Afternoons Flashcards
When was it written?
Late 1950s
What did Larkin reject the role of and why?
Poet Laureate - he was known for being solitary and fame hating.
When was he homeschooled up until so what did this mean for Larkin?
Until he was 8 years old -had practically no friends or any close relationships at this age.
Where and when does the poem itself portray?
1960s, post-war Britain.
What was the government taking steps to do at the time the poem was written?
Taking steps to get rid of rundown housing and replaces with modern estates and green space.
What were gender roles like in the 1960s?
Regimented - women were expected to be domestic and have children, men were expected to go to work.
What was Larkin’s romantic life like?
He never married but was in some relationships - at one point, he was in 3 relationships at the same time. Generally unsuccessful with love.
What are Larkin’s poems often described as?
Negative, miserable, melancholic
Where did Larkin live and what did he do here?
He lived in the top floor flat in Pearson Park in Hull where he looked down and observed.
Did Larkin serve in WW2?
No, due to his poor eyesight.
‘______ is fading:’
‘Summer is fading:’
‘The leaves fall in ____ and ____
From _____ _________
The ____ ________ _____.’
‘The leaves fall in ones and twos
From trees bordering
The new recreation ground.’
‘In the ______ of afternoons’
‘In the hollows of afternoons’
‘______ mothers ______
At _____ and ______’
‘Young mothers assemble
At swing and sandpit’
‘Setting ____ their ________.’
‘Setting free their children.’
‘________ them, at ______,’
‘Behind them, at intervals,’
‘Stand husbands in ______ _____,’
‘Stand husbands in skilled trades,’
‘An estateful of _______,’
‘An estateful of washing,’
‘And the albums, ________
____ ______, _____
Near the _________:’
‘And the albums, lettered
Our Wedding, lying
Near the television:’
‘Before them, the ____
Is ________ their _______-_____’
‘Before them, the wind
Is ruining their courting-places’
‘That are _____ ________-______
(But the _____ are all in _____),’
‘That are still courting-places
(But the lovers are all in school),’
‘And their ______, so _____ on
Finding more ______ ______,’
‘And their children, so intent on
Finding more unripe acorns,’
‘______ to be taken ____.’
‘Expect to be taken home.’
‘Their beauty has ________.’
‘Their beauty has thickened.’
‘__________ is ________ them
To the ____ of their own lives.’
‘Something is pushing them
To the side of their own lives.’
