This harsh sentence shows the reality of the world and that vandalism was expected. A couple of weeks and her face was snaggle-toothed', this flippant remark also suggests casualness about the violence. The violence of the girl in the picture being disfigured also represents the illusion being destroyed. The readers know that the picture originally presented was the standard ideal and the vandalism shows what Prestatyn would be realistically. Larkin goes on to present the theme of reality more by using harsh, blunt and hard words to show realism, snaggled-toothed, boss-eyed, tits'. Larkin emphasises the reality and harshness by using crude language, he writes a fissured crotch'. He also notes that this was well scored in'. This illustrates the maliciousness of the vandalism. This also represents the strong feelings of Larkin and the importance of reality. Larkin uses more harsh language, tuberous cock and balls'. This vulgar language spoils the illusion completely.
In the third stanza Larkin brings life and more reality to the poem by showing who the vandalism was done by, Autographed Titch Thomas'. The poem writes that someone had used a knife or something to stab right through the moustached lips of her smile'. This smile was a big part of the deception of the advertisement and this shows that the image had been killed. Larkin uses the idea that the girl was too good for this life'; this is a cliché as she is too perfect for this life. This life isn't as perfect as what was made out by the poster. The realism of the Fight cancer' poster is very life like and Larkin uses this pessimism to show the realism of life and how the advertisement of Sunny Prestatyn' had tried to deceive us.
In this poem the illusion presented by advertising is attacked in the same ways that advertising attacks us. The expectations that were produced by the illusions weren't met and the reader is left with the harsh reality of the world.
