Two Photographs - Abse

Two photographs is a poem by Abse. The two photographs in this poem act as mementos or souvenirs for the memories to be remembered, the photographs represent the people and the time that has passed.

In the first stanza we recognise that both women are being celebrated equally. Annabel is described as 'pretty', 'slim' and 'vulnerable' and Doris is described as 'portly' and 'formidable'.

We also get a humorous theme to this poem as well this is represented clearly within the second stanza. 'Cheese'; one, defiant, said 'Chalk!'. This represents that Abse's love to both of his grandmothers is genuine and that he knows the ins and outs of them. Abse conveys real love towards his grandmothers, however in the poem Wild Oats Larkin presents love much differently. In this poem he is also comparing women like Abse is doing, however Larkin looks for this idealistic love. Abse doesn't convey this idea as he genuinely loves his grandmothers because he seems to know them so well. Abse is a lot more loving and descriptive and this suggests his love and fondness to his grandmothers. This is probably why this poem has a humours nature to it.

Within stanza three Abse conveys to us the personalities of the two women. Annabel is described as 'pious, passive and enjoyed small talk'. This conveys the idea that she might be a quiet person who may be concerned of what other people think about her. However, Doris is described as 'pacy, pushy' and most importantly 'ate pork!'. This suggests that Doris is rather lively or excitable as a character. This also suggests that she is willing to bend the rules as she eats pork which is seen as barbaric within the Jewish faith. So through this we get a sense that she is the more fun grandmother. Again this links to Wild Oats as Abse is comparing two women similarly to what Larkin does. We get a sense that Doris is able to do what she wants which often may result in negative consequences. This is reinforced through words used such as 'damned' and 'devilishly'. We get the alliteration of the letter 'D' so we automatically assume these words are linked to Doris. This also links with Self's the Man by Larkin where we get the contrasting personalities of the persona and Arnold and how different their lifestyles are. This view is also presented in this poem.

In stanza four it seems as if Abse has a dream about his two grandmothers, This again conveys the view that his love for them is very personal. The fact that it is a dream also conveys Abse's inner thoughts about the two women. We get the description of the 'withered rose' which is a loving and sensory memory.

The ending of this poem is very philosophical in its meaning which is another link to Larkin as he often uses philosophical meanings at the end of some of his poems. 'An amber brooch, a string of pearls, two photographs' suggests that this poem does the job of bringing people back to life. Abse recalls the material possessions of the two women, making this memory a lot more realistic. Abse is also commenting on the view that if we don't own objects that preserve people then they are forgotten. This is further reinforced through the quote 'my children's grandchildren will ask 'who?'. The last part to this poem 'I never lived' suggests that Abse has come to the realisation that he himself won't be remembered for ever. His great grandchildren may remember him, however generations after that to come will not as objects will then cease to be in existence that remind them of Abse. Abse is commenting that the dead exist in the minds of the people who loved us and when these people are gone we are gone to.

This poem has lots of links to Larkin and I have already gone through a few. This poem also links to Love Songs in Age through memories being concealed in objects which makes the memory last. Reference Back where the song triggers memories like the photographs do in this poem. Larkin's celebration of music is also similar to Abse's celebration of the two grandmothers. Overall however Larkin and Abse have contrasting thoughts on women in life.    

Blond Boys - Abse

This poem by Abse seems to reflect a memory play in that each stanza seems to reflect on the chunks of memories coming back to this woman Eva Jones. Unlike Larkin there is no rhyme scheme to this poem, this could suggest that this poem is not a sonnet as the ending of this poem doesn't actually make it seem like a love poem, it seems as if it is a form of nostalgia. This poem can link to the poem by Larkin Wild Oats as it covers the themes of love and also rejection.

Within stanza one we see how love is conveyed. It is 'shy love' and it 'hobbled by'. Shy love acts as an oxymoron for the emotions being personified in this case. Abse also comments that it is 'hand in hand' which could suggest a protective nature to love, this gives off positive connotations of it. The 'small blond grandson' conveys just how much time has moved on.

This is also conveyed in stanza two where it says 'Eva Jones, remember me? My acne. My dimples'. This again gives us an insight into how much time has passed. He is reminiscing about childhood, showing that he has aged and still cares for Eva Jones.

