The persona is a young boy who is asking his mother what happened to his sister Lulu. He notices that Lulu's bed is empty except for an old rag doll and shoe, her window is open, and her money box is missing. When he asks his mother questions about Lulu, she avoids answering and tells him things he heard the night before were just a dream. The boy is confused about what happened to Lulu and why his mother is acting strangely.

1. What has
happened
to Lulu
BY CHARLES CAUSLEY

2. What has happened to Lulu, mother? (line 1)
What has happened to Lu? (line 2)
There's nothing in her bed but an old rag-doll (line 3)
And by its side a shoe. (line 4)
The persona, a young boy is asking his mother where his sister, Lulu is. He
says there is nothing on her bed except an old rag-doll and a shoe by its
side.
Stanza 1

3. Why is her window wide, mother, (line 1)
The curtain flapping free, (line 2)
And only a circle on the dusty shelf (line 3)
Where her money-box used to be? (line 4)
The persona is asking his mother why Lulu's window is open and her
money-box is missing.
Stanza 2

4. Why do you turn your head, mother, (line 1)
And why do the tear-drops fall? (line 2)
And why do you crumple that note on the fire (line 3)
And say it is nothing at all? (line 4)
The persona asks his mother why she is turning her head away and crying.
He asks her again why she crumples and throws the note into the fire and
tells him that nothing is wrong.
Stanza 3

5. I woke to voices late last night, (line 1)
I heard an engine roar. (line 2)
Why do you tell me the things I heard (line 3)
Were a dream and nothing more? (line 4)
The persona wants to know why his mother is saying that the voices and the
roar of an engine he heard are just a dream. The roar of an engine implies
that his sister, Lulu was driven away in a car.
Stanza 4

6. I heard somebody cry, mother, (line 1)
In anger or in pain, (line 2)
But now I ask you why, mother, (line 3)
You say it was a gust of rain. (line 4)
The persona heard somebody cry in pain or anger but his mother tells him
that it must have been the wind.
Stanza 5

7. Why do you wander about as though (line 1)
You don't know what to do? (line 2)
What has happened to Lulu, mother? (line 3)
What has happened to Lulu? (line 4)
The persona wants his mother to explain why she is confused and what has
happened to his older sister, Lulu.
Stanza 6

8. In this poem, the persona is the poet himself as a young boy. He tells us that
his older sister, Lulu is missing. Actually she has run away, but when he asks
his mother, she doesn't tell him what has happened. He sees Lulu's old rag-
doll on her bed and a shoe by its side. Her window is open and her money-box
is gone. When he asks his mother why she is crying and burning a note, she
says that is nothing. He is puzzled and asks her innocently what has happened
to Lulu, but she is silent. Then he tells her that he heard voices and a car late
at night, but she says that he must have been dreaming. Next, he says that he
heard somebody crying in anger or in pain, but she explains that it must have
been the rain. He is confused. He notices that she is confused too and wants
to know what has happened to his sister, Lulu.
Summary of the Poem

9. Place- persona's house
Time- late at night
Setting

10. Running away from home-
Running away from home doesn't solve our problems.
Importance of close family ties-
We must have a close relationship with our family members to discuss our
problems easily.
Coping with the loss of family member-
The loss of a family member affects everyone in the family.
Love for our family members-
We must love our family members.
Themes and Moral Values

11. wide- fully open
flapping- making something move from side to side or up and down often making
a noise
crumple- crush something into folds
note- a short informal letter
voices- sounds made through the mouth when speaking
roar- make a very loud, deep sound
gust- a sudden strong increase in the amount and speed
wander- walk slowly around without any sense of purpose or direction
Word vs Meaning

12. Who do you think Lulu is ?1.
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2. Give two pieces of evidence which indicate that Lulu has disappeared.
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3. In stanza 1, which sentence indicates bareness?
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4. How old do you think Lulu is? Give a reason
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5. How do you ascertain that Lulu is a girl? Give a reason
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Read the poem “What has happened to Lulu?” and
answer the following questions.

13. 6. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means “piggy bank”?
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7. In stanza 2, what does the phrase “used to be” mean?
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8. Why do you think the shelf where Lulu puts her money-box is dusty?
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9. Whose voices do you think the persona heard in stanza 4?
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10. In your opinion, what has happened to Lulu?
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Read the poem “What has happened to Lulu?” and
answer the following questions.

