Comparing four or more poems, including those of Brian Pattern - Show how the poets present different attitudes towards relationship and comment on how they use language to express their feelings strongly.

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Hannah Savage

20th Century Poetry

Comparing four or more poems, including those of Brian Pattern. Show how the poets present different attitudes towards relationship and comment on how they use language to express their feelings strongly.

The world around you is full of relationships. Some good, some bad. A relationship can bring happiness and love whilst also bringing sadness and unpleasantness. Two people having emotional feeling for each other, sharing those feelings with comfort and pleasure, form a relationship. Many will say that a relationship is the best thing ever, whilst others may say it’s also the worst. When a relationship forms why does there always have to be a good and a bad part?

One of the poems I have studied is ‘this be the verse’ by Philip Larkin. It is about a child blaming everything that has happened to him on his parents. Larkin has expressed his feelings for a relationship by using the bitter and brutal word ‘fuck’. He chooses these choices of words to shock the readers and members of his family. When the poem was write in 1960 the word ‘fuck’ would have been even more offensive than it is now. Ask yourself why call the poem ‘this be the verse’? Larkin uses the word ‘be’ to get his point across on relationships. Using the word ‘be’ makes his opinion a fixed thing. Larkin’s uses of language in this poem sets out the pessimistic image that your parents destroy you. You can tell that him and his parents have never really got along by the quote: ‘they fuck you up your mum and dad’. Larkin is applying that your parents mess you up when he states ‘they may not mean to but they do’. He also sets up the image of hatred by using the rhythm to bang in an effect of anger. The rhythm is bouncy and contracts with the message. Having said that it also depends on your mood when reading the poem. Larkin obviously had a disruptive childhood by the tone and the mood of his poem. ‘Add some extra just for you’. Larkin dents the ironic image by implying he is ashamed of his parents and their parents.

The second verse sets up the impression that Larkin might have changed his mind about his parents as the first word is ‘but’. However I was wrong he carries on throughout the verse ‘slagging off’ his parents and grandparents by saying ‘by fools in old style hats and coats’.

On verse three he still hasn’t changed his mind about his distraught childhood and his hatred towards his parents. ‘It deepens like a coastal shelf’ Larkin explains that his hurt and hatred built up and deepens more every time he got hurt. Larkin obviously cannot forget about this childhood and forgive his parents for the way he has turned out. He states ‘get out as early as you can’. Larkin gets the impression across the only way to stop you tuning out like you family is to kill yourself. ‘This be the verse’ is a misanthropic poem. Does this mean that Philip Larkin agrees with Sartre, that hell is other people?

My opinion towards this poem is that the poet, Philip Larkin is cruel and bitter towards his parents. He gives off the impression very clearly that he has no respect for his parents and grandparents what so ever. And it is very clear that he is not willing to forgive his parents for the way in which he has turned out. However his opinion is different than mine. I feel that the way you turn out has some effect on your parents. However most of it is up to you, by the way you choose to dot things and the way you choose to learn from your mistakes yourself.

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Another poem I have chosen to study is called ‘the sick equation’ written by Brian Patten. What is a healthy equation? One that works, that provides an answer. Patten is implying that the ‘sick equation’ is one that doesn’t work. Signifying that his parents don’t work well together. At the beginning of each poem ‘this be the verse’ and ‘the sick equation’ they both have a point of comparison. Both poets bring the image across that a relationship is a fixed and bad thing by Patten using ‘absolute’ and Larkin using ‘be’. Are both poets establishing the same message? ...

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