Dockery and Son - Larkin

Dockery and Son is a poem about the persona returning back to visit his old college which is St John's College, Oxford. While there, he discovers that one of his uni friends Dockery has had a son and has married. The poem is an excellent example of how quickly life goes, that your opportunities become more and more limited as you become older and that each choice that you make in life can affect your future outcomes. Therefore the prominent theme that seems to be highlighted within this poem is life choices.

In the first stanza the persona is talking to his old professor from back when he was at uni Within this stanza the professor also tells him that Dockery one of his former friends son now studies here.

This links well to stanza two where Larkin begins to reflect back on Dockery. It seems as though he is shocked about the aspect of Dockery having a son. This is represented through the quote 'good lord'. Within this stanza the persona changes trains at Sheffield. From then on Larkin presents to us a change to his thought and tone. The 'joining and parting lines' gets Larkin thinking about life in general. As we know, there are never many joining's on railway tracks, so this acts as a metaphor for the life choices that Larkin himself has made.

Through this within Stanza three Larkin begins comparing himself to Dockery. This is presented to the reader through the quote 'To have no son, no wife, no house or land seemed quite natural'. Larkin describes a 'numbness' to this shock. This symbolises the realisation that he has hit the middle-aged mark and also the realisation of how fast his life has actually gone by. It also represents the fact that each and everyone of us have different life choices in life. Larkin also comes to realise that this is what Dockery really wanted in life was to marry and have a child. This is presented to us through the quote 'he must have taken stock of what he wanted'. We also learn that why Dockery did this was to add to the family of Dockery's. 'Convinced he should be added to! why did he think adding meant increase'. The word 'dilution' represents Larkin's lifestyle choice as a poet. This acts as an interesting perspective on children. Larkin can't think if he had children. This also fits in nicely with one of Larkin's other poems 'Here'.

Lack of freedom in life is represented within stanza four. 'we think truest, or most want to do'. Larkin is suggesting that the life choices that we make will just bring us back down. This links back to the children aspect, that if you do decide to have a family then this will limit the choices and opportunities that you can actually achieve in life. It's as if the majority of us don't actually have a choice in life, we are literally a product of the choices that we make. The quote 'tight shut, like doors. They're more a style our lives bring with them: habit for a while, suddenly they harden into all we've got' suggests this. This further reinforces the fact that as you get older there are fewer doors to choose from, that you can't go back and make major life decisions. The quote basically symbolises your life choices as a person. 'Like sand clouds thick and close' suggests that within the moment people in general aren't aware of the life choices that they are making, that later on they may come to regret some of them. Larkin feels he has gained nothing, however Dockery a son. Larkin's view of life within this stanza comes across as very depressing. He says life is 'boredom' and then 'fear'. This paints a gloomy picture in the mind of the reader about what life actually represents. Larkin describes life as 'it' which adds to it's gloomy nature and insignificance as a positive thing. Larkin ends the poem with 'end of age' representing the fact that death will always come to each and everyone of us, no matter what you have done or achieved in life.

The main three epiphany's of the poem are life goes quickly, the choices the you have determine your life and that you can't go back on your choices in life.

Critical opinions about Dockery and Son
I have come to dislike the laddish comedy of Jake Balokowsky, Dockery and Son, and so forth. The more I read Larkin, the more he seemed like one of the uncles 'shouting smut' in his poem 'The Whitsun Weddings'.

But the chief quality from which I felt estranged was his need to tell the reader what to think. 'Life is boredom, then fear'. Well, speak for yourself, matey. Or, at best, 'discuss'. (A.N.Wilson, The Daily Telegraph, 2008)

Here - Larkin

The poem 'Here' by Philip Larkin is about a journey on a train to Hull within the eyes of the persona. Throughout the poem the reader is encapsulated into the journey through the references to movement and speed. Larkin also shows the positive and negative thoughts of the setting around him while he is on his train journey. Larkin describes attractive descriptions of places. However on the other hand, he also highlights references to places that show revulsion. Like many of the other Larkin poems that we have studied in class, the beginning of the poem comes across as being concrete. However Larkin reveals the epiphany to the reader and then these more abstract and philosophical ideas are then communicated across to us. The poem ends with the philosophical idea that loneliness is a positive thing, that in each of us, it gives us the chance to think. This is the main theme that is within this poem

In the first stanza Larkin paints the picture of a rural setting in a positive light. For example he uses words such as 'rich, gold and shining' to describe the rural landscape that the train is travelling through. However the manner in which the train is travelling comes across as rather violent and jerky. For example we get the repetition of the word 'swerving' three times. This could represent the fact that when people are on a train they don't actually appreciate the rural, idyllic setting that they are travelling through. Their main focus is to get from one location to the other, to the big cities. Larkin is communicating that people in general don't appreciate the peace and quiet of the countryside anymore.

