Blond Boys

Blond Boys 

Blond boys is a contrasting poem about the kind 'classy mind' of Abse who is physically unattractive, and Eva Jones who is physically attractive but shallow inside, she prefers looks to personality.


Stanza 1

In Stockholm
I saw my first shy love hobble by
hand in hand with her small blond grandson.

This first stanza is just a description of Eva, In Stockholm could highlight her shallow attractions to men, it could be possible to believe that she has married someone wealthy who either lives or has a home out in Stockholm. The second line shows how much later this is, with it being his first love this would imply that it was in his youth whereas now she is 'hobbling' which could imply that she is old and has difficulty walking. The third line shows that she has raised a family and that the 'blond boys' attitude has passed down a generation because she is with her blond haired grandson.


Stanza 2

Eva Jones, remember me?
My acne. Your dimples.

This comparatively shorter stanza highlights the contrast in both of them. The first line is showing that Abse does not believe that she would remember something from a long time ago which he has 'remember me?'. The second line is where the contrasts become clear, Abse seems to regard himself as ugly by picking his worst feature which is his acne, whereas he chooses to pick her best feature which is her dimples.


Stanza 3

When you rode your important Raleigh bike
to school, your skirt high,
I held my breath.


The first line could be symbolic of her wealth because Raleigh bikes are expensive bikes and this implies that it is top of the range by being 'important. The next two lines show a sense of immaturity in Abse because he watches Eva ride past only so he can get a look at her legs which make him hold his breath is delight perhaps.


Stanza 4


With heroic intensity of a 15 year old,
dared by you, I climbed the glass-crowned wall
and stole Mrs Humphrey's summer apples.


This next stanza shows that their relationship that they have developed isn't particularly romantic but instead she seems to use him for her own personal gains. He seems very Naive to me at this point because he does not see the true meaning behind the relationship and he believes that this is what he must do to impress her.

Stanza 5

oh the forever of an August Sunday evening
when near the back door's delinquent scent
of honeysuckle, forehead to forehead
I searched your searching eyes.

This stanza is important because it is the point where Abse begins to make his intentions known to Eva. He has picked a romantic time and place 'an August Sunday evening' and we are made to believe that it is in some garden of some sort with the 'scent of honeysuckle'. The final line shows that she is not interested ' I searched for your searching eyes' . This shows that she is not interested because she is not looking at him.


Stanza 6

All the next week similitude's of love,
the jailer of reason,

Another relatively short stanza, the first line could be showing Abse's Naivety again because he believes that they are in love, the word  'similitude's'  could mean that it was like something which implies that he believes that they are in love which they are not.


Stanza 7

until plain as the prose of a synopsis ,
you bluntly said ( with impressive sighs)
'you have a beautiful classy mind
but I find you physically unattractive -
and I prefer, um, blond boys besides.'

 Here it is made obvious how vain Eva is, she does appreciate Abe's ' beautiful classy mind'. But no matter how hard he tries she finds him unattractive. This seems to remain throughout her life until Abse's chance meeting later on in life when he sees her with her blond grandson.

I believe that one poem that links with this is Wild oats which is about Larkins previous love in The Bosomy English Rose.















































































3

Cricket Ball

Cricket Ball is a poem written in 1935 about a Cricket match that Abse went to in 1935.


Stanza 1

Stanza 1 describes how he went to see Glamorgan play Cricket and how that his favorite player was Slogger. He describes how he likes him because he is different to other players and is not the most famous player there.

Stanza 2 & 3

When the first mentioned ball is struck, it is symbolic of change in the poem because pathetic fallacy is used to describe the sudden strike of the ball for six. "and suddenly the sound of summer". This could also be symbolic of how the match may have been boring until this point when the ball is hit a good distance. Furthermore in the third stanza, the journey of the ball is described until it reaches an abrupt stop in the hotel over the road. "to crash they said, through a discreet Angel Hotel windowpane. This could also be symbolic because "they said" shows that no one is truly sure of where it went.

Musical Moments 1 and 2 c

under the surface, this poem has subtle hints of brewing tensions across the globe centering on Germany. The year is important because 1933 is the year that Hitler became chancellor of Germany and then Fuhrer soon afterwards. There is numerous hints eluding to this throughout the poem such as '(Germany six million miles away)' I believe that the poem could be about how normal day to day life continued despite the ever growing tensions (in Europe especially).

