, Trumpet, published in 1998, was awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize and was shortlisted

for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Inspired by the life of musician Billy Tipton, the novel

tells the story of Scottish jazz trumpeter Joss Moody whose death revealed that he was, in fact, a

woman. Kay develops the narrative through the voices of Moody's wife, his adopted son and a journalist

from a tabloid newspaper. Her books, Why Don't You Stop Talking (2002) and Wish I Was Here (2006),

are collections of short stories, and she has also published a novel for children, Strawgirl (2002). Her

collection of poetry for children, Red, Cherry Red (2007) won the 2008 CLPE Poetry Award.

Her novella, Sonata, was published in 2006; her book of poems Darling: New and Selected Poems in2007;

and her dramatised poem, The Lamplighter, in 2008.

Jackie Kay lives in Manchester. In 2006, she was awarded an MBE for services to literature.

Synopsis

The persona in the poem describes the grandmother in two different forms ; one as

seen in the picture when the persona was three years old and another image where

grandmother was aging and finally passed away. Grandmother’s image in the

photograph seems to be living vividly in the mind of the persona.

The persona seems to remember the grandmother’s image on the photo as the one

that cherished and remembered. The poem reminds a lot of people who made a

mark in our lives who have left us and how their memories linger in our minds

through simple things like a photograph. It tells us the people we love will live in

our minds in the ways we want to remember them.

THE POEM

My small grandmother is tall there, straight – back, white broderies anglaise shirt, pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun a kind, old smile round her eyes. Her big hand holds mine, white hand in black hand Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.

Stanza 1

The persona describes her grandmother in a photograph. The grandmother in the photograph looks tall and standing straight. She is dressed in a white embroidered lace blouse and matched with a pleated skirt. She wears flat shoes and her grey hair is neatly made into a bun. She is smiling kindly and holding the persona’s hands. The persona’s description of black and white hands shows that they are mixed race. The last line in the stanza suggests that despite her healthy look, grandmother’s death was near.

It was true after all; that look. My tall grandmother became small. Her back round and hunched. Her soup forgot to boil. She went to the awful place grandmothers go. Somewhere unknown , unthinkable

The persona’s reference to death in the first stanza is proven true when grandmother started to show the signs of aging. Her grandmother becomes smaller and with a hunched – back. The once strong and healthy grandmother has now become fragile and forgetful. Eventually she dies and goes to place beyond the person’s imagination.

Stanza 2

But there she is still, In the photo with me at three, The crinkled smile is still living, breathing.

The persona feels the grandmother’s presence whenever she looks at her photograph. The persona shows that she wants to remember her grandmother as how she was when the person was three years old where her grandmother was still healthy and strong.

Stanza3

THEMES

Remembering our loved ones through their memories

When looking at the old photographs the memories of family members’ who had passed on are positively recollected. As seen in the poem, the memories of the persona’s grandmother were brought back to live through the photograph which was taken when the grandmother was still alive. However, now that the grandmother has passed away, looking at the photograph brings back the good old memories the persona had with her grandmother.

Love all regardless age, colours and creed.

It can be seen in the poem that love is shown by persona to her grandmother, the vivid description of her grandmother’s smile reflects how much the persona misses and love her grandmother. On the other hand, Grandma loved her grandchild very much while she was alive despite there is a possibility that the grandchild was of a mixed parentage as she is of a different colour.

Death is part and parcel of life

Death is an inevitable part of life and we are unable to avoid it in the cycle of our lives. In the poem, the persona remembers how the aging process of her grandmother has deteriorated her health until she eventually passes away.

True love is unconditional

The love that the grandmother has shown towards the persona is something that the persona remembers. The love from the grandmother comes unconditionally regardless of age, colour, race and distance. Although the grandmother has gone to an 'unknown' place, the grandchild's love for her grandmother has never faded.

We must show our love towards our loved ones while they are alive

It is important for us to show our love towards our loved ones while they are still around as that will be a memory that will be taken with us for a long period of time.

We must accept the death of someone in the family and move on

Death is a part and parcel of live we cannot avoid it. We should let go someone who has passed away and instead of mourning their death, we should celebrate their lives and cherish the wonderful memories as a tribute to them.

We must respect the elderly

Our grandmother and grandfather have sacrificed a lot for the family and country. Therefore it is only fair for them to be shown some respect although at such age they may become senile, forgetful and unable to do their daily chores on their own.

MORAL VALUES

TONE AND MOOD

Tone Mood

Reflective The persona remembers how the grandmother was when the persona was three years old. She remembers how the aging process has affected her grandmother. In the last stanza, it could be seen that the persona wants to firmly remember her grandmother as healthy and sound woman.

Sad The persona is sad that the grandmother has passed away. Her sadness can be felt when she described her grandmother’s aging process

Nostalgic The nostalgic tone in the poem can be felt when the persona recalls the time spent with her grandmother. Her closeness to her grandmother is clearly portrayed in the poem and it creates a warm and loving bond between a grandchild and her grandmother.

Most probably the poem is set in the present day where the persona is looking at old photographs

and comes across a photograph that was taken with her grandmother when the persona was three.

Looking at the photograph reminiscences the fond old memories, now that the grandmother has

passed away and the persona has grown up.

SETTING

The poem is written in first person point of view. Most likely the poet herself is the persona in the

poem

PERSONA

The poet used a modern and free verse to write the poem; therefore it does not have rhyming or

rhythmic expressions. Besides, the language used in the poem is very simple and direct which helps

the readers to understand the poem better.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

•In the poem the grandmother is described so vividly that one can actually visualise very clearly how the persona’s grandmother would actually look like. In stanza one, grandmother's height, posture, clothes and shoes are described very effectively which help the readers to visualize the persona's grandmother.

IMAGERY

•The line which says “ Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye” is a metaphor where the persona is actually trying to tell that the grandmother is going to die after having taken their pictures together.

METAPHOR

•There are few personified expressions found in this poem :

• Her soup forgot to boil – refers to how grandmother has become forgetful

• The crinkled smile is still living, breathing – refers to how lively the grandmother’s smile was.

PERSONIFICATION

•The photograph in the poem represents the memories of the grandmother which was treasured by the persona. SYMBOLISM

Literary Devices

1 MLASL YM ATMOEGRDHRN

2 GIENALSA EIBRDORE SITHR IETWH

3 SIKRT ELTPEDA

4 ILINVG IS SIELM ITSLL KILNCDER

5 OT FOGORT OUPS BLOI ERH

6 ADHN IMEN GBI EHR LSDHO

7 EM OHOPT THREE TA HWIT HTE IN

8 HTORMDNERAG ASMLL ALTL AEBCEM

9 HHUEDCN KBCA UNDOR NAD

10 NADH LCBAK IN WIEHT

11 IHANNKETLBU WSOEHMERE UNNOKNW

12 SLEIM EEYS ODRUN LDO REH

13 OG PCEAL AWULF DMRHGTRESOAN OT EWTN HET

14 SEYE HARSP REH LEBU

15 RTUE LAL RFATE SAW TI

16 THADE YEE KOLO EHR IN WNO

The phrases below are the lines in the poem ‘The Living Photograph’ by

Jackie Kay. Unscramble and rearrange the phrases in proper order.

ACTIVITY

1

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tall pleated skirt smile

straight – back flat shoes sharp blue eyes

white broderie anglaise shirt grey bun

white hand

small forgetful round and hunched

Using the words and phrases below write a description of the persona’s

grandmother in the photograph. ACTIVITY 2(A)

ACTIVITY 2(B) Use the words below to describe the persona’s aging grandmother.