This sense of love is conveyed also in stanza three where 'I held my breath'. This could suggest a shy act if love from the boy, he is speechless of how beautiful she looks, however he doesn't want to give it away. This gives us the ideas of childish love, like you see at school, when you fancy someone but you don't want to tell them. So this reinforces a childish nature to this kind of love.

The fourth stanza also reinforces ideas conveyed in stanza three. 'I climbed over the glass-crowned wall and stole Mrs Humphrey's summer apples'. This again suggests a silly act which would be carried out by children, it is an act of love to please the other person.

In stanza five we get a sense that the memory has ended through the word 'forever' and that the two are closely bonding through when Abse comments 'forehead to forehead I searched you searching eyes'. This suggest that the two may still be searching for one another in the future and that they truly love one another. In the past this 'searching' could of represented that they were searching for ways to fall in love with one another.

In the last stanza it is described as a 'synopsis' which could suggest there is something rather fictional to this love and that it is just a façade in the boys eyes, he hopes for love but he will never be able to reach it. The ending of this poem is quite sad, the persona seems to be dumped. Eva Jones says 'You have a beautiful classy mind but I find you physically unattractive - and I prefer um, blond boys besides'. This reinforces that the persona may be jealous of blond boys, he is dumped by his love yet these lines juxtapose the others as they describe the happy memories shared, whilst this one reinforces the heart-breaking memory of the persona. We get an insight into Eva Jones' personality through this quote as well. It suggests she is looking for the idealistic boy, just like how Larkin tries to find the idealistic woman in Wild Oats. This is how these two poems link with one another.

Cricket Ball - Abse

Cricket Ball is a poem written by Abse that is set in 1935. This is conveyed in the first stanza where Abse mentions that it is '1935'. He has also gone to watch 'Glamorgan play' which suggests that he is in support of this cricket team. He also likes Slogger because he seems to be different to the other cricket players. Abse describes him as 'smart, free from the disgrace of fame, unrenowned, but the biggest hit with me'. Abse seems to like him because he is unique, he is not just good at cricket but is intelligent to. Abse could be commenting on fame in this quote and how it can manufacture and turn people which could convey this notion of change that is conveyed throughout the rest of the poem. He likes this player because this hasn't happened to him. We also get the pun at the end to do with cricket. It was a 'biggest hit with me' suggesting a semantic field of sport, especially cricket.

Pathetic Fallacy is used in the second stanza with 'the sound of summer'. This could be used by Abse to suggest a change in the audience, there is now excitement around the arena now the ball has been hit, summer is used to symbolise happiness and joy in the crowd. This is further conveyed through the fact that the ball is now 'alive' suggesting that the game has begun. The cricket ball could be a metaphor throughout this poem for greater change outside the cricket match.

We also get the notion of change and nature throughout this poem in stanza five he smells 'the cut grass' and later he 'peers over the falling sky over Westgate Street and waits'. This two quotes suggest a change for the future, in this context however this change seems good as nature is involved creating positive imagery. This gives across the connotations of new life and things being created or at their full growth. This is reinforced earlier when Abse talks about summer.

The main themes of this poem seem to be sport, nature and change. This poem can link to some of the musical poems by Larkin. A similarity to Larkin is that Abse has a particular passion for a certain type of culture like sport. Larkin has a passion for music. So this could link to poems such as For Sydney Bechet, Love Songs in Age, Reference Back and Broadcast through the fact that all these poems convey a passion for music and sport.

Days - Larkin

Days is a poem by Larkin that questions life. From within the first stanza we get the recognition of Larkin's beliefs between life and death. 'What are days for?' represents that this poem foucssess on life. After all days are what you spend living in. If we don't have days then we might be dead. The second part of this stanza conveys a rather colloquial or vernacular tone to it, of maybe the everyday reality of what we as humans do in a day. This is presented through the quote 'Days are where we live. They come, they wake us time and time over'. The last part of this stanza also reinforces Larkin's beliefs. He comments that 'where can we live but days?' This represents that Larkin believes we can only live on this world, in other words Larkin believes there is no heaven, after all he is atheist.