At the concert

At the concert is a poem about the drudgery about day to day life that we all lead. Abse is saying that all of us lead a life like this until we die. "it stretches all the way to the old peoples home. A poem that is similiar to this is Toads and Toads revisited where Larkin discusses how boring day to day life is , including work, he would like to give it up however he is afraid of doing so.

Red Balloon

Red Balloon is a personal poem to Abse about his discovery of his religion (Judaism) and the effect that it has on him throughout his life.

Stanza 1

Stanza 1 describes the chance meeting of a young Abse and the 'Red Balloon' (we later discover that this is symbolic of his religion). The Balloon is described to be floating helplessly over the town until it finds Abse at a young age. It then finds Abse changing his life forever.


Stanza 2

When Abse and the balloon first meet, he manages to bring it to life and he takes it for himself. "Till it shone like living blood". This could show that he likes it but does not truly understand the true meaning behind it. He seems to regard the 'balloon' just as a toy which is of little importance to him "and finding's keeping you know".


Stanza 3

The next stanza shows how in later life the meaning of the balloon changes as he grows up to understand it true meaning. He begins to realise that Judaism is a controversial concept (in the thirties especially) because of the increase of antisemitism at the time. This is where he grows up and realises how his own beliefs are no longer a toy to him and it is important to him to maintain them.


Stanza 4


The next stanza shows how much of a hold that his religion has over an older Abse. Throughout the rest of the poem he describes how he maintains his religion despite the ongoing violence and ongoing prejudice towards him. He gets beaten horrendously but he still maintains his religion. At the end of the poem, he seeks refuge at his fathers house (who had already died).

A scene from married life

As far as I can gather, a scene from married life is a poem about a heated argument between Abse and his wife which results in them falling out. Obviously this is a normal part of day to day married life this is why he compares it to an action packed movie because this is married life which has its ups and downs.

The Malham Bird

I haven't done this one yet because I do not understand it
Matt

Last visit to 198 Cathedral Road

Last visit to 198 Cathedral road is a poem about Abse visiting his parents house long after they have died. The house has sat dormant for a number of years devoid of any real life. When he enters under the cover of darkness, he flashes his torch around the room he is in and the new light seems to bring things to life. This happens especially in the second stanza when 'the vase that yawned hideously' and other items are personified. The idea behind it is that a home is only truly a home if someone is living there. A Larkin poem similar to this would be Home is so sad which describes how empty his mothers home is after she had died.

A winter visit

A Winter visit is a personal poem to Abse because it is a memory f him walking through a park with his elderly mother during the winter. He notices a Peacock which he believes to be a symbol of new life, however his mother reveals to him that she is dying and does not have long. He wants to weep but he does not because he wants to remain strong for her.Abse ( a professional doctor) remains unemotional despite the horrendous news because he has got himself used to death working as a doctor and he chooses to use his skills of not showing any major emotion here for the better.

Throughout the poem the rhyme scheme remains a solid A/B/A sequence. This could be symbolic of his mothers failing heart which is going at a slow steady beat nearing death. One of Larkin's poems that is very similar is Home is so sad,this poem is about his mothers house after she has died the plac becomes empty and lifeless.

Toads revisited

Toads revisited is a follow on poem from Larkin's previous poem Toads. In the previous poem Larkin talks about the dreariness of how work and how he would love to give it up and spend the rest of his days living on benefits  but he will not give up work because he is afraid of change. In Toads Revisited he observes the lives of unemployed men spending their days out in the park which he can see from his window. he observes how boring their lives are without the routine that someone like Larkin has with work. Furthermore he subliminally stereoscopically depicts all of the unemployed men he can see as tramps or Beggars which turns him further away from giving up work. In the end of the poem Larkin realizes that work is the best thing for you to do because it can set you up along the road to retirement and your death.

An Arundel Tomb

An Arundel Tomb is a poem about Larkin's visit to Chichester Cathedral where he observes the ageing tomb of the Arundel Family. He observes how they have withstanded time throughout the hundreds of years they have spent there and they continue to live on side by side. When they were buried in their tomb, it's main purpose would have been for people to come and see how wealthy and powerful they were because of the grandeur of the tomb. What makes this tomb different from a lot of others is that the husband and wife are still holding hands after hundreds of years post mortem. The point of this subliminal message is to show us that "what will survive of us is love", However the real point behind the message is to show that the Arundel family only believed in showing off and wanted to leave a long lasting message.

