Larkin uses a single sentence for his entire poem, and in each of the stanza’s the last words of lines four and eight ryhme. The use of loose verse resembles the long uneven lines introduced in the first line of the first stanza.
Futhermore the use of repetition of pessimistic lines supply an eerie afteglow tot he poem which suits it considering it is a poem based on the First World War.
The language of the poem is which could suggest that the poet is lost in imagination visualising the hazy glimpses or scenes of past. “Standing as patiently, As if they were stretched outside, The Oval or Villa park” and “moustached archaic faces” indicate, in a sense, the indifference of people towards the war.
All the men leaving England, to go to war in stanza two “shut shops, bleached names, dark-clothed children”, is used to, present a picture of routined life. In addition it could also be used to provide a metaphor for war.The point to note is that there is a marked hint of sadness in the presentation of this picture. Furthermore the description of urban and rural life can be termed as a symbolic and metaphorical description. Larkin’s objective behind this description is gloom and despair. Furthermore the fact that the children are named “after Queens and Kings”links back to the idea of pride oft he monarchy and pride in the nation.
Larkin introduces the loss of innocence as the people realise the extent of impact on the entire country due to the war. Different classes and communities are affected by the war “leaving the gardens tidy” and the “thousands of marriages lasting a little while longer” displays the immense innocence of naivety of the people in England in 1914.
Larkin creates a picture of how England was like before the war and hints at the change and loss. Larkin describes the queue at the recruitment office as a long line of “hats... on moustached archaic faces grinning as i fit were a ... lark” in the first stanza. The hats and moustaches were common for men at the time especially hats were seen as a formality at the time.
Larkin introduces the loss of innocence in the last stanza as the people realize the extent of impact on the entire English country. All clases and all communities are affected, no one seems to be spared.
Philip Larkin paints a picture for the reader in his poem. He uses his poem to illustrate the innocence and naivity of the reader.