An Arundel Tomb

'An Arundel Tomb' refers to the monument in Chichester Cathedral which displays two lovers lying side-by-side, each holding the other's stone hand. Larkin appears to be arguing that, although the sculpture provides faith and hope for many concerning 'eternal love', love in fact 'isn't stronger than death just because statues hold hands for 600 years' (as he himself wrote at the end of the draft version of this poem).
     The first line is seperated symmetrically by a single comma, and this caesura gives a sense of two lovers lying side-by-side. The seperation of the line immidiately made me question whether an emotional or physical seperation is present between the two stone characters in question. Their faces are described as being 'blurred', giving the impression of worn stone and a loss of realism in recreation. The male figure wears 'jointed armour [and] stiffended pleat' - this suggests a medieval era with connotations of wealth, and the hard, cold armour contrasts intriguingly with the innocent intimacy of 'His hand withdrawn, holding her hand'. Larkin appears to be surprised by this display of affection amongst 'Such plainess of the pre-baroque' (simple, expected architecture): 'One sees, with a sharp tender shock'.
     However, he goes on to suggest that this surface of intimacy and love is in fact untrue. The first line of the third stanza reads: 'They would not think to lie so long'. The word 'lie' at first produces an image of the figures lying down on their backs, but on further inspection the word appears to hold the connotations of untruth. It could be argued that Larkin is telling the reader of how the hand-holding is a false image of love, and that the characters were prehaps not intimate when alive. He then tells of how the 'faithfulness in effigy / Was just a detail friends would see'; this implies that the faith shown to the naked eye is not a true representation of the love which the figures felt for each other, but instead an artificial detail which has been indented in cold stone at the hands of the sculptor. This point is strengthened in the final lines of the third stanza, as Larkin describes how the sculptor 'help[s] to prolong / The Latin names around the base' - they are keeping up the appearance of the sculpture to please the public, and the real decay of love over time is hidden from the eyes of the viewer.
     The second line of the fourth stanza obtains an interesting oxymoron: 'Their supine stationary voyage'. This gives the impression that although the two figures are lying on their backs, unmoving, they are still undertaking a voyage, and this could represent the voyage of time and decay, referring to both their love and their physical states. Larkin expresses how the 'soon succeeding eyes begin / To look, not read'; this refers to an ever-changing society made up of those who can no longer read Latin, so instead base their understanding of the monument solely on its' appearance.
     In the fifth stanza, Larkin describes the snow which falls 'undated' outside the surroundings of the sculpture. This presents the idea that time has no relevance to those who are dead, creating a tone of isolation by also making them appear untouchable. He goes on to describe the happenings of nature throughout the fifth stanza, presenting the environment as irrational and random, contrasting to the sculptures as it is not controlled by man. The 'endless altered people' are described as 'Washing at [the monuments'] identity', portraying how the more people who come to see them, the more the holding of hands becomes their complete identity - the public see nothing else. In the next line, Larkin uses the word 'hollow' to create a sad and empty tone.
     The seventh stanza begins with a line which depicts the way in which the faithfulness shown through the intimate hand-hold is not an accurate representation of the truth: 'Time has transfigured them into / Untruth'. Larkin goes on to tell of how 'The stone fidelity / They hardly meant has come to be / Their final blazon' - this suggests that the affectionate gesture was almost an accident, a detail implimented which was not a true portrayal of love after death, yet it has become the sole identity of the monument. It seems that Larkin is pointing out how the surface may hold an untruth, and below the appearance of adoration, there is the simple truth that love decays alongside death.
     The final line of the seventh stanza runs into the final stanza of two lines: 'and to prove / Our almost-instinct almost true: What will survive of us is love'. These final lines could be interpretated in different ways; it could be argued that Larkin is in fact finally agreeing that love will survive after death. However, my personal opinion is that he is revealing that we, as mankind, have an instinct to believe that what will survive of us is love, whereas this is only 'almost true', suggesting that it is in fact false.