MCMX1V

This poem is about the out break of the First World War (hence the Roman numerals of 1914). The initial stanza describes how ordinary men eagerly sign up to join the armed forces in July 1914 with no little thought about how the war would eventually turn out.

Stanza 1

The first stanza describes how long queues of men wait to enroll in the armed forces at the outbreak of war. There is a light hearted feel among the men because they do not know how the war is going to turn out in the end. They are described similarly to sports fans waiting for a cricket or Football match. They view their enrollment as a happy time and they believe it will be fun.

Stanza 2

The next stanza evokes an old fashioned England hardly prepared for the drastic changes that are to follow with the outbreak of the war. Everything described portrays an old fashioned but has a recognisable feel to it. For example The 'Established names' which would have been businesses that had been running for a long time would have probably been closed down if the owner had volunteered.


Stanza 3

Stanza three also highlights the drastic changes that took place across the country. All classes in society would have been affected in some way. For example it says in the poem that a wealthy person is using differently dressed servants, this would be because most of the servants would be serving in the war so he had to improvise. Furthermore "the dust behind limousines" shows how fuel had to be rationed for the war effort so even the rich and powerful had to make sacrifices.


Stanza 4

The war is also symbolic of the end of innocence of the soldiers. At the beginning of the poem, the men who join up were jovial and ready to fight with no realization for what was coming.

Send no money

Written on Larkin's 40th birthday, this is  another philosophical poem questioning the choices that we make in day to day life and how that will affect us in the future. Furthermore if we knew our future then we would do our best to try and make the best life for us. However there is no real way of seeing into the future so we must make the best choices we can at the time. The poem begins with Larkin as a young man talking to a personified time, he is desperate to find out the truth about how his whole life will turn out. Time reassures him that he will turn out OK but he refuses to tell Larkin how his life will turn out for his own safety. At the end of the poem, Larkin regrets thinking like this because he spent most of his childhood years wondering how his life will turn out, instead he should of been enjoying life while he could. This poem is reminiscent of other poems such as Dockery and son where decisions can affect what life you take.

First Sight

On the surface, First sight seems like an unusually nice poem about the birth of lambs during the winter months. However the point behind this poem is to show that, when the Lamb is born they are introduced to the harsh world during the winter months and they immediately presume that this comparatively barren world is the world that they will now live in and it will be tough going. Therefore it will be a shock to them to see how much the world will change when spring comes around.

Ignorance

Ignorance is a philosophical poem about what the point in life is. The poem states how ignorant we are about the true meaning of life and we life our lives on this basis. Larkin goes onto question how we do not know the true philosophical meaning of it all, but at the end he realises that knowing would be too dangerous for a single person to know. So we continue to live our lives without this knowledge for the best.

As Bad as a mile

On the surface, As bad as a mile seems like a light hearted poem about the persona (Larkin?) casually missing throwing an apple core into a bin. However, if you delve deeper, Larkin Subtly reveals his own beliefs that he has not achieved much in life and regards himself to be a failure in life and that him missing the shot is symbolic of him missing so many chances in life. Also it was not down to luck it was down to failure.

The Importance of elsewhere

The importance of elsewhere is a poem about the time that Larkin spent living in Ireland (the only time he spent away from Britain) he shows how homesick and lonely he has become. He goes on to say that his day to day life in Ireland is lonesome and he feels isolated from day to day life around him. The description of the surroundings is similar to London which evokes a homesickness to Larkin. "Archaic smell of dockland"...

Larkin goes on to describe how he is treated as an outsider from the Irish, people want nothing to do with him and he lives his life in comparative isolation. However later on he realises that he enjoys the isolation from the rest of society and the public who he sees on a day to day basis begin to accept and acknowledge him. If he was living in London he would have to follow a set of 'rules' that would be followed in day to day life.

A study of reading habits

A study of Reading Habits is a satirical poem about the persona's interpretation of how books interfere with his life at different times. The first stanza shows a child at school and how he uses stories of adventures and excitement to escape the bullying that he was receiving at school at the time. We are made aware that he is bullied at a relatively young age because he fantasises about "deal out the old right hook to dirty dogs twice my size".

Later on in life in the second stanza, we are introduced to an older persona in his later teen years who has got interested in different types of books e.g. Vampire stories   "Me and my coat and fangs". It is also shown that he is extremely immature because of the last two lines "the women I clubbed with sex!.. I broke them up like meringues".