This adds to our understand of why Larkin describes the industrial settings in the second stanza in a more negative light. Words such as 'grain-scattered, barge-crowded and raw' adds to this idea that Larkin thoroughly dislikes the urban setting. This in turn establishes the idea that the setting of 'the manmade' adds to Larkin's distaste. Nearer the end of this stanza Larkin uses a listing device to show his view on the community of the urban setting through the quote 'Push through plate-glass swing doors to their desires - cheap suites, red kitchen-ware, sharp shoes, iced lollies, electric mixers, toasters, washers, driers, a cut priced crowd, urban yet simple'. This highlights to the reader the extent of the materialistic lifestyle of the people within the urban setting. The enjambment of the paragraph also acts as a metaphor for the continuation of their materialistic desires. Larkin is representing the fact that this will never stop.

Near the end of stanza three is when the reader is really exposed to the epiphany and overall message of the poem, it's philosophical meaning in other terms. The phrase 'isolated villages' represents the community away from the urban materialistic people. The 'isolation' clarifies their own view of what materialism is. They won't actually know what materialism is because they have never been exposed to this segment of life before. Larkin also communicates the message that this 'loneliness' gives you a chance to think and when you think you begin to think about the greater more challenging things in life. This is how it acts as the beginning of the philosophical meaning to this poem. This is further reinforced through the quote 'here silence stands'. Larkin is implying that this is a reference to how crowded life has become. It is the opposite to movement, which in general implies that world has become to hectic, that everything just needs to stop and 'stand'. Now that Larkin is somewhere else he describes here as 'unnoticed thicken'. This implies that wherever this place is it is more fruitful, we get the sense that nature can now breathe. This is different to the urban setting that Larkin describes, where we get the ideas that things can't breathe and that life their has just become to busy. The quote 'weeds flower' acts as an oxymoron. Weeds are a negative plant, however the fact that they are flowering gives off the connotations of something beginning to come alive. This is also represented in further description of setting within this stanza 'neglected waters quicken'. We get the sense that this natural world that has come from the urban area can now flourish and come alive within this setting. Then we get a bizarre line 'Luminously-peopled air ascends' automatically we know that we have now been taken somewhere else. The last few lines of the poem seems to paint an image of looking across the vastness of an ocean. Larkin describes this ocean having an 'unfenced existence'. This acts as the natural freedom for people, that it is everybody's dream escape. In a sense, it seems that Larkin is painting an image of a utopian world, where anything is possible, that you can put all your worries and woes behind you and just do anything with this freedom. Larkin also represents this freedom in a positive light further 'facing the sun' suggests seeing a new way forward to life, to not look back and begin a new start. 'Untalkative' highlights the aspect again of loneliness being a good aspect where you can think. And lastly 'out of reach' suggests that you can be hopeful to get there or achieve something in life.

 

The Whitsun Weddings - Larkin

The Whitsun Weddings poem is about a train journey from London to Hull. Each stanza represents a different feeling to the reader. Larkin represents his view of the 'natural world' during the first few stanzas. At each station, he comes across weddings. The descriptions of the weddings, the countryside and the people at these weddings comes across as concrete. However from these concrete descriptions Larkin then represents the idea of abstract feelings, that have a deeper philosophical idea to them. From the poems that I have read so far by Larkin this usually seems to be the case.

The poem seems to contain the prominent theme of the 'transformation of marriage', how young innocent women change when they are wedded and finally have this freedom. The train journey that Larkin takes himself could represent these young women's marriage, that marriage is forever moving from one place to another. The way in which Larkin feels in certain parts of the poem could connote the fact the different types of feelings are felt by couples during marriage. Like a 'Journey' itself you never know where it will take you or if you are on the right path or not. This is why Larkin connotes his philosophical ideas to us as well during the end of the poem. Of course, because this poem is related to marriage we find it contains the theme of 'religion' as well. Larkin clearly has a negative scope on this theme which I will talk about later on.

