Afternoons Flashcards
introduction
- 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
structure
‘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
form
- unrhymed free verse
- absence of a rhyme scheme - their joyless existence
- ‘Setting free their children.’
- structure
-end stopped lines
- sense of finality
- the mundanity of everyday life is inescapable
stanzas
- 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
finish the quote: ‘young mothers..
..assemble’
finish the quote: ‘at…
…intervals’
‘young mothers assemble’
‘at intervals’
- military phrases
- highlights the regimented nature of the women’s lives
‘setting free…
…their children’
‘setting free their children’
- domestic life is like a cage
sibilance
- ‘swing’, ‘sandpit’ and ‘setting’ contrasts the children’s freedom with their parents, with the formality of husbands who ‘stand’ and are merely ‘skilled’
title - ‘afternoons’
- after noon, the peak of the day
- the ‘stage’ of a person’s life that could mirror
- “settling down stage”
- 30’s onwards
‘From trees bordering
The new recreation ground.’
- image of control
- trees have been planted around the park on purpose
- suburban life
- seems overcontrolling
‘an estateful…
…of washing’
‘an estateful of washing’
- image emphasises how never-ending domestic work is
- women are trapped by domesticity
‘lying near…
…the television’
‘lying near the television’
- image suggests that love has mellowed and has become taken for granted
‘summer…
…is fading’
‘summer is fading’
- metaphor
- prime part of life is over
‘unripe…
…acorns’
‘unripe acorns’
- image of youth
- emphasises that children aren’t ready yet to take over from their parents
‘their beauty…
…has thickened’
‘their beauty has thickened’
- criticises the women’s physical appearance as they have gotten older
- sexist
‘hollows’
- the afternoons are empty
title - ‘afternoons’ - language
- pluralisation
- implies that all afternoons are the same - monotony
‘summer…
…is fading’
‘summer is fading’
- declarative sentence
- creates a neutral, observational tone
‘young…
…mothers’
‘young mothers’
- women’s identities are rooted in their motherhood
- lost their individuality
‘skilled…
…trades’
‘skilled trades’
- ordinary working-class people
‘before them, the wind is…
…ruining their courting-places’
‘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
‘expect to…
…be taken home’
‘expect to be taken home’
- women are secondary in their own lives
- their children are more important
‘(But the lovers…
…are all in school)’
‘(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
‘something is pushing them…
…to the side of their own lives’
‘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
‘Behind them’
- prepositional phrase
- suggests that there is a distance between husbands and wives
mood and tone
- initially observational - ‘summer is fading’ - declarative
- negative and cynical tone - ‘an estateful of washing’ , ‘their beauty has thickened’
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),”
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
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.”
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
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.”
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
key quotations for the futility of existence
“An estateful of washing”
“Something is pushing them
To the side of their own lives.
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
