Afternoons, Philip Larkin Flashcards
“Afternoons”
Suggests the end of the day and time passing.
Pluralisation implies that all afternoons are the same. Monotony.
“Summer is fading”
Declarative sentence creates a neutral, observational tone.
Has a sense of longing for the past.
“hollows of afternoons/ Young mothers assemble”
“hollow” and “assemble” suggest routine and boredom creating a sense of emptiness.
Hollow means empty.
“Setting free their children”
Suggests that domestic life is like a cage.
“An estateful washing”
Image emphasises how never-ending domestic work is. The women are trapped by domesticity.
“Unripe acorns”
The image of youth emphasises the children are not yet ready to take over from their parents.
“Their beauty has thickened”
The idea of time passing is developed throughout the poem – “their beauty has thickened” suggests
aging.
“Something is pushing them To the side of their own lives.”
Vague and observational lines. It is clear that the woman have become secondary in their own lives, but it is not clear why or how.
Structure
Three stanzas of equal length - everything is the same.
Normal everyday life is boring and this cycle can not be broken.