Take One Home For The Kiddies

This poem investigates the cruelty of children, and their lack of respect for life - in this case concerning pets, although I think the moral of the poem is a lot broader, with the example of animal cruelty acting as a microcosm of their overall selfishness. The poem is written in a nursery rhyme style; it is jolly, rhythmic and short, and this contrasts shockingly with the depressing subject. This is deeply ironic, and it could be argued that through this technique Larkin is attempting to portray the realism of life - it is not always as it seems. The title itself is extremely sarcastic; 'Kiddies' holds the connotations of innocence and affection, whereas in reality Larkin is presenting the children as cruel and brutish.
     The first stanza begins with a description of the pets' habitats; they lie 'On shallow straw, in shadeless glass, / Huddled by empty bowls'. This reveals the fact that they are in a pet shop, a hostile place, and the 'shadeless glass' means they are on display for the customers, as if they are just objects for show. The word 'huddled' suggests that the animals are frightened, and their 'empty bowls' show signs of neglect. They have 'No dark, no dam, no earth, no grass', no natural comforts or protection. The children exclaim 'Mam, gets us one of them to keep' - this is childish speech, and it is clear that the characters in question are of a working-class family from up-north. By making the speech colloquial, Larkin makes the poem extremely clear to understand, possibly echoing the way that adults speak to children very plainly and simply. This also compliments the nursery rhyme nature of the poem.
     The second and final stanza begins with the line: 'Living toys are something novel'. This depicts how the children find the prospect of a pet new and exciting, but their love is short-lived and fickle, and 'it soon wears off somehow'. This shows neglect and cruelty on the part of the children, and portrays how they consider a 'living toy' and a stuffed toy to be equals - they have no respect for human life, and no idea of its importance. The sibilance used in the first line ('shallow') is repeated in the second from last line ('shoebox'). The harshness of this strengthens the tone of neglect and cruelty, and also creates the image of an animal making sounds of distress. The final line is disturbing and creates shock: 'Mam, we're playing funerals now.' This exposes the ruthless disinterest of the children; after a certain amount of time, they lose interest in the item which was previously the object of their affections, and they reveal their cruelties to the adult world without a hint of regret or remorse. It appears that Larkin is portraying the brutal nature of adolescents which contrasts with the innocence of their age, and it could be argued that he is also attempting to inform children of how hard and fickle life can be.

Toads Revisited

'Toads Revisited' is a follow up to 'Toads' by Philip Larkin. Both poems explore the hardship of having a full-time job; in 'Toads', Larkin describes employment as 'the toad work', portraying it straight away in a negative, unappealing way. He goes on to question why he should let it 'squat' on his life - the word 'squat' makes his job soiund unelegant and far from intellectual, as well as unpleasant. The poem tells of how Larkin is only working for money, and not because he enjoys his job; it is not fullfilling or interesting, but his fear and doubt of the future prevents him from ever quitting and becoming, in a sense, free. The first stanza of 'Toads Revisited' begins with: 'Walking around in the park / Should feel better than work' - the word 'should' is stressed by being placed at the beginning the second line, and the reader realises straight away that it does not in fact feel better. It appears that Larkin has become used to being a slave to the world of work, and having a break just doesn't suit him.
     He goes on to list a group of people who are unemployed, and these work-avoiders are described as being 'stupid or weak'. This is cruel and offensive, and straight to the point; he makes it brutally apparent that he believes those who avoid work are worse than himself for doing so. This contrasts to 'Toads' as he used irony when describing the unemployed: 'Lots of folk live up lanes / With fires in a bucket'. This refers to the homeless, and he is not really envying their lives free of work. Larkin describes this list of work-avoiders as 'All dodging the toad work' - 'dodging' sounds judmental, and this is unfair due to some of the listed, such as 'Waxed-fleshed out-patients', having no choice about their lack of occupation. 'Think of being them! / Hearing the hours chime' - before Larkin appeared to wish for unemployment, whereas now the prospect seems to be unappealing to him. Time appears to go by with nothing much to do, and he narrates as if those who do not work are more aware of the bleakness of life; he seems to think that there is nothing else which could be used to bide time other than employment. This point is strengthened by Larkin telling the reader of how they will sit 'Turning over their failures' - if he is working, he has no time to consider negative thoughts, and in this way work acts as a distraction from reality.
     In this poem, as in many others from 'The Whitsun Weddings', Larkin narrates with an external personna; he is outside looking in on the unemployed, pondering over a world that 'doesn't suit [him]'. This gives 'Toads Revisited' a lonely, isolated tone. The personna which Larkin has created appears to be stuck in the habit of things, suffocated by routine, and it is with his final line that we realise just how hopeless the idea of change is: 'Give me your arm, old toad; / Help me down Cemetery Road'. This could be due to the 'something sufficiently toad-like' thats 'hunkers are heavy as hard luck, / And cold as snow'. This phrase implimented towards the end of 'Toads' seems still to be of clear relevance in 'Toads Revisited', almost worsened, as Larkin depicts the fact that he can no longer see any future without his occupation (which at the time was that of a Librarian), and decides that he will be led to his death by 'the toad work'.