During stanza one we get the sense of Larkin coming out of a rush. He seems to be angry at the start of the poem blaming Whitsun as to why he was late for his train. However once Larkin is on the train it seems that all the ideas of being rushed have completely vanished. This is represented through the quote 'All windows down, all cushions hot, all sense of being in a hurry gone'. The repetition of the power of three really emphasises that Larkin himself can now relax, that this journey helps to take the stress of hurrying in normal everyday life away from him. The weather is used for pathetic fallacy of the relaxation of Larkin words such as 'Hot and Blinding' connote powerful representations of the weather. Of course the weather and relaxing make you sleepy which links in with the next stanza. We also get the sense of the smelly vision through 'smelt the fish-dock'. This represents that Larkin is fully aware within this stanza.

In stanza two Larkin becomes more sleepy and unsenseless of the environment around him. The personification of 'tall heat that slept' represents Larkin's sleepy nature within this stanza. The overall sense within this stanza is negative. Words such as 'slow, stopping and curving' act as if something is not getting anywhere that it is unproductive in what it is doing. But in turn, these words give off a sense of sleepiness that Larkin is in. Unproductivity is represented through the way in which Larkin describes the setting within this stanza. It seems as though his train has reached the 'industrial north'. Words such as 'reek and floatings' adds to our understanding of Larkin's distaste for things that are man made. The word 'floatings' however gives off an impression that something is not moving, it is bobbing about all most. This again represents that Larkin is aware of his surroundings, but he feels sleepy at the same time. The word 'approached' represents this fact because it is a verb  of movement.

Within stanza three Larkin seems to begin to describe the weddings. Larkin successfully uses onomatopoeia for example 'whoops and skirls'. The word 'skirls' makes you think of skirts. In turn 'skirts' give a sense of the environment of a wedding at these stations. However Larkin seems to be not very interested at first 'and went on reading'. Larkin himself seems very snobby within stanza three as well describing that the girls as 'grinning, pomaded and parodies'. The fact that the fashion they are wearing are 'parodies' in Larkin's eyes adds to his snobbery, that he believes that what they are wearing is a complete mockery. The girls seem 'posed irresolutely'. It seems as if they don't know what to do. At the end of this stanza two things happen the couple is described as 'something'. This has two possible meanings to it. One being that the couple are represented as an object. Or two they are now with one another in a union of love. In the context of weddings it is more likely to be that of the union of love. People are now 'waving goodbye' as well. This implies that all the excitement of a wedding has now vanished. Now that the couple have married there is nothing left for the guests to do. This is also why Larkin seems to describe the guests as 'irresolute'. Interestingly, this stanza ends with an enjambment, which gives the impression of constant movement, it acts as a metaphor for Larkin's journey.

In stanza four Larkin becomes more aware of his environment of the journey again. Words such as 'struck, leant, promptly and curiously' gives off an analytical vibe in to how Larkin is viewing the world outside of his carriage. This 'analytical' side that Larkin adopts in this stanza is used to other people within the poem as well and represents him as being more judgemental in character. For example he describes the mothers as 'loud and fat', 'the uncle shouting smut' and 'fathers with seamy foreheads'. This does represent the fact that Larkin is judgemental of these people and is possibly snobby of them because of their working class nature. The phrase 'different terms' also highlights Larkin's change to the perception of the outside world. 'jewellery-substitutes' acts as an oxymoron to represent that in Larkin's eyes the weddings are a façade. The women are described as wearing 'lemons, mauves and olive-ochres'. These are all rather vulgar colours which represents Larkin's vulgarity as well to what they are wearing. Larkin's snobbery is taken even further through the quote 'marked off the girls unreally from the rest'. It just shows that the only difference in these girls is the colour they wear, however their backgrounds which seems to be working class is exactly the same.

