A great poem puts into words what we already know but had not thought of saying. How far and by what means has a poet you studied achieved this?.
Philip Larkin .
Larkin goes from general to specific as he takes a momentary experience of observing dancers and explores the meanings of being an individual that is detached yet has some sort of connection that makes him similar with others. The title "Reasons for Attendance" suggests the reasons people live referring to the different reasons as to why people live/ attend life; how different people have different forms of happiness. In this poem Larkin visits the experience most of us know of, about the longing of being in a social group that one is not a part of, yet finds comfort in the thought that they do not belong in the group where one's form of personal happiness cannot be achieved. This idea of individual to society is demonstrated through the two different perspectives of one situation. "The dancers "and the observer share opposing points of view towards life. He does this by using opposing imagery and metaphors as a form of describing the two perspectives. .
The environment of the dancers' are filled with imagery of superficial luxury. "The trumpet's voice loud and authoritative" as the background symbolizes life and youth which is reiterated in the mention of the dancers' age, "(all under twenty five) .The parenthetical comment about age seems to emphasis the youthfulness. The room filled with "smoke and sweat", and "wonderful feel of girls", illustrates the atmosphere of the room with the dancers. The poet describes the dancers being observed as achieving happiness through communion and large socializations. The dancers are also described as "lions of happiness if found by couples", where they are described as being somewhat animalistic and this idea is reiterated in stanza 3 as the poet illustrates how "they maul to and fro".
Afternoons is a poem by Philip Larkin that presents time as a destructive force. ... Philip Larkin develops the idea of time as a destructive force through the extended metaphor about the seasons. The poem is set at the end of summer where it is slowly transitioning into autumn. The beginning line 'summer is fading' introduces the symbolic use of time in the poem. Seasons are used in the poem to symbolism certain stages in life. ...
A critic has said that 'A theme which dominates Larkin's poetry is that desire is ultimately unobtainable' Discuss two or three of Larkin's poems in the context of this statement. In your answer you should consider: - The various forms of desire that Philip Larkin explores - The conclusions that he draws. In the poems; 'Here', 'Essential Beauty' and 'Faith healing' Larkin explores the universal theme of desire. ... From this point there is a sense of change and ageing in the poem. ... The poem is sep...
"Philip Larkin is the precise observer of daily life and class distinctions, the recorder of the ordinary reaching beyond observation." Although I agree that Philip Larkin was on "observer of daily life and class distinctions", I am not sure about how precise his observations actually were. Philip Larkin was highly aware of the world surrounding him. ... This reflects Larkin's personality, he is a hard man to understand, but it also shows his pessimistic nature and this may alter the accuracy of the poem. If the reader see's the world from a similar perspective as Larkin then...
When writing a poem, an author often uses allusion to enrich the text - calling on noteworthy figures, ideas, or events that emphasize the poem's deeper meaning. ... Both "A Study of Reading Habits," by Philip Larkin and "Constantly Risking Absurdity," by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, employ allusion, however in "A Study of Reading Habits" Larkin alludes with a sense of irony while in "Constantly Risking Absurdity," the poet does not. In "A Study of Reading Habits," Philip Larkin uses an allusion to cheap fiction throughout the poem in order to draw the ...
By examining the literature itself, the readers, and the writers, one can note the differences and similarities in the two types of literature In the poem, "A Study of Reading Habits," Philip Larkin talks of being unhappy both in his home and at school. ... In his adolescent years, Larkin talks of wearing one inch glasses. ...