Afternoons

'Afternoons' is a poem which could be seen as nostalgic, sympathetic, snobbish and misogynistic, depending on the reader's individual interpretation. My personal opinion is that the poem inhabits all four tones; Larkin exhibits examples of each as he describes his view on young marriage and having children young.  
     Pathetic fallacy is used  to echo and enhance the depressing tone of 'Afternoons'; Larkin describes the summer as 'fading', giving a sad impression of hard, cold months ahead. This time-related phrase could also be a reference to ageing, as age is a topic within this poem. This dying of the year is juxtaposed with 'the new recreation ground'; here Larkin presents a sense of old and new, relating to the different characters within the poem varying from adults to adolescents. He then makes a reference to the 'hollows of afternoons', suggesting that the mums which he is referring to have nothing to do - they are possibly 'stay at home' mums, and the phrase obtains connotations of being unemployed. The 'Young mothers assemble', depicting a sense of organisation, as if they have been waiting for this their whole lives, and have almost been programmed to become mothers from the day they themselves were born. By making an age reference to the mothers, Larkin stresses his view of importance concerning their youthfulness.
     Stanza two enlightens the viewer on how 'Behind them, at intervals, / Stand husbands in skilled trades'. The caesura present in the first line of the second stanza echos the intervals/divisions of the husbands. Larkin could be seen as being misogynistic here due to him not making a reference of age to the men, as if it is of no relevance and bares no negative repercussions, and stressing the fact that the males are all in 'skilled trades', whereas the occupation of the mothers appears either non-existent or not worth acknowledging. 'An estateful of washing' surrounds the characters; this is somewhat stereotypical, and the line holds a judgmental tone, possibly making reference to the young mothers' washing hanging out to dry for everyone to see (this is slightly snobbish). 'The wind / Is ruining their courting places' ('their' referring to those of the parents who are 'Setting free their children'). This could reflect the fact that it is the course of nature which has ruined the young mothers' old spots to hang out with their lovers - with age has come ruin, and they are now reliving memories which have become elements of the past. These courting places 'are still courting places / (But their lovers are all in school)' - personally I believe this line to be a judgement of Larkins referring to teen pregnancies. It could also refer to love only being present in the youthful, not in adult life; it deteriorates with age.
     Larkin's describes 'their beauty' as having 'thickened'; this is a broad reference which I believe relates to the young mothers, although it could be argued that it relates to the children, or even the class of people as a whole. The word 'thickens' holds the connotations of weight-gain and largeness, and it could be that he is portraying the way in which age has an effect on every aspect of you, creating a possible loss of identity. This could again be misogynistic as the phrase could be perceived as rudeness. The final two lines of 'Afternoons' present the idea that the parents are no longer the stars of their own shows; they are having to live for their children now, and in this way they can no longer be selfish. 'Something is pushing them / To the side of their own lives' - the children have become their main focus, instead of themselves, and this could be linked to 'Dockery and Son' as in both Larkin appears to be shining a negative light of doom on the prospect and reality of having children.
   

