Arrivals, Departures Flashcards
analyse the quote ‘channel boats come sidling’ from arrivals, departures
- present tense reflects unexpected nature of decision making; constant
- channel boats are metaphors for opportunities that occur and force us to make a decision; decision making is furtive but forceful and demandinig
- ‘sidling’ connotes sneaking, sly, secretive; opportunities sneak up on us - don’t see them coming - but when they’re here, we have to make a decision
analyse the quote ‘His advent blurted to the morning shore’ from arrivals, departures
- loud and clumsy arrival of the man represents how we are often distracted by noise and other unimportant diversions when we make choices
- ‘sidling’ vs ‘blurted’ - decision making is a sly process that demands action
- ‘morning’ is symbolic of new beginnings, opportunities, and decisions; shows slightly more positive side of decision-making
- ‘shore’ is the end of water and start of land, representing change
analyse the quote ‘Arrivals lowing in a doleful distance’ from arrivals, departures
- low, ominous sound represents the dread of making decisions
- mournful; Larkin characterises the experience of decision-making as overwhelming and potentially causing grief or despair; emphasises the gravity and complexity of decision-making
analyse the quote ‘horny dilemmas’ from arrivals, departures
personification of decision-making as seductive or tempting; reflective of how people can be led by their base desires in making decisions
analyse the quote ‘Come and choose wrong, they cry’ from arrivals, departures
- personification of opportunities as taunting reflects our constant fear of not making the right choice that will secure our happiness; of course, there is no right choice as happiness is subjective and unpredictable - Larkin suggests, therefore, we will necessarily always choose wrong
- repetition shows cyclical nature of wrong decisions
analyse the quote ‘And so we rise.’ from arrivals, departures
- monosyllabic; emphatic of natural/innate response
- collective pronoun; normally Larkin is an outsider, but here he included himself in society
- speaker and society feel an innate call to action when facing a decision
analyse the quote ‘At night again’ from arrivals, departures
- transition from morning; decisions open and close the day - they are ever-present, constant, and inescapable
- full 24 hour period had passed, but nothing has happened; opportunties are fleeting and temporary
analyse the quote ‘O not for long, they cry’ from arrivals, departures
- personified voice of opportunity suggests choices are fleeting; we can’t exist in a state of pasivity - Larkin encourages us to grasp opportunity
- this warning against inertia exist equally with the knowledge of humanity’s inability to understand the demands of opprtunbity; decision-making becomes a separate entity, incomprehensible to society
analyse the quote ‘never knowing / How safely we may disregard their blowing, / or if […] hapiness too is going’ from arrivals, departures
- final rhyming triplet; creates speed resembling the fleeting nature of opportunities and the quick disappearance of our ability to choose
- ‘disregard’ reflects ignoring decisions and living passively
- ‘happiness too is going’ suggests the happiness leaves with the missed opprtunities; we cannot know for certain which choice will make us happier - living passively or grasping opportunity