In stanza five Larkin becomes even more stereotypical of the people at these weddings. The quote 'And banquet halls up yard, and bunting-dressed coach party annexes, the wedding-days were coming to an end'. This is a vivid recreation of what Larkin is imagining. He is sitting there imagining what they are going to do next. He is stereotyping so much that it seems as if he can literally imagine their lives. Humour appears within this stanza as well. 'The last confetti and advice were thrown'. This shows that the humorous advice that is given to newly weds isn't taken on board. It can be disposed of, just like confetti can. We also get the humour from the children as well that 'children frowned at something dull'. It represents the fact that children have got bored now because generally weddings themselves are boring for children to attend. 'something dull' represents other aspects however to this poem as well. It suggests that the mood is now fading within the wedding because the couple have now got married. Again, it can link to Larkin's journey as well, that in itself it is slowing down. The fathers are represented positively in this stanza as well. 'fathers had never known success so huge and farcical'. The fact that the wedding is over acts as a trigger of relief in the fathers. The wedding is the opportunity to show off their wealth as well which would seem important to members of the working class. The next line is very interesting 'the women shared the secret like a happy funeral'. Because these are the older women the secret is that marriage is not what they expect it to be. The oxymoron of a 'happy funeral' represents that the happy people are the older women and the funeral is for the younger women because they will just come out disappointed. The secret in this context is disappointment. The theme of religion is also highlighted significantly within this poem through the phrase 'religious wounding'. This gives out many connotations. It seems as though you can not be repaired once you are wedded. It also acts as if these women are loaded and that they are full of love and potential, this however could go the other way. 'religious wounding' however reminds us of the 
crucifixion, which gives off horrific imagery. It seems as if Larkin is criticising the Christian view and how vile we are as humans to worship a religion which respects the slow torture of a man.

Stanza six starts off with the word 'free'. The word free acts as an abstract noun and also acts as the epiphany of this poem as the reader begins to understand that Larkin is coming to the more abstract and philosophical meaning to this poem. The word in this context also acts as a euphemism for sex that in itself marriage creates this. The girls will loose their virginity, they will be fearful of this. Larkin seems to travel through industrial setting in this stanza again 'fields were building-plots'. 'Long shadows' however could represent something terrible in Larkin's eyes. On the other hand this could be used for industrial growth, metaphorically speaking it could go either way. The word 'time' acts as an abstract noun and conforms to the aspect of the abstract nature of this poem from this moment forward.

Stanza seven is about the wedded couple. They are sitting 'side by side' which represents that they are so in love that they do not actually need to talk with one another. On the other hand they may not know what to say to one another which gives the idea of false love across to the reader. This is represented through the quote 'and none thought of the others they would never meet or how their lives would all contain this hour'. This in itself acts negatively, they seem eternal or self-obsessed with one another which is a bad thing. London is described having 'squares of wheat'. Larkin is describing London as if it is an idyllic rural landscape. We know London isn't like this so it is Larkin's imagination of what London could be like. Linking this to love it represents the fact that love can go either way. It can turn into what London really is like or the imagination of what London is like being pastoral countryside.

The last stanza is very philosophical about the aspect of love. The word 'aimed' represents that the newly wed couple are literally being pulled and shot into the future, that they are loaded with love and that releasing this arrow brings the couple together with one another. However love is presented negatively by the weather. It is 'out of sight' which suggests an unknown future. positively it is 'becoming rain' which represents something being relieved or refreshed and this is the couple's love. They have advanced in life, like the journey from being hot to raining their love has literally ripened and progressed through marriage. If the 'arrow shower' represents their love then it is representing it in a positive light, that this couple will look on to a bright future.

      

Reaction to The Whitsun Weddings poems

My overall impressions of the Whitsun Weddings so far are that each poem seems to highlight a certain theme across to the reader. For example, the theme of death came up in a few poems. As did themes such as Isolation, Love and Religion. Within the poem 'Here' it seemed as though that Larkin was taking us on a journey. I say taking 'us' on a journey because it also seemed that in this poem Larkin presented his writing as if he is 'the detached observer'. For example the way in which he describes places and reference to movement and speed support this idea because it doesn't seem that Larkin is on the journey, rather just describing it. It's as if he was observing the journey as if he was the 'omniscient narrator' and that his intention was to take us on his journey. I believe he did this to create a more visionary experience for the reader rather than his own actual experience. Following on from this it creates a sense of 'setting' within this poem and 'the natural world' because we are being taken on a journey by Larkin therefore we are going to be taken through different settings. However in the poem 'The Whitsun Weddings' Larkin describes the train journey within the first person to give the reader a sense of visionary within his own perspective. In this poem Larkin actually seems to be on the train so we get a sense of the 'natural world' through his perspective and we learn this from him as readers. For example when Larkin describes himself travelling through Lincolnshire and the industrial north it gives us a sense of setting and where Larkin is in the world. I look forward to reading The Whitsun Weddings poems in greater detail in class and identifying other prominent themes in the rest of the poems.