Dockery and Son

'Dockery and Son' is a poem by Larkin which follows a theme of ageing and contrasting generations. The tone used throughout is questioning and doubtful; this is complemented by Larkin's intriguing use of punctuation. There are many caesuras in this poem which disturb the flow and create pauses, and this could echo the hesitant nature of Larkin's narrative. For example, many questions are executed in the middle of lines, such as: 'At nineteen, twenty? Was he that withdrawn'. The pause and rupture in rhythm created by the question mark echos Larkin's hestitance and doubt effectively.
     In the first stanza, Larkin includes many hints that the past he is referrring to takes place in a university. He attempts to remember how 'Black-gowned, unbreakfasted, and still half-tight / [he] used to stand before that desk'; this creates an image for the reader of a university student who rushed towards trouble concerning '[those] incidents last night'. The final line of the first stanza runs into the second: 'I try the door of where I used to live: / Locked.' By beginning the second stanza with a single word cut off by a full stop creates a dramatic sense of sudden realisation; it presents the idea that Larkin has abruptly grasped the fact that he can no longer go back to those youthful university days, and age has propelled him into a world outside his past years. He is again depicting himself as an outsider, as he does in the majority of his poems from The Whitsun Weddings. Larkin goes on to describe how he 'catch[es] [his] train, ignored.' This creates a persona of someone who has reached that 'invisible age' - he isn't young and attractive anymore, and it appears that he does not draw any attention to himself.
     The third stanza presents yet more intriguing use of punctuation. Larkin displays the question of: 'Cartwright who was killed?', with the question mark appearing in the middle of the line which is finished with: 'Well, it just shows'. The third line is oxymoronic, as he ponders upon 'How much... How little...' - Larkin's use of ellipsis creates bewilderment, and strengthens the unsure, slightly confused tone of the poem. The odd additional detail of Larkin eating 'an awful pie' is included towards the end of the stanza, and it could be argued that the significance of this is the lack of importance in his life; he has 'no son, no wife / No house or land', and his lonely days of being 'ignored' appear to be filled with the dissappointments of insignificant details, such as his pie. This generates a depressing feeling of gloom.
     Larkin goes on to narrate the shock of finding out Dockery's son is now a university student in the fourth stanza. 'Only a numbness registered the shock / Of finding out how much had gone of life,' - he is ageing with what seems to him a very quick pace, and so much has already become the past. The fifth stanza begins with the word 'convinced', and this contrasts with the uncertain, doubtful tone which Larkin narrates with earlier on. It is as if he has just realised that the reason Dockery had children is because he was sure that 'he should be added to!' because he thought 'adding meant increase'. This line is offensive; it hints at a genetic legacy which appears to be very important to Dockery, making him sound self-righteous and vain, and it could be argued that Larkin is being facist here. To Larkin, having children 'was dilution'; he would have to become selfless, and stop living solely for himself.
     In the sixth stanza, Larkin describes having children as 'habit', 'suddenly ... harden[ing] into all we've got'. Habit becomes routine, and routine becomes tradition, and eventually it becomes impossible to break. This negative perception of having children makes it clear to the reader that Larkin's personna within the poem does not long for the company of adolescents, however much he appears lonely. In the final stanza, he illustrates how 'Life is first boredom, then fear.' This line is extremely pessimistic, and the cynicism which Larkin narrates with creates a dull tone with a depressive view on the future. The line suggests that you will be bored when young, and fearful when you begin to age because of the prospect of death.

