Born Yesterday, Wedding Wind and I Remember, I Remember Flashcards
Larkin Revision
‘Tightly-folded __________’ (Born Yesterday)
bud
What technique is used here: ‘Tightly-folded bud’ (Born Yesterday)?
metaphor
In Born Yesterday, why does the speaker compare the young girl to a ‘Tightly-folded bud’
To convey ideas of potential and possibility, but also to suggest that at this early age she is protected from societal pressures and expectations.
Who is Born Yesterday written for?
Sally Amis
Who was Sally Amis?
Kingsley Amis’ daughter. Kingsley Amis was a friend of Larkin and a fellow writer and part of The Movement.
Larkin was often considered to be part of a literary group called….?
The Movement
What characterised the poetry of The Movement?
It was unsentimental, honest and rooted in everyday experience.
The writers of The Movement rejected the poetry of…?
The Modernists
Why did the poets of The Movement reject the writing of The Modernists?
They saw their writing as too obscure and too removed from real life.
‘Not the usual __________/ About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)
stuff
‘____________ will all wish you that’ (Born Yesterday)
They
Why does the narrator of Born Yesterday refer to the expectations of society as ‘the usual stuff’?
The colloquial language suggests its unimportance, as well as conveying such ideas lack originality.
‘About __________ / ___________ ‘ (Born Yesterday)
being beautiful
What technique is used here: ‘Not the usual stuff/ About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)?
plosive alliteration via the repeated ‘b’ sound.
What is the intended effect of the plosive alliteration - ‘About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)
The harsh plosive sounds are intended to portray the speaker’s blunt rejection of these stereotypical ideas.
‘Nothing ____________ /To pull you off your balance’ (Born Yesterday)
uncustomary
The second stanza of Born Yesterday begins ‘But if it shouldn’t’ - what terminology could be used to label this turning point?
Volta
What are the five qualities that the speaker of Born Yesterday wants the young girl to be?
skilled, vigilant, flexible, unemphasised, enthralled
Does Born Yesterday use a regular rhyme scheme?
No. It is not regular, although there are some instances of rhyme.
Why does Larkin employ an irregular rhyme scheme in Born Yesterday?
Because he does not want her to have a ‘regular’ life. He wishes for her to be free from societal expectations, like the unstructured rhyme scheme.
How might the title of Born Yesterday be considered a pun?
It has two meanings: 1. In a literal sense, it refers to the very recent birth of Sally Amis. 2. It has connotations of naivety and foolishness. Larkin suggests the cliched expectations of society should be seen in this way.
Why does Born Yesterday end with a rhyming couplet?
The final couplet creates a tone of resolution and certainty, as Larkin concludes his poem by emphasising that happiness can only be found by avoiding generic cliches.
In Wedding Wind, what technique is used in the title and throughout the poem where Larkin refers to the ‘wind’?
pathetic fallacy
In Wedding Wind, what might the extended metaphor of the ‘wind’ represent?
significant, almost elemental change.
‘a stable door was _________, again and again’ (Wedding Wind)
banging
What terminology might be used to describe the verb ‘banging’ in the line below: ‘a stable door was banging again and again’ (Wedding Wind)?
onomatopoeia
‘leaving me stupid in ___________’ (Wedding Wind)
candlelight
In Wedding Wind, what is significant about the female character being left feeling ‘stupid in candlelight’?
This image juxtaposes the conventional ideas of ‘candlelight’ - romance and intimacy. Instead, in the first stanza at least, she feels foolish and alone.
‘Seeing my face in the _________ candlestick yet seeing nothing’ (Wedding Wind)
twisted
In Wedding Wind, why does Larkin describe the newly married woman ‘seeing her face in the twisted candlestick yet seeing nothing’
The adjective ‘twisted’ perhaps suggests that, as a result of marriage her identity has become warped or corrupted in some way.
How is there a shift at the beginning of the second stanza of Wedding Wind?
There is a shift in time (from the wedding night to the next day) but also a shift in tone, as the ‘sun’ seems to bring a more optimistic, hopeful tone.
‘this ____________ morning shares my bed?’ (Wedding Wind)
perpetual
Why does the newly married woman in Wedding Wind describe that the ‘perpetual morning shares my bed’
The ‘perpetual morning’ represents her new love and the beginning of her marriage - it is so intense she feels that it will be ‘perpetual’ (eternal)
‘Can even ____________ dry up these new delighted lakes’ (Wedding Wind)
death
Why might the newly married woman in Wedding Wind question whether ‘even death [will] dry up these new delighted lakes’
The ‘new delighted lakes’ are a metaphor for the vitality and joy of her new marriage. Her love seems so powerful she wonders if even ‘death’ could end it.
‘Our kneeling as ___________ by all-generous waters’ (Wedding Wind)
cattle
What technique is used by Larkin in the final image of Wedding Wind - ‘our kneeling as cattle’?
simile
In Wedding Wind, why does Larkin have the female character describe herself and her husband to be ‘kneeling as cattle by all-generous waters’?
‘kneeling’ has obvious religious connotations, suggesting their love is almost holy. The image of them drinking from ‘all generous waters’ perhaps suggests that they are nourished by the simple love they share.
In I Remember, I Remember, Larkin uses the same title as a poem by ________?
Thomas Hood
Why does Larkin use the same title for I Remember, I Remember as that used for a poem by Thomas Hood?
Larkin’s poem is intended to be a challenge to the sentimental, cliched view of childhood in Hood’s poem.
I Remember, I Remember describes a train arriving in the city of ________?
Coventry
Contextually, what is the significance of I Remember, I Remember being set in Coventry?
Coventry was Larkin’s place of birth and his childhood home. We might therefore suggest that, to an extent, the poem is autobiographical.
‘Why, Coventry!’ I ____________’ (I Remember, I Remember)
exclaimed
What is the significance of the speaker beginning I Remember, I Remember by saying ‘Why Coventry! I exclaimed’
The exclamation is intended to convey the speaker’s initial excitement and surprise upon inadvertently returning to Coventry.
‘I leant far out, and _____________ for a sign’ (I Remember, I Remember)
squinnied
In I Remember, I Remember, what does the word ‘squinnied’ mean?
To squint. The speaker says he ‘squinnied for a sign’ suggesting that he cannot properly see or make sense of Coventry - he is an outsider.
That this was still the town that had been ‘___________’ (I Remember, I Remember)
mine
In I Remember, I Remember, why does Larkin use inverted commas for the word ‘mine’: ‘squinnied for a sign//That this was still the town that had been ‘mine’?
Larkin is mocking the idea that a person can have a deep connection with a place and feel it is ‘mine’.
‘where my childhood was ____________’ (I Remember, I Remember)
unspent
In I Remember, I Remember, what technique does Larkin use in the lines: ‘did not invent blinding theologies’/wasn’t spoken to by an old hat’/’I never ran to…’
Repeated negators
In I Remember, I Remember, why does Larkin use repeated negators, e.g. ‘did not invent blinding theologies’/wasn’t spoken to by an old hat’/’I never ran to…’
To show all the things that the speaker’s childhood was not - all the things that were missing from his youth.
the boys all biceps and the girls all __________’ (I Remember, I Remember)
chest
Why does the narrator in I Remember, I Remember, describe the peers of his youth as ‘the boys all biceps and the girls all chest’?
He is mocking these gender cliches. However, it also presents the narrator as an outsider.
____________ like something happens anywhere’ (I Remember, I Remember)
nothing