We also get the contrast between the 'priest' and the 'doctor' in the second stanza. These are used by Larkin to give us different viewpoints on life and death. After all, a priest is a religious figure and a doctor is a medical figure. One believes that there is life after death and the other does not. Doctor's can also preserve life and save you from death itself. Maybe Larkin is commenting that having faith in a doctor is more beneficial to all of us becuase they can preserve life, whereas a priest can not, they have to rely on the presence of God. Overall the two figures have different viewpoints on life and death conveying the differences in their beliefs. Hence why they are 'running over the fields' and 'solving that question'.

At the Concert - Abse

The first two stanzas of this poem gives us a sense of the everyday routine of life and how it blissfully passes by all of us without our own recognition. 'The same old grass, same old flavour' acts as this metaphor that life itself is one big routine. The second stanza of this poem also conveys more negative ideas about life. The horse doesn't move and is described as a 'statue'. The horse is a metaphor for human life, it just stands there. Abse is commenting that many of us follow this same routine in life, we grow up, get jobs, get married and die and this is the usual routine for all of us. It's as if we are all waiting motionless, waiting for something exciting to happen in life, when this will never truly happen. This is reinforced when Abse compares the same characteristics of the animals to a woman at the concert, she also sits 'motionless' waiting for something to happen.

Within the fourth stanza Abse also comments on the duration of how much we wait for things to happen in life. Abse comments that 'If so, join the queue. It stretches all the way to the Old People's Home'. Abse is suggesting that in order to do exciting things in life you really need to embrace it and do something different. If you just 'follow the crowd' then you are doing what everyone else is doing which in his opinion is boring. This links to the sheep referred to in stanza one that carries out the same routine all the time.

We get the impression in stanza five that Abse is at the concert however his thoughts are elsewhere which could convey that he is at two locations himself experiencing the music but it's in the background.

Abse also uses his cat in stanza six to convey this boring aspect of life. Words such as 'unmolested' 'soundless and 'blank' reinforce these boring ideas about life.

We find out in the last stanza that Abse would also rather look out of his window and do nothing in comparison to having a great time at the concert. This could convey the idea that Abse is like everyone else, just sitting there and waiting for life to pass by them. This poem links to Broadcast by Larkin as it encompasses this sense of music, however Abse is drifting in and out of two locations through his thoughts and where he actually is. This is similar to what happens in Broadcast where two people are in different locations, however experiencing the same concert.

Musical Moments 2. Outside a Graveyard (1989) - Abse

At first I found this poem a little tricky to understand. However, after reading it a few times it has started to make sense. It seems as though Abse is acting as the detached observer during a funeral, hence why he is 'outside a graveyard'. This poem seems to be set in the future to that of the first musical moments poem. Within the first stanza this detached observer says 'Sorry, Miss Crouch'. Now Miss Crouch was the boy's piano teacher in the first poem, so the detached observer himself must be the boy from the first poem. This is set in the future so I have come to the conclusion that this is her funeral. The fact that he is saying 'sorry' could indicate he is sorry for his ignorance of the education that Miss Crouch tried to give him. This could show that the boy has grown up now and has a better understanding of the world around him. We get a sense that the detached observer now has a strong love for music now. He comments that 'you were so unassuming and gentle. If there's a heaven, that's your address. If he now respects Miss Crouch then he now respects music in general. This is different to the ideas conjured up in the first poem because time and the way this person thinks has moved on.

This idea of love to music and his piano teacher if further reinforced in the next stanza. He comments that he observed his piano teacher 'at a Moiseiwitsch concert, at Cardiff's plush Empire' however 'so soon after demolished, replaced by a neon-lit superstore'. This could represent how much time has moved on and how unexpected it was for the teacher to die. This could be a metaphor for death itself, someone can be 'demolished' e.g. die really quickly and be forgotten or replaced really quickly in return. It's a further message, as people, we do not appreciate how valuable life is. He comments that 'music was making love to you'. This gives off the connotations that this piano teacher had a passion for music and could of influenced the boy to later love music himself and that's why he misses her so much.

