Afternoons Flashcards
Who wrote ‘Afternoons’?
Phillip Larkin
When was ‘Afternoons’ written?
1964
What collection was ‘Afternoons’ part of?
The Whitsun Weddings Collection
What does Larkin explore through his poetry?
ordinary events of life
What semantic fields are used in ‘Afternoons’?
cyclical
entrapment
worsening
What type of commentary is the speaker giving in the poem ‘Afternoons’?
voyeuristic - watching
pessimistic - social commentary
Where did Larkin live with his mother?
in her flat in Hull that overlooked the park in this poem
How many stanzas are there in ‘Afternoons’?
3
What are the stanzas in the poem ‘Afternoons’?
octets
Why is the rigid structure of ‘Afternoons’ relevant to Larkin’s intentions?
predictability
cyclical life
How does Larkin use a semantic field of entrapment to make a social commentary?
people cannot escape council estate/working class
What is relevant about the title ‘Afternoons’?
afternoons ; after the best part of the day ; symbolises being past prime in life
finish the quote : ‘summer is…
…fading’
finish the quote : ‘the leaves…
…fall in ones and twos’
finish the quote : ‘from trees…
…bordering’
complete the quote : ‘…recreation ground’
‘the new…’
finish the quote : ‘in the hollows…
…of afternoons’
finish the quote : ‘young mothers…
…assemble’
finish the quote : ‘at swing and…
…sandpit’
complete the quote : ‘…their children’
‘setting free…’
complete the quote : ‘…at intervals’
‘behind them…’
finish the quote : ‘stand husbands in…
…skilled trades’
finish the quote : ‘an estateful of…
…washing’
finish the quote : ‘the albums lettered…
…Our Wedding’
finish the quote : ‘lying near…
…the television’
finish the quote : ‘Before them, the wind is…
…ruining their courting places’
finish the quote : ‘that are…
…still courting places’
finish the quote : ‘(but the lovers…
…are all in school)’
finish the quote : ‘so intent in finding…
…more unripe acorns’
complete the quote : ‘…taken home’
‘expect to be…
finish the quote : ‘their beauty…
…has thickened’
complete the quote : ‘…pushing them’
‘something is…’
finish the quote : ‘to the side…
…of their own lives’
What is the oak tree symbolic of?
strength and power of England
What are some examples of skilled trades?
builder, carpenter, factory worker
What is the tone of ‘Afternoons’ like?
pessimistic
mocking
How does ‘washing’ create a cyclical semantic field?
washing machine
- ‘cycle’
- circular movement
What is the significance of the title?
empty
coming to an end
prolonged
inactive, boring, monotonous
What type of poet was Larkin?
post war poet
How did Larkin feel about publicity?
shied away from publicity
What did Larkin write about?
everyday experiences and domesticity in an ordinary language
What was post war Britain like?
austerity gave way to affluent, economic expansion and baby boom
What was post war Britain like for working class?
did not experience prosperity
Give a quote from Larkin
one longs for infinity and absence, the beauty of somewhere you’re not