The last stanza portrays a much older persona now who has a different view on books in total, he believes that all of the books are basically the same telling the same stories with different titles.

Home is so sad

Home is so sad is a poem about personal loss and the effects it has on the area around it, e.g. the home. This poem sounds very personal so it is likely that it was written about the death of someone personal to Larkin maybe his mother. Since the death, the house has not changed at all and it has suspended in time because the owner is not around anymore.

Mr Bleaney

Mr Bleaney is a philosophical poem about life choices and how we live because of the decisions. Mr Bleaney works in a car manufacturing plant on a very small wage enough to rent the small room in which he stayed until the end in which is not totally stated how. The Persona in question is viewing the property for him to inevitably rent. We are aware that the room was very cheap because of the description such as "bed,upright chair, sixty watt bulb, no hook.

The room seems to be 'suspended in time' since Mr Bleaney's departure, we are made aware of this because small things like the same saucer souvenir lays there. We are also made aware that the persona (Larkin?) is struggling to come to terms with his new accommodation which he has just agreed to rent, this could mean that he once was quite an affluent person who would have been prejudicial towards people who lived in these conditions however he must make sacrifices and he realizes that some people have very little aspiration in life so they choose to live as cheaply and as basic as they can.

For Sydney Bechet

For Sydney Bechet is a tribute poem to a Jazz player in New Orleans (Sidney Bechet). Bechet's playing is described as bringing the City to life at night as well as other things.

Stanza 1

Bechet is immediately introduced bringing the area alive as if his music puts life into what it affects. "That note you hold, narrowing and rising, shakes like New Orleans, reflected on the water. Furthermore when Jazz is played it is deemed appropriate to behave how you like, "And in all ears appropriate falsehood awakes.." This is used to show that the music has an effect on anybody who hears it indoctrinating them into loosing there inhibitions.

Stanza 2

In the next stanza the French quarter of New Orleans comes alive and dancers help the music comes alive. "Building for some a legendary Quarter of Balconies, flower-baskets and quadrilles". Freedom in New Orleans is highlighted in the last line " Everyone making love and going shares--"

The rest of the poem is very similar throughout until the end where the music begins to end. The regular rhyme scheme represents how the music could have been played at the time, a steady beat was usually introduced to start of a 'jam session'.

Love songs in age

Love songs in age 

Love songs in age is a poem about the discovery of old music sheets that had been discarded throughout time. These music sheets help the ageing persona to relive past memories which eventually make the persona emotional.


Stanza 1

From the first stanza we are made to believe that these music sheets have become part of the furniture now and they have lost their true meaning "one bleached from lying in a sunny place". we are led to believe that she is quite an elderly women because she is a widower and the music sheets seemed to have waited a long time to be discovered "so they had waited till, in widowhood". The way that some of the music sheets have been misused could hint at the idea that she once had a family "and colored by her daughter".

Stanza 2

As she relearns all of the music she then remembers what it was like in her younger days where her life was filled with endless opportunities.The rediscovery of the music sheets acts as a reincarnation for her and she is transported back to younger times. "and the unfailing sense of being young spread out like a spring - woken tree".


Stanza 3

The persona then becomes very sad because she realizes that she has neglected the important part of her life. Her love for them has blinded her causing her to take them for granted and inevitably misusing them. "the glare of that much-mentioned brilliance love. The realization of this upsets her and she leaves them.

Broadcast

Broadcast 

Broadcast is a personal poem to Larkin for his close friend Maeve Brennan. Larkin is at home listening to the BBC symphony orchestra while Maeve is there in person.

Stanza 1
 The musical instruments in the orchestra become personified as they start to play "giant whispering and coughing". We are also told that Larkin is thinking about Maeve because he thinks of her face "among all of those faces". A lot of the personified sounds are not typical of an orchestra, for instance the whispering and coughing and sniveling could imply that the music is unwell in some way. It could also imply that Larkin is unwell without Maeve with him.

Stanza 2

We know realize that the music is now unimportant to him he is desperately trying to imagine her there among the crowds so he can be with her mentally. It is also mentioned about her shoes which is explained by Maeve Brennan that it was a private joke between them because he liked her new shoes which were in fashion at the time.

