Consider the impact of the last few liens of a poem you have studied, referring closely to the language of the whole poem, examine how well these lines act as a conclusion to the whole poem. Afternoons by Philip Larkin.
AFTERNOONS Consider the impact of the last few liens of a poem you have studied, referring closely to the language of the whole poem, examine how well these lines act as a conclusion to the whole poem. In the poem "Afternoons" by Philip Larkin the closing lines are an effective conclusion top the poem as a whole. The closing lines conclude the fact that young mothers are being repressed by society and that they are being forced into a dull joyless life. 'Afternoons' is based around young mothers looking after their children. The pressures of society have forced them into marrying young and having children. Due to this they have lost all the joy in their lives and are settling down into a dull meaningless life. The closing lines of afternoons state that "Something is pushing them To the side of their own lives" This effectively concludes the poem as it refers closely to the poems main theme which is developed throughout the poem. The last lines sum up the fact that the pressures of society have forced the mothers into the dull lives that they are currently living. The idea that the young mothers have lost their lives is developed through the whole of the poem. It is effectively introduced in the opening lines of the poem where the poet states "Summer is fading Leaves fall in ones and twos, from Trees bordering the recreation ground" Summer is a metaphor for the
'Here' by Phillip Larkin; an analytical study
Phillip Larkin - Here Larkin's "Here" is a poem written in a present continuous style where it describes a train journey. Larkin starts in the midst of "rich industrial shadows" and ends in "unfenced existence" Each of the four eight line stanzas take the reader on a journey exploring the poets reaction to the surroundings that the train passes through. The title gives a sense of immediacy and validity, it lends to the image that the poet writes the poem in the train whilst he is travelling, as if he is documenting what he observes as and when it happens. To create a sense of movement Larkin uses the word "swerving" This word opens the first stanza by suggesting movement but also direction, "swerving east", In this stanza we discover that the poet is moving away from a large town or city as evidenced by the words "from rich industrial shadows and traffic all night north.;" The lines "swerving through fields...", "harsh-named halt...", and "workmen at dawn;" make it clear that the poet is on a train. The word swerving is used again to continue the movement of the poem that began in the first line. The "harsh-named halt" is a station stop and the "workmen at dawn" are arguably the workers who build and maintain train tracks. The negative beginning of the first stanza becomes a positive end as the poet reaches countryside. The poet swerves again but this time he is
Larkin's biographer Andrew Motion claims that the 'Whitsun Weddings' "Tackles the big issues in the language of ordinary speech". Explore the themes and language of Larkin's poetry with reference to these observations.
Larkin's biographer Andrew Motion claims that the 'Whitsun Weddings' "Tackles the big issues in the language of ordinary speech". Explore the themes and language of Larkin's poetry with reference to these observations. I agree with Larkin's biographer Andrew Motion that the Whitsun Weddings tackle the big issues in the language of ordinary speech. There are several poems that I have selected to display the themes and language of Larkin's poetry. These poems are: "Mr.Bleaney","MCMXIV" and "Sunny Prestatyn". I will begin by looking at the poem 'Sunny Prestatyn'. This poem deals with the reality of life today. Larkin describes how an alluring and provocative image of a girl on an advertising poster has been and defaced. The language used by Larkin to describe this image backs up what Andrew Motion has claimed. "...she was slapped up one day in March. ...huge tits and a fissured crotch... ...a tuberous cock and balls." Larkin's shocking choice of diction has reflected the shocking theme of the poem and of the defacement of the poster. The language used by Larkin in stanza two is more violent and coarse than stanza one. The slang language used Larkin to describe how the girl had been defaced such as: "huge tits" and "a tuberous cock and balls" reflects the language of everyday ordinary speech. Other words throughout the poem such as 'scrawls' and 'snaggle' are used as
Larkin explores the gap between romantic yearning and disillusioned pragmatism in the lives we lead. Examine what Larkin has to say about this gap in a choice of poems from The Whitsun Weddings
Larkin explores the gap between romantic yearning and disillusioned pragmatism in the lives we lead. Examine what Larkin has to say about this gap in a choice of poems from “The Whitsun Weddings” Philip Larkin wrote to engage his reader in the downsides and apparent depression of a post-war period in which aspirations and hope were high, as well as the romantic yearnings which seemed to be present in the majority of the population. Larkin wrote to explore the gulf between what we expect out of life and what he viewed as what we all have to at some point come to terms with, the disappointment and disillusionment that is life. Andrew Motion states that “Larkin mirrors and vitalises a continual debate between hopeful romantic yearnings and disillusioned pragmatism.” This of course refers to the gulf that Larkin writes about so much as well as the continuous debate that goes on between these yearnings for something better and the dreariness of reality. The poem “Sunny Prestatyn” is a good example of Larkins attempt to explore the gap between the grand illusions of happiness, individuality and fulfilment and the realities of these things themselves. “Sunny Prestatyn” seems to comment on the superficial society that has begun to emerge in the post war period as well as the false hope of life itself which is trying to be sold to the public through a typical
In Philip Larkins poem, This Be the Verse, he uses strong language to get across his message of that no one should have children.
