Afternoons Flashcards
Context
Phillip Larkin’s poetry celebrates the ordinary details of day to day life.
Larkin never married, had children or even left the UK in his life.
Structure
The first stanza deals with Larkin’s rather cynical view of marriage and deals with the idea that the young mothers are isolated. Larkin’s use of language emphasis the recurring theme of emptiness within the young mothers and how regimented their lives have become.
In the second stanza Larkin moves from the general view into the individual and describes the mothers as being alone with little support from their working husbands.
In the third stanza Larkin focuses back onto the children and how because of them the mothers are unable to live their own lives and they are merely looking in. Their dreams, aspirations and needs have been put to the side.
Themes
Passing of time
Loss of innocence
Growing up
Afternoons
The title suggests that the young mothers are in the ‘afternoons’ of their lives where their children have taken away their identities and their lives are not their own.
“Summer is fading”
“Summer” may be used as a metaphor to represent the pleasant times in the mother’s life, and the verb ‘fading’ may imply their happiness is coming to an end.
“fall in one’s and twos”
Suggests the gradual, almost unnoticeable yet inevitable nature of decline.
“From trees bordering”
The trees ‘bordering’ are almost stopping the mothers escaping - they are trapped in this reality.
“The new recreation ground”
The adjective ‘new’ suggests thatt this is a new stage in the mother’s lives or it could also suggest there is a new generation.
“In the hollows of afternoons”
The word ‘hollows’ suggests the mother’s lives are empty, and void of freedom and pleasure.
“Young mothers assemble”
The verb ‘assemble’ suggests the mothers gather without choice and that is is routine. It may also suggest every ‘young mither’ is facing the same emptiness.
“Setting free”
The children are being set ‘free’. Freedom is something that the mothers crave.
“Behind them, at intervals”
‘Behind them’ may suggest the mothers do not feel they are supported by their husbands.
“Skilled trades”
‘Skilled trades’ suggests that the women are not recognised for how they raise their children as they don’t earn any qualifications, and are almost seen as being unskilled.
“An estate full of”
The mothers do not have their own identities, suggesting all of the women do the same tasks .
“Our Wedding, lying Near the television:”
‘Lying’ suggests the wedding album is ignored just like their relationship with their partners. This is not the most important thing in their lives anymore.
“But the lovers are all in school”
The ‘lovers’ may be who the parents used to be before that had children. Or, the ‘lovers’ could be the new generation, who are in new relationships.
“Unripe acorns”
The adjective ‘unripe’ suggests the children are unaware of what life will be like when they are older. They are still naive and not ready for adulthood.
“Expect”
The verb ‘expect’ suggests that the children make demands to their mothers and that the mothers have no choice.
“Their beauty has thickened”
The word ‘thickened’ suggests that the mothers are growing older, and they are not as beautiful as they used to be, because they have no time to look after themselves.
“Something is pushing them to the side of their own lives”
The word ‘something’ suggests that the mothers do not realise who or what is ‘pushing ‘them. The verb ‘pushing’ suggests that the mothers are being forced away from their own lives. The most important thing in their lives is their children. The mothers are almost at the side now looking in on a life that isn’t theirs; a life that they have no control over. However, ‘something’ a,so negates the importance of their children, as they are not referred to as children, but as ‘something’.