Stanza 3

The next stanza has a desperation feel to it. Larkin's imagined picture of Maeve is fading and he is desperately looking for her as the music turns violent and overwhelming. "the rabid storms of chording".
The last line emphasizes this idea "leaving me desperate to pick out your hands , tiny in all that air, applauding

Wild Oats

Wild Oats

This poem is personal to Larkin because it is about the women that Larkin became most close to marriage with in his life , Jane Exall. 

Stanza 1 

Stanza 1 describes his first encounter with a Bosomy English Rose and her friend in specs. Larkin describes both girls in a very stereotypical manner " girl in specs and Bosomy English Rose". Larkin is attracted to the "Bosomy English Rose" but he chooses to go out with the "Friend in specs". Larkin describes the whole event as what "sparked off the whole shooting match" this could also be stereotypical about females because he could be 'bird' hunting. This gives the impression that the persona ( in this case Larkin) is almost predatory in his search for a women. 

Stanza 2 

In the next stanza it becomes apparent that his relationship doesn't seem to be progressing "wrote over four hundred letters" this gives me the impression that as much as he writes to her she replies very little. He also goes as far to give her a ring which he gets back after they split up. I also get the impression that she was very immature, at the end of the stanza it says that "she was trying both times not to laugh". This could mean that she does not feel the same about Larkin and she views the relationship as fun. 

Stanza 3

The relationship is now seen as artificial according to both of them "after about five rehearsals", also it is not deemed as important to Larkin because he cannot remember how many there are "after about". He then slowly disregards the 'friend in specs' by using filler words such as 'well', I believe that he view his relationship with her as a stepping stone in his life and it is no loner important to him. At the end of the poem he reveals that his true love was in fact the Bosomy English Rose because he keeps 'snaps' of her in his wallet so she is important to him. He also believes that they are an unlucky charm because of his lack of a love life since. 

Self's the Man

Self's The man 

Self's the man is about the narrator describing the life of Arnold, a man who is close to him in some way. Throughout the poem Arnold's life is described to be very controlled and he gets very little freedom. Larkin continues to question whether being selfless is good for you or whether you should consider yourself as well as others. Throughout the poem, the persona questions whether Arnold has any quality of life and whether he is being selfish or not. The whole point behind the poem is a comparison of two different lifestyles, one of a single 'free' man,and that of Arnold a married man.

This poem is very similar to Dockery and son because they both question choices in life and how that determines what life we lead. the Persona's view is that he is correct and that his life is way better than Arnolds, however he can never be sure and to know the true meaning could make him mad. "At knowing what i can stand! without them sending a van.

Ambulances

Ambulances by Philip Larkin tells the story of how normal life is temporarily shaken up by a sudden accident etc this is when an ambulance is called. The poem also highlights how a sudden tragic moment can bring a community together to fight on.

Stanza 1

Stanza 1 is a description of how Paramedic staff go about their day to day lives obstructing normality, they view the things they see in day to day life as completely normal and they have learned to grow accustomed to the attention they draw when they reach their destinations. "giving back none of the glances they absorb ... all streets in time are visited. Any civilian would view a medical emergency as a major change to a normal day however the experienced Paramedics see this day to day so it is normal to them.


Stanza 2

Stanza 2 describes how the arrival of the Ambulance destroys the organization of modern life. As it arrives the children stand "strewn around the area eager to find out what is going on. the sense of disruption is reinforced when the "women come out of the shops past smells of different dinners". The seriousness of the situation is enforced when there is a possibillity that there has been a fatality
"a wild white face that over tops Red stretcher-blankets".


Stanza 3

The next stanza reinforces the idea of a fatality "and the sense of solving emptiness that lies just under what we do". This could also be linked to Larkin's poem 'Nothing to be said' where he reiterates his beliefs that death is inevitable and there is no way to escape it. Later on Larkin has a positive view on society  ( for a change) he notes how this tragic time brings the people around closer together "poor soul they whisper at there own distress".


Stanza 4
 The next stanza begins to describe how normal life then resumes as the Ambulance doors are closed. Once the doors are closed the shock of what has just happened begins to settle and life soon begins to return to normal. "the unique random blend of families and fashions, there at last begin to loosen. Larkin is trying to describe the hold that the experience has on the people around it.

Stanza 5

The final stanza highlights how quickly the experience becomes a memory, "and dulls to distance all we are. Larkin is trying to say that sadly one way in which communities come together is through bad times.