Coming Flashcards
What is coming suggestive of?
Suggestive of newness/beginnings - promise.
What is the poem about?
Spring.
Larkins voice is less cynical here.
Explore the quote “Bathes the serene Foreheads of houses.”
Enjambment
‘Bathes’ - AO3: Larkin as an anti-romantic. Romantics look at the sublime/beauty of nature and respect the natural world. Larkin rejects the pomp of the romantics and designs his poems to be accessible - ‘the man at the bus stop.’
‘Foreheads’ - personification, religious imagery of baptism. Perhaps it shows a new life/beginning like spring. The light from spring cleanses/purifies the houses/winter.
What technique is repeated after the majority of line breaks?
Enjambment.
Explore the quote “A thrush sings, Laurel surrounded”
‘A thrush sings’ - AO3: Thomas Hardy. It illudes to the Darkling Thrush. It’s a sense of hope.
‘Laurel surrounded’ - symbolism. It perhaps suggests spring is a time to celebrate and be joyous.
Explore the verbs “sings” and “voice.”
Larkin makes use of sound to show how winter (connotations of silence, death, migration) is changing to spring.
Bird - nature - spring is filled with life by an almost lyrical sound.
Explore the adjective “astonishing.”
A sense of shock and suddenness of light after winter passed (birth vs light).
The light of spring is beyond comprehension.
Explore the repetition of “It will be spring soon, It will be spring soon.”
Chorus - spring is sensory and lyrical.
The repetition shows excitement from the speaker.
Explore the quote “feel like a child who comes on a scene of adult reconcilling and can understand nothing”
‘Feel like a child.’ - simile - speaker feels he almost not comprehend his own joy/the wonders of nature - childlike wonder.
What is the structure of the poem?
Enjambment is used to show the reader is perhaps overwhelmed with joy/passion/wonder/excitement.