October 3, 2011 This Be the Verse Commentary In Philip Larkin's poem, "This Be the Verse," he uses strong language to get across his message of that no one should have children. The title already gives hints to the attitude of this poem. The title "This Be the Verse" sounds like the Larkin is stating that this is the guide that we should all live by. Specifically, "verse" gives off a very biblical feeling making it sound official and used by people centuries ago. Also the defined article "the" before "verse" adds seriousness to the title. As for the form, from the first stanza it is already evident that there is an alternating rhyme scheme and that each stanza has four lines. In addition, the stanzas are short and simple which makes it very child like. Larkin perhaps made them short in order to get his message across to the reader. If there is more text, the message would not be as clear and easy to find like in this poem. The first line of this poem, starts out with an altered syntax. It sounds as if Larkin is starting in the middle of his thoughts and just wrote it on the piece of paper without much thought. In addition he uses a swear word. This immediately grabs the attention of the reader. Depending on the type of reader, some may think that this is offence that he is using such language, however, others may think that he is revolutionary for using the work in
Larkin has often been regarded as a hopeless and inflexible pessimist. In the light of the 'Whitsun Weddings' how true is this statement?
Larkin has often been regarded as a hopeless and inflexible pessimist. In the light of the 'Whitsun Weddings' how true is this statement? This statement is true to some extent, however, Larkin is regarded as this pessimistic writer of poetry because he is a realist poet. In his work Larkin focuses on intense personal emotion but strictly avoided sentimentality or self-pity, therefore this would create a pessimistic view on his work. Most of Larkin's poetry is very observational and provincial, and his feelings of failure could have affected this. The death of his mother was the main foundation of his depression however in January 1942 he failed an army medical examination due to bad eyesight. He was therefore deemed unfit for military service. This could have affected his depression, so as to outline a motive for his pessimistic poetry. Having saying this, the amount of positive successes' in Larkin's life out numbers the failures. Accolades were granted Larkin in 1965 for his major work on 'The Whitsun Weddings'. The Arts Council Triennial Award for poetry and the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry. The 'Whitsun Weddings' contains many pessimistic poems, 'Nothing to be said' being one of the most opinionated poems in the collected works. The poem starts off by means of criticism. "Cobble-close families", "nuclear family", these quotes create images of cramped terrace
How is the idea of love presented in Broadcast by Phillip Larkin?
