WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LULU

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMME DURING
MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER 2020
PPD KUALA PILAH

POEM:
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LULU

What Has Happened To Lulu? I woke to voices late last night,

What has happened to Lulu, mother? I heard an engine roar.

What has happened to Lu? Why do you tell me the things I heard

There's nothing in her bed but an old Were a dream and nothing more?

rag-doll

And by its side a shoe. I heard somebody cry, mother,

In anger or in pain,

Why is her window wide, mother, But now I ask you why, mother,

The curtain flapping free, You say it was a gust of rain.

And only a circle on the dusty shelf

Where her money-box used to be? Why do you wander about as though

You don't know what to do?

Why do you turn your head, mother, What has happened to Lulu, mother?

And why do tear drops fall? What has happened to Lu?

And why do you crumple that note on

the fire

And say it is nothing at all? Charles Causley

OVERVIEW

 The poem is about a boy questioning
his mother about the disappearance
of his sister. The questions are related
on what he sees around him as a
younger brother.

 The mother keeps herself in silent and
the situation ends with unanswered
inquiries of the boy.

Stanza 1

 It starts with the question from the persona,
asking his mother about the empty sister’s
room

 The persona sees an old rag-doll on the bed
 It shows that his sister, Lulu left the house by

letting go the things that she love (rag-doll)
 Old rag-doll = a girl’s toy (owned by Lulu)

Stanza 2

 The persona asks his mother about the open
window and the missing of the money-box

 This stanza explains that Lulu took away her
saving and escaped the house using the
window

 The persona is curious because Lulu did not
use the door to go out from the house

 Dusty shelf = Rarely used room

Stanza 3

 The persona is curious of the situation of
Mother because of tears drop fall (crying)
and she crumples that note (frustration)

 He keeps on asking but Mother kept on
being silent.

 It shows that the boy is trying to console his
mother by asking her problem and situation

 The persona is being emphatic (concern)

Stanza 4

 The persona is recalling his memory of last
night when he listened to “an engine roar”
and “voices”, but his Mother said that it was
just a dream.

 The persona believes that Lulu ran away
with someone in the middle of the night.

 The persona is seeking the information of
his sister’s situation

Stanza 5

 Other that the sound in Stanza 4, the persona
heard someone’s crying too.

 He wants to know about the feeling and the
real deal that happened between Mother and
Lulu

 The Mother denied any negative situation and
said that “it was a gust of rain”

 The persona tries to be helpful and being a
good listener

Stanza 6

 The persona believes that Mother knew
what happened to his dear sister Lulu

 But the Mother refused to share the
situation with his son, the younger brother of
Lulu

 The level of curiosity of the persona can be
seen with the repetition of question “What
has happened to Lulu, mother” at the end of
the line

Vocabulary

 Find the synonym of these words:
- money-box
- Rag-doll
- Dusty
- Roar
- Crumple
- Gust

Subject Matter

 The poem is explaining the
situation of a girl who runs away
with her boyfriend.

 The notification of the situation
is clearly explained by reading
the inquiries of her younger
brother.

Purpose

To help students read the
information by “reading between
the lines”

The questions of the boy help
us to understand the situation
better.

Emotion/ Tone

While reading the poem, we can
sense the “curiosity” of the
younger brother.

The questions from the brother
are short, clear and direct.

Craftmanship

 Structure = The poem consists 6
stanzas with 4 lines per stanza

 Language = Simple and Direct
 (a tone of a boy)

 Imagery = Vivid (old-rag doll, dusty
shelf, crumple note)

Craftmanship - cont

 Movement

The poem is flat with no melancholic tone
as the inquiries from the boy are clear
and direct to ask for clarification from the
mother.

The Questions

1. Who do you think Lulu is?
2. In stanza 1, which line indicates

bareness?
3. In stanza 2, which word means “piggy

bank”?
4. In which line indicates that Mother is

crying?
5. How old do you think Lulu is?

The Questions

6. Why do you think the shelf where Lulu
puts her money-box is dusty?

7. In your opinion, what has happened to
Lulu?

8. Why do you think Lulu left a note to
Mother?

9. If you were the persona, what would you
do to console Mother? Why?