With close reference to two poems you've studied, show how specific places provide Betjeman with poetical inspiration.

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Emily Shallcross

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With close reference to two poems you’ve studied, show how specific places provide Betjeman with poetical inspiration.

Betjeman writes about a variety of places for example rural, urban, seaside etcetera.  The two poems I have chosen are Slough and Middlesex.  In contrast to Slough, Middlesex is more of a gentler poem, which evokes Betjeman’s memories of how rural Middlesex used to be.  Betjeman has no memories of Slough but knows he detests it.  In Slough Betjeman describe show fake the city is.  In Middlesex he tries recollect his memories of the village.  Slough seems to keep its rhythm throughout the poem where as in Middlesex the rhythm is fast but then slows down half way through.

One can clearly see that Betjeman does not like Slough as he says in the first line,

‘Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough

It isn’t fit for humans now,’

‘Friendly bombs’ is definitely a contrast because bombs cannot be friendly.  In this case the bombs are friendly because according to Betjeman Slough deserves to be bombed because it is so awful.  The verse has a jaunty rhythm.  Slough is not worth saving.   One can clearly see his hatred for Slough in the first verse.

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He wants the bombs to blow up Slough so there is nothing left mostly because of all the canteens, which serve tinned foods.  In the next verse, Betjeman is saying that we are becoming artificial because we are eating artificial food; there is no more fresh food to be eaten.  One can see this view in the next verse:

‘Come, bombs, and blow to smithereens

Those air-conditioned, bright canteens

Tinned fruit…

Tinned minds, tinned breath.’

He now has gone from talking about the town and now talks about the food sold in the city, how that’s changed from being ...

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