How is the idea of love presented in ‘Broadcast’ by Phillip Larkin? Larkin presents the love as something which is easily defeated by time and death. In his poems he emphasises how love changes over time and is ultimately destroyed, however, Dannie Abse, emphasises the power of love and when it is faced with challenges, it only becomes stronger. ‘Broadcast’ by Larkin, the only love poem he admits to writing, portrays a more realistic yet negative concept of love. For example, ‘I think of your face among all faces’, the simple language used emphasises his yearning for her. The simple language also reflects his desire; her. This is especially effective because ‘among all faces’ he only thinks of her, which shows she is always on his mind; he is truly in love with her. Further into the poem he compares her to music –‘Beautiful and devout before cascades of monumental slithering’- doing this highlights how pure and simple she and their love is to him. This simplicity makes their love seem more beautiful because they only need each other. ‘I lose all but the outline of the still and withering leaves on half-emptied trees’ – the enjambment used after ‘withering’ emphasises the word and implies that their love is threatened by time. Larkin uses natural imagery with the idea that leaves wither just as love withers. His perceives love as something
Theme of religion in Philip Larkin's Church Going
Church Going Philip Larkin's Church Going reflects upon the place of churches in society and how they will last. Larkin bases the poem on his experience when visiting a church. Throughout the poem, Larkin moves towards a general, universal statement: religion will survive, even after churches fall into disrepair. In the poem, the narrator initially identifies the deterioration of churches. Larkin's word choice in stanzas 1: "brownish", "musty" and "sprawlings" give the impression of something uncared for. Brownish and musty , in particular suggest decay. Sprawlings connotes spread out in a disordered fashion. The negative description of the church shows the narrator's first impression. Larkin's description of the poor condition of the churches progresses to show his lack of admiration for churches. Larkin in "Church Going" puts forth the view that he is unimpressed by churches. He describes them as "another church" : it's the same as the others and there is nothing that makes it stand out. While musing whether the church's roof is new or been cleaned Larkin says: "Someone must know: I don't ". This is very dismissive. The narrator does not appreciate the cosmetic effort. The narrator also talks about donating money to the church and draws the conclusion that "the place was not worth stopping for". Larkin struggles to understand the significance or the importance of
What points about the quality of life are made in 'Days' by Philip Larkin and 'What Is Our Life' by Walter Raleigh? In what ways are they similar?
WHAT POINTS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE ARE MADE IN 'DAYS' BY PHILIP LARKIN AND 'WHAT IS OUR LIFE' BY WALTER RALEIGH? IN WHAT WAYS ARE THEY SIMILAR? 'Days' by Philip Larkin and 'What is our Life' by Sir Walter Raleigh are two similar poems separated by many years. 'Days' is a modern-day poem by Philip Larkin. It is short and simple. It talks about the quality and duration of life. It begins by asking the question of 'what are days for?' The reply to this suggests that days represent place as well as time: 'Days are where we live' Days are repetitive, and seemingly endless. 'Time and time over' The poet then answers his question at the start. 'They are to be happy in' He is saying that days are meant to be happy but often they are not. He then asks the meaning of life. 'Where can we live but days?' He does not answer that question himself but instead says that: 'Ah, solving that question Brings the priest and the doctor' To solve this problem we need a priest and a doctor. The doctor represents the physical problems in life, and the priest represents the spiritual aspect. The long coats in the next line symbolise expertise. The fact that priest and doctor are at the end of the poem suggest that these are the last people we see in our life. 'What is our Life?' is a 16th century poem written by Sir Walter Raleigh. It says that life is a brief play which we all
Remind yourself of the last poem in the book: ‘An Arundel Tomb’.To what extent do you agree with the view that in terms of subject matter and style, this poem is an appropriate ending to the whole collection?
Remind yourself of the last poem in the book: 'An Arundel Tomb'. To what extent do you agree with the view that in terms of subject matter and style, this poem is an appropriate ending to the whole collection? The 'Whitsun Weddings' are a collection of poems written by Phillip Larkin that take you on an emotional, thought provoking rollercoaster ride as he describes the everyday things that he sees around him and in his own unique way brings them to life through his poetry. Possibly because he is unimpressed by the concept of mass consumerism: refusing to even buy himself a television until the 1970's. Larkin can be cruel in his portrayal of the 'cut-price' crowd and their 'cheap suits, ... red kitchen ware and sharp shoes.' Ably and uniquely using a variety of language tools to give his poems vibrancy, for example using alliteration to emphasise his subject 'ships up street, the slave museum' and using one long sentence to signify the train track and train sounds. You are in no doubt that he is on a train which is an excellent way of starting a journey, both his own and the collection of poems. The last poem in the collection 'The Arundel Tomb' talks about a 'stationary voyage' in which 'The earl and his countess lie in stone'. I feel that the enduring nature of the stone carving and the relationship between the earl and the countess demonstrates that after death there
