Afternoons- Philip Larkin Flashcards
What type of poem is Afternoons and what does it reflect?
Melancholy poem which reflects on the subject of marriage
What does the poem deal with and what does Larkin conclude?
Larkin’s view on young mothers watching their children playing in a playground and he concludes that marrying young leads to the mothers losing their identities
What does Larkin’s description of young mothers taking their children to a playground seem like compared to the narrator’s view?
Larkin’s description seems normal but the narrator’s is expressed
What does the ordinary, everyday occurrence highlight?
Theme of change and how it cannot be avoided, like the passing of time
What does Larkin’s poetry celebrate?
Ordinary details of day to day life
Did Larkin ever marry, have children or leave the UK?
No
What does the first stanza deal with?
Larkin’s rather cynical view of marriage and deals with the idea that the young mothers are isolated
What does Larkin’s use of language emphasis?
Recurring theme of emptiness with the young mothers and how regimented their lives have become
What view does Larkin move to in the second stanza and what does he describe?
General view into the individual and describes the mothers as being alone with little support from their working husbands
What does Larkin focus on in the third stanza?
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 aside
What does the title “Afternoons” suggest?
End of the day and time passing
What tone does the poem have and sense?
The tone is wistful and has a sense of longing for the past- “summer is fading”
What does the language suggest?
There is little meaning in the lives of the “young mothers”
What do “hollow” and “assemble” suggest?
Routine and boredom creating a sense of emptiness
What idea is developed throughout the poem and what does “their beauty has thickened” suggest?
The idea of time passing and it shows aging
