In ''Old Man, Old Man'' it expresses all the problems that people may encounter in old age, looking back into past life which he seemed to enjoy a lot, he is happy about his youth when he was in prime. The narrator compliments the old man, ''Lord once of shed, garage and garden'' which suggests that he may have been a handyman and being very good at what he did, the compliments may also be a kind of mockery, the narrator possibly a relative thinking that the old man took life too seriously, having ''World authority on twelve different sorts of glue''. This particular part of the poem does not mention many problems in his early years, except "Not good with daughters'', as to his old age when he is losing his sight and co-ordination, "Now his hands shamble among clues he left for himself when he saw better." none of which are mentioned in ''Warning''.
The views of old age in the two poems are very different to their earlier lives. In ''Warning'' the woman sees old life as freedom from all the troubles of her current lifestyle, causing mischief that she did not cause in her youth, "and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells". The woman is looking forward to her old age so she can do what she wants and not be held back by rules. Both of the poems mention holding onto things, possibly a stereotype of an old person, in "Warning" it says that she will ''hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes" maybe herself thinking that it is what old people do and she may mock them by doing it light-heartedly, whilst in "Old Man, Old Man" it has a rather more serious approach on keeping ''things in bottles with tacky labels'' which may be medicine that he has to take in his old age as he has problems coping. The two poems also mention the outside world in their old life, the woman would go out and cause trouble "And run my stick along the public railings" which futhermore indicates that she is looking forward to her old life, but due to the old man's problems in "Old Man, Old Man" he cannot go out as he is losing his sight and may not be able to find his way for example he is "missing crusted streaks of food on plates".
The mood of the two poems contrast greatly, "Old Man, Old Man" is a very moving poem about a man who has gone from being active and lively in his young life to being "self demoted in your nineties to washing up" and is possibly in the last years of his life, while "Warning" seems to have a very happy and fun mood to it, the woman is dreaming of all the things she has always wanted to do but has had to be "set a good example for the children". Altjhough the sadder of the two poems "Old Man, Old Man" seems to be the more realistic, as when people grow older they usually have problems and not as much energy as when they were younger. At the end of "Warning" there is a twist which says that she may to start to act the way she wants to now so that people "who know me are not too shocked and surprised".
In my opinion I would prefer to view old age as the view in "Warning" as it is a fun look on old age, causing mischief and just generally having fun. I also think that "Warning" has a more likeable character that just wants to be rid of all her problems and just unwind and be herself, while "Old Man, Old Man" does probably not want the problems he has the fact is that he does have them and I would rather not see old age as a complete misery. Another reason that I would prefer to see old age as the view in "Warning" is because I feel a bit sorry for the woman, who has had no fun in her youth and is almost forbidden to have fun in her middle-age as she is weighed down with problems but she wants to have fun in her old life when her children, assuming she that the "children" who she has to set a good example for are hers, have left home and she is free to do as she wishes whilst in "Old Man, Old Man" he has has a good youth but is now wishing he could go back.