14. 11. If you were persona’s mother, would you tell the truth about Lulu’s
disappearance?
Decision : ---------------------------------------------------
Reason : -----------------------------------------------------
12. In which line indicates that the persona’s mother is crying?
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13. Why do you think Lulu left a note to her mother?
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14. How do you know the persona’s mother is trying to hide about Lulu’s
disappearance from the persona?
----------------------------------------------------
Read the poem “What has happened to Lulu?” and
answer the following questions.

15. 15. What does the sound imagery (roar) suggest?
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16. In stanza 4, which word in the poem means “loud sound”?
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17. Why do you think the mother told the persona that the things he heard
were a dream?
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18. Who do you think is the “somebody” who cried?
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19. Why do you think the mother told the persona “it was a gust of rain”?
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Read the poem “What has happened to Lulu?” and
answer the following questions.

16. 20. Identify a word in stanza 6 which means “go from one place to another
without any aim”?
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21. What does the use of term ‘Lu” instead of “Lulu” suggest in stanza 6,
line 4?
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22. The persona’s mom is sad because Lulu went missing. If you were the
persona, what would you do to persona’s mother to console her?
Advice 1 : -----------------------------------------------------
Advice 2 : -----------------------------------------------------
Read the poem “What has happened to Lulu?” and
answer the following questions.

17. Who do you think Lulu is ?1.
Lulu is the persona’s elder sister/ Lulu is a run-away teenager *
2. Give two pieces of evidence which indicate that Lulu has disappeared.
Evidence 1: The window is wide open/ There are only a shoe and a rag-doll left
in Lulu’s bed *
Evidence 2: The money-box is missing/ There is a car engine roar before she
disappears *
3. In stanza 1, which sentence indicates bareness?
There’s nothing in her bed but an old rag-doll
4. How old do you think Lulu is? Give a reason
I think Lulu is in her teens because she has a rag-doll *
5. How do you ascertain that Lulu is a girl? Give a reason
The persona refers to her bed in stanza 1 (line 1)/ Lulu is a girl name/ Normally a
girl would play with a rag- doll * ( any suitable answers ) *
Answers

18. 6. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means “piggy bank”?
Money-box
7. In stanza 2, what does the phrase “used to be” mean?
It means that it is normally where Lulu puts her things *
8. Why do you think the shelf where Lulu puts her money-box is dusty?
It is never/rarely be cleaned/wiped / Lulu has not cleaned her shelf for a long
time
9. Whose voices do you think the persona heard in stanza 4?
The voices could be Lulu’s and her mother
10. In your opinion, what has happened to Lulu?
Lulu runs away from home
( any suitable answers ) *
Answers

19. 11. If you were persona’s mother, would you tell the truth about Lulu’s
disappearance?
Decision : Yes
Reason : I want the persona to know the truth
Decision : No
Reason : I don’t want the persona to know the truth/
12. In which line indicates that the persona’s mother is crying?
And why do the tear-drops fall?
13. Why do you think Lulu left a note to her mother?
Lulu wants her mother knows why she wants to run away
14. How do you know the persona’s mother is trying to hide about Lulu’s
disappearance from the persona?
The persona’s mother tells that the things that he heard were a dream/ The
persona’s mother tells him that he heard the sound of rain, not a person’s cry
Answers

20. 15. What does the sound imagery (roar) suggest?
The roar of a car engine suggests “anger” or “dissatisfaction”
16. In stanza 4, which word in the poem means “loud sound”?
Roar
17. Why do you think the mother told the persona that the things he heard
were a dream?
The mother does not want to the tell the truth to the persona/ The mother
wants to hide something from the persona
18. Who do you think is the “somebody” who cried?
The mother
19. Why do you think the mother told the persona “it was a gust of rain”?
The mother does not want to the tell the truth to the persona/ The mother
wants to hide something from the persona
Answers

21. 20. Identify a word in stanza 6 which means “go from one place to another
without any aim”?
Wander
21. What does the use of term ‘Lu” instead of “Lulu” suggest in stanza 6,
line 4?
It suggests that the persona and Lulu is close to one another/ The persona
uses a term of endearment to refer to his sister
22. The persona’s mom is sad because Lulu went missing. If you were the
persona, what would you do to persona’s mother to console her?
Advice 1 : I would say that Lulu will come back sooner or later
Advice 2 : I would help mother to find Lulu together with her *
( any suitable answers ) *
Answers