afternoons

Question 1

who is afternoons written by?

Answer 1

Philip Larkin

Question 2

what type of poet was Philip Larkin?

Answer 2

post- war poet
member of the Movement poetry

Question 3

what were poets like that were part of the Movement Poets?

Answer 3

they wrote with irony and honesty about a society shadowed by WWII and the austerity that followed it

Question 4

what does Larkin speak about in the poem?

Answer 4

the emptiness of modern life in the big estates that had sprung up in Britain in the post- war years

Question 5

the young mothers have a lack of what in their lives?

Answer 5

lack of control and agency

Question 6

what has happened to the mothers?

Answer 6

their summer has faded
they have become mothers at a young age
their life is dominated by domestic chores and they can only watch as the same cycle starts for their children

Question 7

what collection does Afternoons appear in?

Answer 7

The Whitsun Weddings (1964)

Question 8

what is the opening line of Afternoons?

Answer 8

Summer is fading:

Question 9

what is the ending part of the first stanza in Afternoons?

Answer 9

In the hollows of afternoons
Young mothers assemble
At swing and sandpit
Setting free their children

Question 10

what does “in the hollows of afternoons” convey?

Answer 10

their afternoons are lacking enjoyment- devoid of fun- captures their struggles
lacking the fun nature of their youthful lives as they transition to parenting

Question 11

what does the line “setting free your children” show?

Answer 11

the children playing gives the mothers a break from parenting

Question 12

where are the husbands?

Answer 12

“behind them”

Question 13

what is the significance of the fathers being “behind” the wives and not “beside”?

Answer 13

the husbands are never beside them- never supporting them- always watching- “supporting” the women just for show

Question 14

what does the line “an estateful of washing link to?”

Answer 14

the emptiness of modern life in the big estates that had sprung up in Britain in the post war years
the washing links to the domesticity of the wives’ lives

Question 15

what quote shows that the husbands are not involved in the lives of the women?

Answer 15

“at intervals”

Question 16

what does the quote “but the lovers are all in school” show?

Answer 16

shows their youth and shows how their lives have been ripped away from them
the word “lovers” shows how they still haven’t moved on from their previous lives

Question 17

what does the quote “finding more unripe acorns” show?

Answer 17

the girls haven’t reached their full potential
they got married very young- missed out on the best part of their lives

Question 18

what is the final line of the poem?

Answer 18

“something is pushing them to the side of their own lives”

Question 19

what is the significance of the setting?

Answer 19

shows an ordinary scene that could be anywhere- highlights the idea that women all around the world feel like this

Question 20

what is the significance of the word “something” in “something is pushing them to the side of their own lives”?

Answer 20

not specific- shows it is just the general struggle of parenting and getting older

Question 21

what does the final line of the poem mean?

Answer 21

they are not even the main focus of their OWN lives- shows how little they mean to their husbands and their children are their main focus

Question 22

what does the poem show about never-ending cycles?

Answer 22

the mothers have lost their identity and the children are falling into the same cycle

Question 23

what does the title Afternoons convey?

Answer 23

it is a universal experience for many women- mundane, repetitive