Afternoons - Philip Larkin Flashcards
who was he
born in 1922, he was na English poet, novelist and librarian
where did he go to school
he was homeschooled until he was 8 and eventually studied English at Oxford
what was Larkins love life like
he has a few longer relationships but overall was unsucessful in finding anyone
what was Larkin known for
solitary and fame-hating
what are his poems like
observational and focus on every day life and relationships
generally negative
what is the importance of the poems title
- it is pluralised implying that all afternoons are the same
- afternoons are after noon, the peak of the day
“summer is fading”
the declarative sentence creates a neutral, observational tone
“from trees bordering the new recreation ground”
an image of control as the trees have been planted around the park on purpose
suburban life seems over controlling
“hollows”
the afternoons are empty or safe/homely
“young mothers”
the women’s identities are rooted in their motherhood = they have lost their individuality
“setting their children free”
domestic life is like a cage
what is the effect of the enjambment in the first stanza
has the effect of making this poem seem relentless, just like the mundanity experienced by the people in the poem
“behind them”
the prepositional tone suggests that there is a distance between the husbands and wives
what is the effect of caesura
it emphasises that line
“skilled trades”
larking is writing about ordinary working class people
“an estateful of washing”
emphasizes how never ending domestic work is
the women are trapped by domesticity
“lying near the television”
this image suggests that love has mellowed and taken for granted
“before them the wind is ruining their courting places”
women are powerless
they can only stand and watch as there courting places are ruined
“(but the lovers are all in school)”
the brackets make this line stand out
Larkin emphasises that the next generation is destined to do the same as there parents
“unripe acorns”
the image of youth emphazises that the children arent ready yet to take over for their parents
“expect to be taken home”
the women are secondary in their own lives - there children are more important
“there beauty has thickened”
Larkin criticises the women’s physical appearance as they have gotten older
“something is punishing them to side of their own lives”
- vague and observational
- women have become secondary to their own lives but it is not clear why or how
what is the importance of end stopping these lines
create a sense of finality
the mundanity of everyday life is inascapable
