The Poet: Charles Causley

Born on 24th August at Launceston in Cornwall

Alma Mater:
Launceston College
Peterborough Training College

Died on 4th November 2003, at the age of 86

Awards:
Queen’s Medal 1967 (Poetry)
The Commander of the British Empire (CBE) 1986
Heywood Hill Literary Prize 2000
1
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
2 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?
3
Why do you turn your head, mother,
And why do the tear-drops fall?
And why do you crumple that note on the fire
And say it is nothing at all?
What Has Happened to Lulu?
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?
4
I heard somebody cry, mother,
In anger or in pain,
But now I ask you why, mother,
You say it was a gust of pain
5
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?
6
by Charles Causley
 “rag-doll” “The curtain flapping free”
(Stanza 1, Line 3) (Stanza 2, Line 2)
 “crumple that note
“money-box” “tear-drops fall”
on the fire”
(Stanza 2, Line 4) (Stanza 3, Line 2)
(Stanza 3, Line 3)
 “an engine roar” “a gust of rain”
(Stanza 4, Line 2) (Stanza 5, Line 4)
 The poem consists of 6 stanzas

Each stanza has 4 lines

The rhyme scheme of the poem is abcb. This means that the second line rhymes
with the fourth line in each stanza

The poem uses simple language and some repeated phrases

 The poem is about a child asking his mother what has happened to his sister,
Lulu. However, his question is left unanswered.

The reader has to piece together what has happened using the child’s questions
as clues.

The poem implies a tragic event which leaves the mother shocked and sad, and
the child puzzled and anxious.
 1
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

The child is asking his mother what has happened to his sister, Lulu.

There is nothing on her bed but an old rag doll and a shoe.

Personal analysis:

“a shoe” suggests that the sister has left in a hurry.

 2
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?

The child continues to ask his mother why the window is wide open, leaving the
curtain flapping in the wind.

A circle on the dusty shelf indicates the money-box is missing.

Personal analysis:

Lulu has perhaps run away, taking some money with her.
 3 Why do you turn your head, mother,
And why do the tear-drops fall?
And why do you crumple that note on the fire
And say it is nothing at all?

The child asks his mother why she turns her head away.

The persona’s mother cannot hide her feelings of sadness and loss.

His mother sheds tears of confusion and crumbles a note on the fire and assures the
persona nothing is wrong.

Personal analysis:

The mother wants to protect the child from the unpleasantness of the situation.
 4 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?

The child hears voices and the sound of an engine at night but he is told they are part
of a dream.

Personal analysis:

An argument had taken place which could result in Lulu’s running away.
 5
I heard somebody cry, mother,
In anger or in pain,
But now I ask you why, mother,
You say it was a gust of pain

The child presses on and tells his mother that he heard someone crying last night but
he is not sure if it is in anger or pain.

The child asks his mother the reason but his mother replies that it was just the rain.

Personal analysis:

The mother’s refusal signifies that she may feel a sense of guilt over what has
happened. Perhaps, she had an argument with Lulu which led her to run away.
 6 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?

The child cannot understand why his mother looks helpless and does not know what
to do about the situation.

Personal analysis:

The mother is still in shock.

 Lulu’s room
Place
The sitting
Setting room

Time Morning
 Concern
Tone
Anxiety
Puzzlement
Mood Sombre
Sad
Loss • A mother has lost her daughter.
• A child has lost his sister.

Grief
• The mother grieves for her lost daughter.
• Evidences: wander about as though you don’t know
what to do and tear-drops fall

• The child seems to be very concerned about his sister

Love
and is continuously asking about her.
• The mother is dismayed when Lulu runs away and is
protective of her younger child, which is why she
refuses to answer his questions.
Moral Values
Good communication
is vital

Behave rationally

Honesty is the best

policy