The last stanza conveys a nice and happy ending to this poem. 'Bringing forth sounds from another world, yes, you and the piano triumphantly rising
between the clouds, higher and higher', This is a representation that the observer can imagine the teacher literally rising to heaven and that she is taking her music with her. This conveys the view that the legacy she leaves behind for the observer is her love for music and this is what he will remember her by.

This poem has strong links to the poem by Larkin Broadcast because it conveys the musical event the 'Moiseiwitsch concert' and both the observer and teacher have the same feelings towards the music but they are in different locations, this is also what happens in Broadcast. It also links to Send No Money by Larkin through this idea of the observer feeling regret for being ignorant of his piano teacher.

Musical Moments 1. His First Piano Lesson (1933) - Abse

From the first stanza we come to the conclusion that this poem is about a boy who is bored with doing piano lessons. We get the representation of this piano teacher that she is 'upright' which suggests that he or she could be quite strict and the boy dislikes this attribute of the teacher. The child's boredom is reinforced later in the stanza where it says 'Numbly bored with scales nimbly scales the wall'. However the word 'numb' describes a feeling of no sensation, which could reinforce this idea of death being used in this poem. Maybe the boy has given up on this idea of music altogether. This could link to the poem 'A Study of Reading Habits' by Larkin because Larkin gives up on this idea of books in that poem as well.

The child's boredom is reinforced further throughout stanza two where Abse comments 'and hearing in the park the pointless cries of children'. This suggests that this boy would much rather be playing outside with his friends than learning to play the piano. The fact that the word 'pointless' is used could reinforce this idea that these piano lessons are basically useless in his mind.

Abse then begins to use listing devices of what the boy maybe familiar with or what he
can see. However it is interesting that in stanza five the piano lid when closed is described as 'a coffin of music'. This further reinforces this idea in the poem that this child has given up faith in music, it has no presence or meaning in life, it's as if it is dead. This conjures up rather negative ideas to this poem. The use of the sharp simple stops through the full stops and commas in stanza five convey a rather morbid or dull feel to this poem. We also get the impression that the child has a strict family life. When the father comments 'That's his last piano lesson!'. This suggests that these piano lessons were forced upon the boy, hence why he is so bored throughout this poem. He feels that music is dead because his father has forced music upon him, which has turned it into something this boy hates, just like death itself.

Red Balloon - Abse

This poem is symbolic of Abse’s religion which was Judaism. Throughout the poem, the religion grows in importance in his day to day life despite outside interference. Anti-Semitism was rife across Europe at the time with the rise of Fascism in Nazi Germany at the time, stereotypical views on Jews turned sour and many people , not just in Nazi Germany, adopted these views and beliefs. This poem also brings out Abse’s resilient nature because he sticks with his beliefs and continues to until he needs help from close family. In regards to linking this with Larkin, some poems that could be linked with this are : Faith Healing and Water. The obvious link to water is to do with the religious side of the poem, also Faith healing can be linked because it describes some women’s persistence in pursuing their beliefs despite popular opinion on the contrary.

The title of the poem 'Red Balloon' conveys something to us. A balloon is a fragile object which could represent Abse's psychological state. 'Red is also the colour of blood which connotes ideas of a violent nature to this poem. In the first stanza Abse comments that the town 'was startled'. This could have a wider significance that people in general are surprised about Abse's beliefs, due to fascist ideas forming in the 1930s. The balloon is also 'wind-blown' which suggests that the balloon has been blown off course. This balloon acts as a metaphor for Abse's religion, so it's as if his religion was guided to him from a very early age.

In stanza two Abse comments that 'oddly, it landed where I stood' this gives us this idea of fate. However nearer the end of this stanza it seems as if his religious belief is becoming more of an obsession. 'I breathed on it, I polished it, till it shone like living blood'. It's as if he is bringing this religion to life.

We get the sense of a paradox occurring in stanza three. Abse comments 'that it was my shame and my joy', revealing that the balloon can bring the best and the worst out of him. We also get the imagery of the 'rude boys' who would probably bully Abse because it was unusual for the religion of Judaism to be in Wales. We also get the turning point in this poem where it 'ceased to be a toy', conveying this idea that Abse has now grown up, he is ignoring what people think of him and his religion has become more improtant to him now. In a sense, it used to be a plaything but now it is a reality.

