Afternoons

Question 1

Title

Answer 1

pluralisation of ‘afternoons ’implies that all afternoons are the same – suggests monotony.
Metaphorical - ‘Afternoons’ are after noon (the peak of the day) which is when people start to settle down. This mirrors the settling down stage of a person’s life – 30’s onwards. This coincides with the age of the mothers and fathers in this poem.

Question 2

Stanza 1

Answer 2

• The declarative statement ‘summer is fading’ creates a neutral, observational tone - appropriate for a Larkin poem as he is known to be an observer and an outsider.
  Metaphorical ‘Summer’ – change in season mirrors a change in people’s lives suggesting that parent’s lives have peaked and now their lives are fading.
• Word ‘Hollows’ suggests afternoons are empty and meaningless OR suggests that there is something safe and homely about afternoons as the living spaces of some animals are called hollows.
• Phrase ‘young mothers’ strips the women of their sense of individuality - their value lies only in their motherhood not in who they are otherwise as people – shows how 1960s society restricted women by their stereotypes.
• Language of imprisonment in the phrase ‘setting free’ suggests that domestic life is like a cage perhaps in its routines and apparent mundanity.
  Larkin repeats this image with enjambment making this poem seem relentless, similar to the mundanity experienced by the people in the poem.

Question 3

Stanza 2

Answer 3

• The prepositional phrase ‘Behind them’ (start of stanza) and ‘before them’ (end of stanza) suggests that there is separation between the husbands and wives - they are not side by side but in front of and behind each other. Highlights separation between women and their previous identities as ‘lovers’.
• Use of made-up word ‘estateful’ highlights the sheer quantity of washing - emphasises how never-ending domestic work is. The women are trapped by domesticity.
• Image of the wedding album (a symbol of their love) ‘lying near the television’ suggests that love has mellowed and has become taken for granted. Larkin uses this to highlight how marriage has lost its spark over time – reflects his dislike of married life since he had an unhappy romantic life as he had been engaged a few times but never married.
• Phrase ‘the wind is ruining their courting-places’ suggests that nature is actively working against them – relates to how the interests of men would restrict women rights at the time (1960’s)

Question 4

Stanza 3

Answer 4

• The brackets make the line ‘(But the lovers are all in school),’ stand out. Larkin emphasises that the next generation is destined to do the same as their parents - Cynical idea implies his lack of belief in future generations and his general dislike of children.
• The word “Expect” is emphasised at the start of the line - hints that the children’s expectations contribute to their mothers’ restricted lives - shows that the mothers have become secondary in their own lives by putting their children’s needs before their own.
• the image ‘their beauty has thickened’ is an example of Larkin criticizing the women as they are getting older and their physical appearances are declining – reveals Larkins potentially sexist views which makes sense considering that Larkin had a number of romantic and sexual relationships.

Question 5

quotes

Answer 5

Stanza 1

• The declarative statement ‘summer is fading’ c
• Word ‘Hollows’
• Phrase ‘young mothers’
• Language of imprisonment in the phrase ‘setting free’

Stanza 2

• The prepositional phrase ‘Behind them’ (start of stanza) and ‘before them’ (end of stanza)
• Use of made-up word ‘estateful’
• Image of the wedding album (a symbol of their love) ‘lying near the television’ s
• Phrase ‘the wind is ruining their courting-places’

Stanza 3

• The brackets make the line ‘(But the lovers are all in school),’ stand out.
• The word “Expect” is emphasised at the start of the line
• the image ‘their beauty has thickened’