Deceptions Flashcards
The poem Deceptions was originally titled…?
The Less Deceived
What is the significance of the poem Deceptions originally being titled The Less Deceived?
It suggests that Larkin considered the ideas in the poem to be central to the collection as a whole
‘Even so distant, I can taste the ______’
grief
Why does the speaker say that he can ‘taste the grief’?
The speaker presents the young girl’s pain as something very specific and real
‘the brisk brief/_______ of wheels along the street outside’
worry
Why does the narrator refer to the ‘worry of wheels along the street outside’?
Larkin uses personification to suggest that the young girl’s pain and anxiety is so great that it shapes her whole world
‘__________ London bows the other way’
bridal
What does ‘bridal London’ represent?
Purity, innocence, virtue - because the girl has been sexually assaulted, she is seen as no longer having these attributes, which is why ‘bridal London bows the other way’
‘Your mind lay open like a drawer of _________’
knives
Why does the speaker describe the young girl’s ‘mind lay open like a drawer of knives’?
To present the psychological anguish that the girl faces - her own mind is a place of threat and danger
Why does Larkin present the female victim as being ‘less deceived’?
Although she has suffered a brutal sexual assault, she knows the cause of her pain. In contrast, her attacker is destined to be forever unfulfilled and unaware of why he feels such emptiness
Why is the attacker presented as ‘stumbling’ and ‘breathless’?
Larkin presents him as clumsy and out of control - driven by his own base desires, he is destined to be perpetually disappointed and alone
