Coming, Going and Poetry of Departures Flashcards
Larkin Revision
‘Light, chill and yellow, __________ the serene foreheads of houses’ (Coming)
bathes
In Coming, why is the light described to ‘bathe the serene foreheads of houses’?
Larkin is perhaps trying to evoke an image of baptism, suggesting that the coming spring is purifying the landscape from the ravages of winter.
In Coming, what phrase is repeated in the middle chorus part of the poem?
‘It will be spring soon’
In Coming, why does Larkin repeat the phrase, ‘It will be spring soon’?
To convey the speaker’s excitement and anticipation of the coming spring. The monosyllabic nature of this phrase also conveys the simple beauty of the new season.
‘Feel like a ____________’ (Coming)
child
In Coming, why does the speaker ‘feel like a child’?
When observing spring and the return of life, he feels a sense of innocence and child-like wonder.
What technique is used here: ‘And I, whose childhood is a forgotten boredom, feel like a child’ (Coming)?
simile
How is the structure of Coming different to most other Larkin poems, and why?
In contrast to most other Larkin poems, which are structured around tight, regular stanzas, Coming is very different as it is a single stanza with enjambment across most lines. This is perhaps intended to represent the overflowing passion and excitement of the main character, as he observes the coming of new life.
Which type of shrub is referred to in Coming, and why?
Laurel (the thrush is described as being ‘laurel-surrounded’). Laurel wreaths are often give out at sporting events, so this is perhaps intended to reiterate that spring is a time of celebration and joy.
‘There is an __________ coming in’ (Going)
evening
In Going, what does the coming evening represent?
The disappearing light might be seen as a metaphor for the inevitability of death.
‘That lights no ____________.’ (Going)
lamps
In Going, why does the speaker say that the coming evening ‘lights no lamps’?
To suggest that death offers no hope or possibility of an afterlife - it is final and absolute.
‘___________ it seems at a distance’ (Going)
Silken
In Going, why does death seem ‘silken at a distance’?
To suggest that when viewed from afar - when a person is younger - death seems almost like an easy and comforting resolution to life.
When it is drawn up over the knees and breast//It brings no ___________.’ (Going)
comfort
How is there a shift in the penultimate stanza of Going?
The tone becomes interrogative (questioning) with three questions in succession.
Why is there a shift to a more questioning tone in the penultimate stanza of Going?
To show how, above all, death brings confusion and uncertainty.
Where has the __________ gone, that locked//Earth to the sky? (Going)
tree
In Going, why does the speaker question: Where has the tree gone, that locked// Earth to the sky?
The tree is a metaphor for stability that connects life on ‘earth’ with the hope of something after (‘sky’). As the speaker confronts death, he questions whether such a link really exists.
What is the name for a three-line stanza, like those used in Going?
tercets
In Going, why is the tercet structure broken down at the end of the poem, as Larkin uses a single-line final stanza?
The sudden break down in structure perhaps represents the speaker’s increasing confusion and uncertainty. The single line might be seen as symbolising the notion that ultimately we all have to face death alone.
The focus on death in Going might have been shaped by the the beginning of which war in the 1950s, which brought with it the threat of nuclear apocalypse?
The Cold War
In what year did Britain test nuclear weapons?
1952
The focus on death in Going may have been influenced by the fact that the poems were written soon after the end of which war?
WWII
Sometimes you hear, _________ - ____________,//As epitaph’ (Poetry of Departures)
fifth-hand
In Poetry of Departures, why is it significant that the story of a man leaving society is heard ‘fifth-hand’?
This suggests the story was perhaps unreliable or untrue, with the speaker therefore questioning whether escaping society is actually realistic.
What does the word ‘epitaph’ mean and in which poem does it feature?
epitaph = words spoken at a funeral. This is featured in Poetry of Departures.
In Poetry of Departures, why does the speaker describe that the story of a man leaving society is told like an ‘epitaph’?
An epitaph is a speech delivered at a funeral. The speaker is perhaps mocking the way that stories of societal rebellion are told in such a dramatic manner.
‘audacious, purifying, _____________ move’ (Poetry of Departures)
elemental
What technique is used here: ‘audacious, purifying, elemental move’ (Poetry of Departures)?
tricolon
Why does the speaker describe the story of a man escaping mainstream society as an ‘audacious, purifying, elemental move’?
The triplet of hyperbolic adjectives is intended to mock the idea that escaping mainstream society is actually that significant or meaningful.
‘specially-chosen __________’ (Poetry of Departures)
junk
What technique is used here? ‘specially-chosen junk’ (Poetry of Departures)
oxymoron
Why does the main character of Poetry of Departures describe his possessions as being ‘specially chosen junk’?
The oxymoron conveys how the speaker feels material possessions, something we take great time and care to amass, are actually worthless.
‘the ________ books, the __________ bed’ (Poetry of Departures)
good
What is the intended effect of the list in Poetry of Departures: ‘Books; china; a life’?
The speaker is perhaps suggesting that life itself (like books and china) can become a commodity.
‘Reprehensibly ____________’ (Poetry of Departures)
perfect
What technique is used here: ‘Reprehensibly perfect’ (Poetry of Departures)?
oxymoron
Why does Poetry of Departures end with the oxymoron ‘reprehensibly perfect’?
The speaker suggests that the idea of a ‘perfect’ life is ‘reprehensible’ and something to be entirely rejected.
What is the significance of the title ‘Poetry of Departures’?
Larkin is mocking the idea that there is anything poetic or romantic about the idea of ‘departing’ society.
‘___________ it seems at a distance’ (Going)
Silken