Self's The Man

This poem explores a theme of selfishness and its connections to marriage. Larkin writes as an outsider, a running theme in The Whitsun Weddings, and creates a persona which is very much independent and unattached romantically. Arnold, Larkin's opposite, is used as a tool for comparison; 'He married a woman to stop her getting away / Now she's there all day,' This line holds an offensive and cynical tone, suggesting that Arnold feels trapped with no way of escape. It presents a claustrophobic feel and suggests oppressive company - it is clear already that the marriage is not a happy one.
     Larkin continues with this cynical approach to matrimony; 'the money he gets for wasting his life on work' all goes towards 'kiddie's clobber and the drier / And the electric fire,' and never on treats for himself. He also refers to Arnold's partner as taking his money 'as her perk', and it could be argued that there is a tone of sexism which runs throughout the poem. When Arnold is not at work, he is being nagged to 'Put a screw in this wall', which leads to him having 'no time at all'. These phrases make marriage seem almost like a second job for Arnold, and Larkin appears to find the prospect of matrimony extremely unappealing - he presents it as a hardship.
     A casual tone is adopted in this poem; this creates a naturalistic feel, one of reality which allows Larkin to engage with the 'everyday reader' whilst possibly echoing the dull normality of marriage itself. The structure and language used in 'Self's The Man' are both simple, making the poem informal and accessible. This also makes the content fairly easy to understand, and it could be argued that this portrays Larkin's upfront persona in the poem, and the way in which he does not attempt to mask his selfishness - he does not use extravagant language to hide any of the dull realities presented in the poem.
     Before the 6th stanza Larkin openly refers to himself as being more selfish than Arnold, but a change is signified hence forth with the word 'but'. There is a role reversal here between the narrator and his opposite - Larkin describes how Arnold was 'out for his own ends / Not just pleasing his friends'. This suggests that on closer inspection, seemingly selfless acts are in fact often selfishly undertaken, and Arnold married his partner 'for his own sake'. Larkin could be depicting the fact that Arnold was not forced into marriage, and it was his own selfish way of keeping her to himself, almost trapping her.
     In the final stanza of 'Self's The Man' Larkin presents himself as not only obtaining equal goodness to Arnold, but actually being less selfish than he. He states that he is a 'better hand / At knowing what [he] can stand' - it could be argued that he is suggesting he is less selfish because he avoided marriage as he knew he would not be able to stand it, whereas Arnold made his partner his wife because of his own selfish wishes. Despite the confident, almost arrogant tone with which he narrates throughout, the final line of the poem shows Larkin undermining his earlier judgements; a hyphen is used to depict a pause in thought, followed by the phrase: 'Or I suppose I can.' This portrays self-doubt and ends the poem intriguingly, leaving the issue unresolved - the reader is left to decide who they believe to be more selfish, and this allowance of self-judgement depicts Larkin's lack of certainty.

Talking in Bed

'Talking in Bed' presents a portrayal of Larkin's own relationship, and how the future of him and his partner is hopelessly doomed. The connotations of this particular poem are intimacy and romance - when in fact it is the lack of these factors which has created the pessimistic tone of the poem.
     In the first line, Larkin states that "Talking in bed ought to be easiest" - the word 'ought' tells the reader straight away that it is not easiest, creating a sense of tension and friction from the start. The rest of this first stanza supports this point; "Lying together there goes back so far, / An emblem of two people being honest." 'Lying' could refer either to the couple lying down, or to untruths, and this creates a paradox with the presentation of an 'emblem of two people being honest". In the first line of the second stanza, Larkin depicts the uncomfortable and awkward nature of his relationship by using the word 'silently'. This lack of noise is contrasted with the image of "the wind's incomplete unrest" outside; the reader can imagine the tense atmosphere of the silence.
     Throughout the poem, Larkin uses pathetic fallacy; the miserable and uncontrollable weather represents the building tension between the two people. "Dark towns" are also described as "heap[ing] up on the horizon", depicting something coming towards them, a reality for their futures which is ever looming, and cannot be avoided. The wind "builds and disperses" - this presents a slight build of hope which is suddenly and momentously crushed, something which Larkin presents often in his poetry (any optimism or hope for the future is destroyed). He uses a short, abrupt sentence and a caesura in the third stanza; "None of this cares for us." This is blunt, possibly reflecting any conversation that they do have, and disrupts the structure of the poem - this upset in continuity could portray the abrupt pauses which invade the couples' conversations, and the way the routine of their relationship seems to have decayed over time. Larkin's use of the word 'unique' in the final line of the third stanza suggests that the couple is abnormal, and lack what healthy, 'normal' relationships obtain.
     The final stanza presents a concluding image of pessimism and a doomed future. He describes how he and his partner cannot find "Words at once true and kind, / Or not untrue and not unkind." The fact that the best they can think of is something that is not altogether nasty, and not altogether a lie, but is still not the truth and not kind, displays a complete tone of gloom and a decay of intimacy/love. Larkin suggests that he uses tact and evasion to avoid choosing between telling the truth and hurting his partner, or telling a lie. It is left to the reader to decide whether this is a poem which demotes women/is complaining about females, or whether it is a poem about loneliness.

