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Stanza 1
The persona is questioning her mother about the mysterious and sudden disappearance of Lulu. An
old rag doll and a shoe was left behind
Stanza 2
The persona saw that the windows are wide opened and the curtains are "flapping free" in the
wind. The persona also notice her money-box on the dusty shelf is gone.
Stanza 3
The persona asks the mother why she is hiding her tears. The mother crumples up a note (most
probably from Lulu) and throws it into the fire. Mother then tells her child that it is nothing at all. The
persona does not believe her.
Stanza 4
The persona tells that she was awakened by "voices late last night" and heard the sounds of an
"engine roar", probably a car starting up and being driven away. The mother lies that the child was only
dreaming.
Stanza 5
The persona insists that she had heard someone cry "in anger or in pain". The mother says it was
just "a gust of rain".
Stanza 6
Puzzled about the mother's distraught behaviour, the narrator wants to know why the mother
is pacing about, uncertain what to do. The use of "Lu" is an affectionate shortened form of "Lulu
SUMMARY
It is a poem told in a child’s voice about his older sister running away.
A child is asking his mother what has happened to his sister, Lulu. There is nothing in her room, and
her money-box has gone, with only an open window and an old rag-doll left behind. His mother is
crying and burning a note. He thinks he heard voices and a car in the middle of the night, but his
mother tells him he was only dreaming.
PERSONA
The ballad is recounted from the unlimited is either the younger sister or brother of Lulu
The persona is observant, inquisitive and precocious – asks question bout Lulu based on sharp
observation of Lulu’s room and the mother’s distraught behaviour.
Through the child’s voice, the reader is drawn to make intelligent conclusions about the drama
in the poem
Place
Lulu's room
The fireplace
Time
In the past
THEMES
2. Parent-child relationship
The mother and Lulu relationship could have been a tense and strained one.
Lulu is a rebellious teenager.
She dislikes her mother's restrictions on her freedom and emerging interest in
the opposite sex.
She keeps secrets from her mother.
The mother and narrator relationship is less dramatic.
The narrator is obedient and respectful to the mother.
The narrator loves the mother very much and observe her pain and distress.
Moral Values/Lessons
We must love our family members and appreciate them
Both parents and children should express love and appreciation in tangible and non-
tangible ways. This help to build a loving, united family.