Reference Back - Larkin

Reference Back is a poem about Larkin and his mother listening to the same song but in alternate rooms. This poem links effectively to the other musical poem by Larkin 'Broadcast' in which two people are also listening to music but in different geographical areas. By listening to this song Larkin comes to the realise the aspect of time and this in turn forms the epiphany and philosophical meaning of this poem.

The first stanza gives the reader the first recognition that this poem's main theme is to do with time. Larkin's mother comments 'That was a pretty one' referencing to the fact that by listening to this song it has reintroduced all of her memories from when she first heard this song. When we listen to music we immediately come to think of where we were when we first heard that song, this is what is happening in the case of Larkin's mother. We also get the repetition of the word 'unsatisfactory' which connotes the idea of an everyday reality that Larkin has to experience while living with his mother. This gives off the connotations that through listening to this music Larkin has realised that he needs to move on in life. Therefore this song links mother and son with one another. We also get contrasting views on this situation in this stanza as well through the quote 'Wasting my time at home, that you looked so much forward to'. In a sense, we are given the contrasts of the fact that Larkin's mother doesn't in fact want him to move on. Whereas he is getting bored of living with his mother now and wants to move on with his life because he feels as if he is not progressing as a person. This in turn, connotes the ideas of life choices and progression in this poem as well.

The second stanza also causes Larkin to literally look back on his life hence the name of the poem 'Reference Back'. He quotes 'Out of Chicago air'. The music that he is listening to causes him to reminisce over times in Chicago. So the music in this poem causes the two characters to look back on the time that they have had in their lives. Within this stanza as well there is the repetition of 'unsatisfactory' again. This is used to signify how much the mother has aged over the years and the son doesn't like this because he has realised how fast time has gone throughout his life.

Like many of other Larkin's poems we get the philosophical shift at the ending of this poem. Like the other poem by Larkin 'Dockery and Son' this poem links to it through the aspect of Life Choices. This is represented through the quote 'We're not suited to the long perspectives'. This represents this idea of looking back on your life and once you have made a choice in life there is no way of reversing it. Larkin also presents the view that looking back on your life is negative. 'They link us to our losses' he is suggesting that it brings back memories of our long lost loved ones and that it is 'Blindingly undiminished' suggesting that it is scary to look back on our younger years because it just shows how quickly time has passed us. The ending again gives us another depressing view on life. Larkin comments 'By acting differently we could have kept it so'. Larkin seems to view the point that if we had made different choices in life then it would of resulted in the same outcomes, this links to fate. However this isn't necessarily true. When you make a different choice in life then it will have a different outcome. The record in this poem will never change, however if Larkin were to make different life choices then his life may of changed.

The main themes of the poem 'Reference Back' is time and the way in which you can never change it once it has happened. It has a sad atmosphere to it this poem and a negative view that life goes to quickly and that you age to quickly.