Who wrote the poem What has happened to Lulu?

Answer 1

the poem was written by Charles Causley

Answer 2

I think this poem is about a girl called lulu who is the older sister if the writer who has run away. The poem is sad and it uses various ways of showing how the writer is feeling, by using rhetorical questions quite a lot in the poem 'what has happened to lulu mother'. This rhetorical question shows you that he must be really missing his sister or he must be getting worried if he had used it a lot. I chose to do this poem because I thought it would be quite easy to explain and I also thought it was an excellent poem.

In the first verse of the poem, the poet starts with a rhetorical question which is 'what has happened to lulu mother?' I think this is an effective way of starting the poem because you know that the poem s going to be about a girl called lulu. I thought this was quite unusual because in most poems that I have read they are either asking themselves the poem or the reader the question but, in this poem he is asking his mother the question. The writer follows this question with another question, 'what has happened to lulu?' I think this creates a sense of affection because, by repeating the question it tells you that the writer is missing his sister and cares for her and he also sounds desperate so he must be really missing his sister.

In the next verse you can tell that the girl lulu has runaway and that is why the poet is asking about her. I know this because, it uses rhetorical questions and alliteration like 'why is her window wide open mother?' and, 'the curtains flapping free, 'and only a dusty shelf where her money box used to be?' her window being wide open could mean that when she ran away she went out from her window instead of the front door. I thought the writer saying only a circle on a dusty shelf, where her money box used to be was the most striking sentence it says that when she ran away she must have taken money with her meaning that she might not be coming back home.

The following verse also starts with a rhetorical question and ends with a rhetorical question, 'why do you turn your head mother, and why do teardrops fall? And why do you crumble that note on the fire mother and say it is nothing at all? The sentence 'why do you crumble that note on the fire and say it is nothing at all,' is another idea that she has runaway because, it could be a note that she has wrote saying why she has runaway what had caused her to runaway. But lulu could have been kidnapped because it could have been a ransom letter saying that we have lulu give us money and we will give her back. I think the mother might be crumbling it because she hasn't got what their asking for or she cant afford it, or she is crumbling it out of anger or sadness.

In the proceeding verse It uses a lot personal pronouns and also at the end of the verse there is a rhetorical question, this verse is another thought that she has been kidnapped because, it say 'I woke to voices late last night and I heard and engine roar'. These voices could have been the voices of the kidnappers talking or commanding her to go to their car and I think they had a car because he heard an engine roar and that could be the car starting. Also I think the mother doesn't want to believe that anything has happened to lulu even though she knows that something has because, she has told the writer it was only a dream, 'why do tell me the things I heard where a dream and nothing more'. I also think that she doesn't want her son who is writing the poem to worry about lulu so she is lining to him that it was only a dream. However she could have runaway because, the engine roaring could have been a taxi that she had called late in the night and the voices could have been hers and the taxi man talking.

After this verse it shows how the mother is feeling and that lulu being missing is having an effect on her. It says in the poem 'I heard someone cry mother, in anger or in pain, but now I ask you why mother you say it was a gust of rain.' I think this shows that mother is upset and I think it was her who was crying because she is still making up lies by saying it was a gust of rain, so maybe the writer doesn't become worried or wonder why his mother is crying. Also the line I heard someone cry mother in anger or in pain is an affective line because, it tells you that lulu could have been kidnapped because why else would the mother cry in anger unless someone hasn't taken her daughter and she is angry with that person.

Answer 3

What has happened to Lulu? - Charles Causley

What has happened to Lulu, mother?

What has happened to Lu?

There's nothing in her bed but an old rag doll

And by its side a shoe.

Why is her window wide, mother,

The curtain flapping free,

And only a circle on the dusty shelf

Where her money-box used to be?

Why do you turn your head, mother,

And why do tear drops fall?

And why do you crumple that note on the fire

And say it is nothing at all?

I woke to voices late last night,

I heard an engine roar.

Why do you tell me the things I heard

Were a dream and nothing more?

I heard somebody cry, mother,

In anger or in pain,

But now I ask you why, mother,

You say it was a gust of rain.

Why do you wander about as though

You don't know what to do?

What has happened to Lulu, mother?

What has happened to Lu?

this poem is in a book called strictly private poetry book by charles causley page 34

hoped that helped good luck :)