The Place’s Fault
By Phillip Hobsbawm
Another afternoon, after a rotten day at school
Hating this place, hating them, and feeling like a fool
Sweat on my fingers, pages dirty with smears
I stumbled up the street, still swallowing my tears
Held my head high in pride I walked on the hot concrete
I blinked out to the sunlight, exhausted from the heat
At the gate they stood. Same old looks thinking I chose to stay
I looked back with disgust. Shouted swear words and walked away
“****” they called me. “Freak!” they yelled and ran
It hurt and I didn’t understand. But I tried to keep it in as hard as I can
I didn’t want to seem weak. And that anger started to build up
I thought I was right, yet I was punished when I tried to make it stop
that’s when I knew, only I take care of myself but don’t get caught.
More anger and more violence. No other choice. It was the place’s fault
Time could not fix that, nothing could make these wounds heal
That’s just how they damage you, my innocence they did steal
There was nothing there for me. Nothing I haven’t had to learn.
Nothing I’d care to teach. A childhood lost with no return.
Summary of The Place’s Fault
- Popularity of “The Place’s Fault”: Written in heroic couplets with total of 18 verses, this poem “The Place’s Fault” by Phillip Hobsbawm, a popular British teacher, critic poet, is an interesting poetic piece about childhood and loss of innocence. The poem first appeared in the book of the same title The Place’s Fault, and Other Poems published by Macmillan in 1964. The popularity of the poem lies in the innocence emerging out of its verses as well as the thematic strands.
- “The Place’s Fault” As a Representative of Childhood Innocence: The speaker opens the poem with the afternoon when he says, the school day seems bad to him. He expresses his disgust for everything related to school as he has done some stupid things in the school, making the pages dirty and then stumbling in the street. After having some stumbles in the street, he sees some bullies to whom he curses and starts walking but they call him “Freak” which infuriates him. He could not understand the reason for his sudden hatred, yet he says that he has tried to cool down. After some time, however, he realizes that he is right in being angry. As anger has brought violence on that day, he thinks that it was the fault of the place as he was at the wrong place on that day. The day is passed and the place is gone but now nothing could heal that wound he got on that day. All he can say is that he cannot do anything except feel regret that his childhood was lost on that day.
- Major Themes in “The Place’s Fault”: Loss of childhood, old memory, and regret of the past are three major themes of the poem. The poem opens with the memories that the poet brings into his mind about that fateful day he calls “a rotten day.” He recalls that his day at the school was bad and then the bullies infuriated him so much that he lost his cool. He could have punished them and got beaten in return, the reason that he now feels regret as the wounds have refused to heal. He also thinks that there is only regret and nothing else to do, though, the regret is of the innocence of childhood lost on that day.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Place’s Fault”
The writers use different tools to bedeck their poetry such as literary devices. The analysis of these devices in the poem as given below shows this fact.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /a/ in “Another afternoon, after a rotten day at school”, /e/ in “hating them, and feeling like a fool” and the sound of /e/ in “that’s when I knew, only I take care of myself but don’t get caught.”
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words such as /s/ in “still swallowing”, /s/ in “Shouted swear words”, and /h/ in “haven’t had.”
- Anaphora: The poem shows the use of anaphora as the repetition of “Nothing I…” in the last two lines.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /t/ and /f/ in “Hating this place, hating them, and feeling like a fool”, /s/ and /m/ in “I stumbled up the street, still swallowing my tears” and the sound of /s/ and /d/ in “That’s just how they damage you, my innocence they did steal.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
Time could not fix that, nothing could make these wounds heal
That’s just how they damage you, my innocence they did steal
There was nothing there for me. Nothing I haven’t had to learn.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “Sweat on my fingers, pages dirty with smears”, “I blinked out to the sunlight, exhausted from the heat” and “And that anger started to build up.”
- Personification: The poem shows the use of place as if it is an animate object having committed a fault.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem has used the metaphors of the day that is like a rotten apple and tears that seem like some food to swallow.
- Similes: The poem shows the use of similes such as; And feeling like a fool
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Place’s Fault”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme that lasts until the end.
- Heroic Couplet: The poet shows the use of heroic couplet as every two verses rhyme with each other.
- Repetition: The poem shows the use of repetition such as “Nothing I…”, “Hating…”, and “stumbled at several places.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Place’s Fault” are relevant to use when teaching about childhood and loss of innocence.
That’s just how they damage you, my innocence they did steal
There was nothing there for me. Nothing I haven’t had to learn.
Nothing I’d care to teach. A childhood lost with no return.
