'Then' takes us into the
middle of the story.
Creates a sense of
Drama.
'All the children' creates a religious tone.
The first two lines are simple. 'Went
to see Mr Samuel's electric lights'
makes it sound like a spectacle or a
show. This has connotations of
excitement.
'Camped' and 'filled with oil'
tell us that the children are
willing to stay a long time.
'Lamps filled with oil' is
ironic as the children are
bringing old technology to
see new technology.
'Waiting for sunset' is
ironic as the children are
waiting for dark in order to
see the light
The writer emphasizes a
dream-like feeling by using the
exotic colors of the later
evening-"yellow, orange"
The Title of the
story sounds like
something out of
a fairytale book.
The poem is written in free verse. This means that
there is no rhyme scheme and therefore no formal
rhythm, creating a dream-like, abstract mood.
'Grannie Patterson...crack' could mean that
the older generation isn't as comfortable
around electricity as the newer one, but it
could also mean that the whole community,
young and old is coming together to watch this
marvel that is electricity.
'Cable...sun' is a metaphor. It could signify a variety of
things: Electricity 'crossing out' natural light. 'Drawn' has
connotations of infancy, of the beginning of a great piece
of artwork, which could signify that this cable is the start of
an electric revolution in Cocoa Bottom. A cable isn't nearly
as colourful as the sun, which could symbolize how
electricity will take away from the natural beauty of Cocoa
Bottom.