Here

'Here' is a poem by Philip Larkin which follows a journey through Hull, his hometown. Larkin presents his personal portrayal of the landscape; like 'The Whitsun Weddings', the setting is melancholy and his description is pessimistic. He is "swerving through fields / Too thin and thistled to be called meadows" and the population is made up of "A cut-price crowd, urban yet simple". This gives the populace a labeling of cheapness - again, this is similar to 'The Whitsun Weddings' whose female characters wear "nylon gloves and jewellery-substitutes".
     Larkin depicts Hull as a place "Where only salesmen and relations come" to visit, and this provides the reader with a sense of how unattractive and formidable the area itself is. This point is backed up by his description of the "grim head-scarfed wives"; this quote creates a depressing tone and allows the reader to imagine Hull's inhabitants as unhappy, whilst the words 'head-scarfed' produces the possibility of hidden identities. "The piled gold clouds, the shining gull-marked mud" - this oxymoronic line shows how the mud undermines any possibility of a landscape which encapsulates any beauty. Larkin is providing a snippet of sanguinity but then immediately crushes it, masking it with the 'mud' of gloom which seems to coat the landscape which he is overlooking.
     However, although this poem's overall tone is fairly miserable, like in 'The Whitsun Weddings' Larkin uses nature as a form of hope and optimism. He tells the reader of how the "Hidden weeds flower" and "neglected waters quicken"; 'weeds' and 'flower' are oxymorons, and show how although the town is covered in weeds, nature will still bring beauty. These natural forms are depicted as being more alive than the human population, and the 'neglected' elements of nature are still moving at their own pace, even though no-one is there to witness the changes which they bring. Like Larkin's reference to the rain in the final line of 'The Whitsun Weddings', this provides a certain comfort for the reader.
     The final three lines of the last stanza from 'Here' present another snippet of hope and freedom, which is yet again extinguished by the harshness of reality. Larkin portrays an "unfenced existence" which lays "beyond a beach" - the beach is the end of the land but the beginning of the ocean, and the ocean represents pure freedom to him. However, this is followed by the fact that this freedom is "Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach." The openness which lies before him is untouchable, and the reality which faces him is the fact that he is fenced into the world which he lives in.

The Whitsun Weddings

This poem by Larkin explores a train journey which he encounters on; he narrates a wedding which he sees as he travels past. Larkin acts as a detached observer from the scene being illustrated - he is external from the wedding, however he comments in detail on the characters, outfits, venue and landscape and in this sense he is within, and without. The themes of this particular poem follow society and the characters within, journeys, rights of passages, transitions and new beginnings.
     The tone of 'The Whitsun Weddings' is cynical and slightly rude; Larkin refers to the mothers as "loud and fat", showing no attempt to mask the offence which he is inflicting on the older generation of females. Contrasting to this, the fathers he passes wear "broad belts under their suits / And [have] seamy foreheads". This remark still obtains offensive elements, but the impolite manner of the description is, this time, veiled slightly and not as blunt. This presents a hint of sexism within the poem. Both descriptions are satirical; he is poking fun at an area of society who wear "nylon gloves and jewellery substitutes", and the occasionally snobbish tone of the stanzas portrays the idea that he sees this group of wedding-goers as slightly beneath him.
     The imagery used by Larkin to describe the landscape surrounding him is bleak; the "canals with floatings of industrial froth" pollute a world of natural beauty and possible hope, and "acres of dismantled cars" pass his train window. Larkin's imagery for the wedding venue is also grim; he describes the location as "bunting-dressed / Coach-party annexes". This, like his description of the girls in "parodies of fashion", makes the characters appear cheap and unable to reach extravagance. This links to 'The Movement'; Larkin is creating a direct link between himself and an 'ordinary' audience.
     The optimism of nature is shown in the final line - Larkin desribes his "sense of falling" as being "Sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain." This creates a feeling of renewal, and offers a comfort for the gloomy reality which he has presented to the reader.