larkin - not examined yet Flashcards
why is the poem called Wants?
larkin explores the conflict between the wants and desires of the speaker and those of society
however the sky grows dark with invitation-cards//however we follow the printed directions of sex//however the family is photographed under the flag-staff
anaphoric repetition establishing a list of societal expectations that the speaker wants to reject as they seem relentless
sky grows dark with invitation-cards = hyperbole
speaker feels overwhelmed with dread and anxiety when considering prospect of fulfilling societal obligations
follow the printed directions of sex = imperative
the command to do something like have sex makes it seem dull
beyond all this, the wish to be alone = repeated
makes his desires seem constant and inescapable
beneath it all, the desire for oblivion runs
visual image of speaker being weighed down by society
artful tensions = juxtaposition
restricted by events that are organised meticulously, therefore unavoidable
life insurance, the tabled fertility rites, the costly aversion = asyndetic list
seems endless, always paying to simply exist
beneath it all, the desire for oblivion runs = repeated
idea of death being a looming presence throughout life
what is significant about the title of Places, Loved Ones?
to put two contrasting ideas together, it diminishes the romanticism of ideas of ‘the one’
no, i have never = repeated negators
establishment of this rejection and separation
‘this is my proper ground,//here i shall stay’ = direct speech
represents wider society, sounds verbose and exaggerated, not authentic
who has an instant claim//on everything i own = legal language
suggests a loss of identity when you enter a relationship
to prove//… to love = visual rhyme
mocking the idea of being able to prove love
so that it’s not your fault//should the town turn dreary
inevitability as it was a foolish idea to begin with
the girl a dolt
ridiculing them for passively believing in the ‘special one’ removing their own agency
you’re//bound
idea of entrapment into conformity, making larkin the ‘less deceived’
mashed you = colloquial
vernacular, undermines romance
your person, your place
analogy of moving with a relationship
what is the significance of the title Born Yesterday?
term used to comment on a person’s naivety
tightly-folded bud = metaphor
not yet bloomed, closed off, protected
not the usual stuff//about being beautiful
societal expectations are presented as superficial and unobtainable
or running off a spring//of innocence and love = hyperbole
sounds like a fantasy, unrealistic
well, you’re a lucky girl
condescending, patronising tone
what form is Born Yesterday?
free verse, indicative of a stream of consciousness
have, like other women,//an average of talents
mocking societal expectations of women
in fact, you may be dull
moving away from expectations, contradictory as he is dull and unhappy, as seen throughout the collection
if that is what a skilled,// vigilant, flexible, unemphasised, enthralled = asyndetic list
speculating what makes women happy, suggesting what could be achieved when you look past superficial expectations
unemphasised, enthralled// catching of happiness is called = rhyming couplet
hope for an organised, straightforward life is naive and unrealistic despite the romanticisation
catching of happiness is called
conveys it is out of reach and unobtainable
