Afternoons Flashcards
1
Q
introduction
A
- 1959
- collection called the Whitsun Weddings in 1964
- melancholic poem which focuses on the subject of marriage
- poem presents the banality of life for a group of young mothers, watching their children play in a park
- poem reflects on the transition from youth to maturity and Larkin depicts the women as caught in a tedious routine of domesticity and childcare, which has overtaken their former youth, beauty, passion and romanticism
2
Q
structure
A
‘The leaves fall in ones and twos
From trees bordering
The new recreation ground’
- enjambment
- makes poem feel relentless
- just like the mundanity experienced by the people in the poem
3
Q
form
A
- unrhymed free verse
- absence of a rhyme scheme - their joyless existence
4
Q
- ‘Setting free their children.’
- structure
A
-end stopped lines
- sense of finality
- the mundanity of everyday life is inescapable
5
Q
stanzas
A
- three stanzas of equal length - tripartite stanza structure reflects the ordered nature of women’s lives
- everything is the same
- normal, everyday life is boring and cycle cannot be broken
6
Q
finish the quote: ‘young mothers..
A
..assemble’
7
Q
finish the quote: ‘at…
A
…intervals’
8
Q
‘young mothers assemble’
‘at intervals’
A
- military phrases
- highlights the regimented nature of the women’s lives
9
Q
‘setting free…
A
…their children’
10
Q
‘setting free their children’
A
- domestic life is like a cage
11
Q
sibilance
A
- ‘swing’, ‘sandpit’ and ‘setting’ contrasts the children’s freedom with their parents, with the formality of husbands who ‘stand’ and are merely ‘skilled’
12
Q
title - ‘afternoons’
A
- after noon, the peak of the day
- the ‘stage’ of a person’s life that could mirror
- “settling down stage”
- 30’s onwards
13
Q
‘From trees bordering
The new recreation ground.’
A
- image of control
- trees have been planted around the park on purpose
- suburban life
- seems overcontrolling
14
Q
‘an estateful…
A
…of washing’
15
Q
‘an estateful of washing’
A
- image emphasises how never-ending domestic work is
- women are trapped by domesticity
16
Q
‘lying near…
A
…the television’
17
Q
‘lying near the television’
A
- image suggests that love has mellowed and has become taken for granted
18
Q
‘summer…
A
…is fading’
19
Q
‘summer is fading’
A
- metaphor
- prime part of life is over
20
Q
‘unripe…
A
…acorns’
21
Q
‘unripe acorns’
A
- image of youth
- emphasises that children aren’t ready yet to take over from their parents
22
Q
‘their beauty…
A
…has thickened’
23
Q
‘their beauty has thickened’
A
- criticises the women’s physical appearance as they have gotten older
- sexist
24
Q
‘hollows’
A
- the afternoons are empty
25
title - ‘afternoons’ - language
- pluralisation
- implies that all afternoons are the same - monotony
26
‘summer…
…is fading’
27
‘summer is fading’
- declarative sentence
- creates a neutral, observational tone
28
‘young…
…mothers’
29
‘young mothers’
- women’s identities are rooted in their motherhood
- lost their individuality
30
‘skilled…
…trades’
31
‘skilled trades’
- ordinary working-class people
32
‘before them, the wind is…
…ruining their courting-places’
33
‘before them, the wind is ruining their courting-places’
- lines suggest that women are powerless
- can only stand and watch as their ‘courting places’ are ruined
34
‘expect to…
…be taken home’
35
‘expect to be taken home’
- women are secondary in their own lives
- their children are more important
36
‘(But the lovers…
…are all in school)’
37
‘(But the lovers are all in school)’
- undermines love
- brackets make the line stand out
- emphasises that the next gen is destined to do the same as their parents
- life is monotonous
38
‘something is pushing them…
…to the side of their own lives’
39
‘something is pushing them to the side of their own lives’
- vague and observational
- clear that the women have become secondary in their own lives
- not clear how or why
40
‘Behind them’
- prepositional phrase
- suggests that there is a distance between husbands and wives
41
mood and tone
- initially observational - ‘summer is fading’ - declarative
- negative and cynical tone - ‘an estateful of washing’ , ‘their beauty has thickened’
42
key quotations on marriage
“And the albums, lettered
Our Wedding, lying
Near the television:”
“Behind them, at intervals,
Stand husbands in skilled trades,”
“That are still courting-places
(But the lovers are all in school),”
43
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR MARRIAGE
“And the albums, lettered
Our Wedding, lying
Near the television:”
“Behind them, at intervals,
Stand husbands in skilled trades,”
“That are still courting-places
(But the lovers are all in school),”
The juxtaposition of “albums” and “television” contrasts idealised romance with the reality of everyday life. The alliteration and enjambment suggest that the once-precious, romantic symbol of their love is now discarded; another item in this commonplace, homely, prosaic setting
The phrase “at intervals” conveys a disconnect between the couples, suggesting distance and separation. The contrast between “husbands” and “trades” removes their individuality; they are trapped in their predefined roles
The conjunction “but” conveys the idea that courting-places are reserved for young “lovers”; younger versions of themselves
44
key quotations for the passing of time
“Summer is fading:
The leaves fall in ones and twos”
“In the hollows of afternoons”
“Their beauty has thickened.”
45
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE PASSING OF TIME
“Summer is fading:
The leaves fall in ones and twos”
“In the hollows of afternoons”
“Their beauty has thickened.”
By setting the poem in the fading afternoon of summer, Larkin highlights the passing of time, particularly the idea that the best moments of life are fleeting
As the sun begins its descent, the women have moved beyond their youthful prime, where life now revolves around children and routine, rather than their individuality. The word “hollows” emphasises the emptiness and loneliness of their lives
This phrase denotes ageing and it is the shortest sentence of the poem. Its brevity sets it apart so it resonates more deeply with the reader
46
key quotations for motherhood
“Young mothers assemble”
“At swing and sandpit
Setting free their children”
“And their children, so intent on
Finding more unripe acorns,
Expect to be taken home.”
47
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR MOTHERHOOD
“Young mothers assemble”
“At swing and sandpit
Setting free their children”
“And their children, so intent on
Finding more unripe acorns,
Expect to be taken home.”
The collective term “mothers” signifies a loss of individuality. The word “assemble” indicates a regimented existence and infers a sense of obligation rather than a desire to be there
“Setting free” contrasts with the mothers’ entrapment. Sibilance reinforces the children’s joy and liberation, contrasted with the monotony of their parents’ existence
The words “intent” and “expect” imply the children’s demanding nature, prioritising their needs over the mothers’. The full stop emphasises this and the brevity of the line lengths in the final stanza intensifies the women’s sense of confinement and dissatisfaction; “unripe acorns” is juxtaposed with the mothers’ ageing
48
key quotations for the futility of existence
“An estateful of washing”
“Something is pushing them
To the side of their own lives.
49
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE FUTILITY OF EXISTENCE
“An estateful of washing”
“Something is pushing them
To the side of their own lives.
The metaphor alludes to the overwhelming chores associated with motherhood and domesticity
Larkin directs attention to the mothers' emotions. While their children enjoy freedom on the swings, the mothers sense a force pushing them “To the side of their own lives.” The word “something” is deliberately vague, implying that the women are unaware of what is “pushing them” and have no agency
