Higher English - "In Mrs Tilscher's Class"

Themes of "In Mrs Tilscher's Class"

change/growing up, childhood

Stanza one:

"You could travel up the blue nile"
"a skittle of milk"
"the chalky pyramids rubbed into dust"
"The laugh of a bell swung by a running child"

Stanza two:

"This was better than home"
"Enthralling books"
"The classroom glowed like a sweetshop"
"Sugar paper. Coloured shapes. Brady and Hindley."
"the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake"
"Mrs Tilscher loved you."
"she'd left a gold star by your name"
"A xylophone's nonsense"

Stanza three:

"the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks"
"dunce"/"rough boy"
"You kicked himYou , but stared at your parents appalled when you got back home"

Stanza four:

"That feverish July, the air tased of electricity"
"A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot, fractious"
"under the heavy, sexy sky"
"Mrs Tilscher smiled then turned away"
"You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown"
"the sky split open into a thunderstorm"

"You could travel up the blue nile"

Word choice: the personal pronoun "you" invites the reader to reflect on their own experiences in primary school

"then a skittle of milk"

Metaphor/word choice: "skittle" suggests that the shape of a mundane milk bottle is also a game

"and the chalky Pyramids rubber into dust"

Word choice: "dust" suggests that the children through they were real
this statement also suggests that something ended or was lost, reflecting the later themes in the poem

"The laugh of a bell swung by a running child"

Personification: the joyful sound of a bell is personified as laughter, conveying the idea that school was a happy place
Word choice: "swung" and "running" suggest playfulness implying that the children were happy and carefree

"This was better than home."

Short sentence: firmly establishes the idea that school was an fun and enriching place to be

"Enthralling books"

Word choice: "Enthralling" is a complex words that suggests the children were absorbing information and learning a lot

"The classroom glowed like a sweetshop"

Simile: "like a sweetshop" is a common image that is used to convey the idea that a place triggers a child's interest and imagination

"Sugar paper. Coloured shapes. Brady and Hindley"

Sentence structure: the first two minor sentences detailing fun, innocent childhood objects dramatically contrast with the mention of two child killers, foreshadowing the fact that the children will soon have to face the horrors of the real world

"faded, like the faint uneasy smudge of a mistake"

Word choice: "uneasy" and "smudge" are gentle words which imply that mistakes aren't terrible things, conveying the healthy nature of Mrs Tilscher's class

"she'd left a gold star"

"gold star" is almost like magic

"A xylophones nonsense"

Personification: again conveys the fun and carefree nature of the children who aren't fully aware of how everything works

"the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks"

Metaphor: suggests that children, like tadpoles, grow up
Word choice: "commas" are less sophisticated punctuation compared to "exclamation marks" conveying the idea that the children have grown up and have become more complex

"dunce"/"rough boy"

Word choice: the choice of words to describe the children act school contrasts with the initial positive carefree portrayal of her classmates

"You kicked him but started at your parents, appalled, when you got back home"

Word choice: "kicked" and "appalled" conveys the narrators shock - the narrator is no longer sheltered and innocent

"That feverish July, the air tasted of electricity"

Word choice: "feverish" conveys a flustered agitated mood
Pathetic fallacy/metaphor: "the air tasted of electricity" suggests there is a new energy and excitement feeling the children

"A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot, fractious"

Word choice: "untidy" "hot" "fractious" suggests the children are beginning puberty

"under the heavy sexy sky"

Word choice/pathetic fallacy: "heavy" suggests the burden of their new knowledge "sexy" suggests their sexual awakening

"Mrs Tilscher smiles then turned away"

the narrator has been rejected by her favourite teacher

"You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown"

Word choice: the children who were once carefree and enthusiastic were now "impatient" and desperate to leave their childhood innocence behind

"the sky split open into a thunderstorm"

Pathetic fallacy: demonstrates the dramatic impact growing up has on a child - it can be dangerous and exciting