At Grass Flashcards
What is meant by the title ‘At Grass’ ?
- To be put to one side/retired.
‘The eye can hardly pick them out’
- Pronoun - loss of identity and purpose due to the absence of work , lost their significance.
‘the cold shade they shelter in Till wind distresses tail and main’
- Pathetic fallacy initially connotes neglect and desolation/emptiness comes in losing self - vulnerability.
- As poem progresses realise ‘cold shade’ is relief from working life, more relaxed as their work was associated with ‘heat and littered grass’
‘And stands anonymous again’
- Lack of purpose - lost what made their identity meaningful and gave them significance - now nameless.
‘To fable them..’
‘their names were artificed’
Degree of legendary significance to them - juxtaposed with the first stanza, where ‘anonymous’. Had fame/meaning.
‘Of Cups and Stakes and Handicaps’
- Syndetic listing, and capital letters used emphasise racehorse terminology and their old importance. Achievement in past contributed to their identity.
‘Silks at the start: against the sky/ Numbers and parasols’
- Sibilance captures noise and energy of the race meeting, therefore excitement and intensity of horses’ former identity.
‘Numbers and parasols…empty cars and heat and littered grass’
- Caesura throughout listing - bringing memory of races to life, the fame and meaning they had. ‘Heat’ - sense of life and excitement, juxtaposing ‘cold shade’ at beginning.
‘the long cry Hanging unhushed till it subside’
- Enjambment - wording seems longer, may symbolise cheering.
- Metaphor for horses’ fame and life, ‘until it subside’ -suggests that time forced them to eventually lose their value.
What did Larkin say about time?
Time knew to disappoint, erode or spoil.
‘To stop press columns on the street’
- Emphasises permanence - will always be remembered, to an extent, as their memories and achievements are recorded.
‘Do memories plague their ears like flies? They shake their heads.’
Emphasises via caesura, serves as a volta. Questions whether saddened by memories of former lives - but do not miss their old identity, and not trying to repeat the past. At peace. Anthropomorphised.
- ‘plague’ ‘flies’ connote decaying - time erodes what was good/happy in resting.
‘Dusk brims shadows.’
- Metaphor for death. Inevitability of time eroding - horses soon to die, yet feel peace.
A03: Larkin had preoccupation/obsession with death in his 20s so often mentions morbid images as such.
‘stand at ease Or gallop for what must be joy’
- Horses somewhat grateful to have lost identity, no longer have expectations, instead peace. Not forced run anymore.
‘All but the unmolesting meadows’
Now left alone and have found a form of peace through being at one with the natural world.