Within stanza four we get a sense that Abse's religion is making his lifestyle better. 'It soared higher like happiness towards the dark blue sky'. Abse is on course for a better future, he has risen up from his past after enduring anti-semitism. This is what the rising of the balloon is a metaphor for.

'My only precious' in stanza five supports the view further that Abse is now obssessed with his religion. The quote 'however long they swear their love' suggests that he has become judgemental of others and his opinions on his beliefs. We get this idea that he thinks judaism is superior to other religions.

Within stanza six we get a further insight into this fascist ideology that dominated Europe during the 1930s. 'It's a Jew's balloon' suggests he has become a target from people in his community. In a sense, he is individual to other people in Wales at the time. 'Stained with our dear Lord's blood'. This supports the anti-semite remarks. This supports the growing tensions across the world, especially in Nazi Germany during the time. 'That I'm a jew is true' suggests that Abse is confident in his belief now, he has accepted his Jewish identity and this has made him who he is today.

Stanza seven also supports the stereotypes during this time period. He is surprised that people can be judgemental of him just because of his religion. 'Your red balloon's a Jew's balloon' is a very generalised comment and shows the lack of understanding of the Judaism faith.

Violence is conveyed in stanza eight where Abse comments 'some unsheathed their dirty knives' . But despite the adversary behaviour he still sticks to his religion through the quote 'but still it would not burst'.

Violence is further conveyed in stanza nine where Abse comments 'They bled my nose, they cut my eye'. The representation of the nose could suggest the appearance of the Jew during the 1930s. It was commonly known that they were meant to have long noses. 'Give up, give up your red balloon' suggests that others are making him giving up his religion, which is a part of his life, he doesn't understand why they feel so prejudice towards him at all.

The last stanza conveys Abse's inner feelings about this situation. 'Father, bolt the door, turn the key' suggests that in a time of desperation he turns to his family, even though his Father dead at the time.   

Ignorance - Larkin

Ignorance is an abstract poem and falls under one of the belief poem by Larkin. The first line 'Strange to know nothing, never to be sure of what is true or right or real'. These are abstract feelings which represents uncertanity to Larkin's beliefs. The title itself 'Ignorance' represents an uncaring nature or something selfish, this in turn gives off a negative feel to this poem. It seems as if Larkin is ignorant of other people's beliefs because they are not concrete. Hence the abstract nature of this poem. The tentative, uncertain phrasing continues throughout stanza one through the quote 'or so I feel, or well, it does seem so: someone must know'.

We get the repetiton of 'strange' in the second stanza three times. This again conveys abstract feelings that are negative because 'strange' conveys something unfamiliar and unknown. Larkin comments that he is 'ignorant of the way things work', suggesting the fact that he has no knowledge of the wider world. He is essentially ignorant to the beliefs of others or the way in which the world generally works. This sense of the unknown is further conveyed through the reptition of 'their' that conveys a grouping of something unknown. 'And willingness to change' could represnt that Larkin thinks people may change their beliefs in order to fit in and follow the crowd more. People in general don't have right or wrong opinions about beliefs in life.

The tentative and uncertain phrasing continues through the last stanza through the quote 'for our flesh'. We come to a more philsophical meaning towards the end of this poem and this is a common theme in Larkin's collection of belief poems. 'And yet spend all our lives on imprecisions' links to this aspect of life choices. Larkin is questioning the fact that do we make the right choices in life. This is a prominent theme in many other Larkin poems such as Dockery and Son and Self's the Man. It seems as though Larkin is conveying the view that manyof us make life choices in life, the question is do we make the right ones? 'That when we start to die' suggests that Larkin thinks death creeps up on us when we least expect it. The ending of this poem is also interesting, Larkin comments 'Have no idea why'. This reinforces that this is the end. Larkin's relgious belief is that there is no life after death.

Overall this poem focusses on philosophical meanings because beliefs are its main theme. The poem also addresses Larkin's religious beliefs and his wider views on life.

A Scene from Married Life - Abse

A Scene from Married Life has some similarities and some differences with how it compares to some of the poems by Philip Larkin. Some of Philip Larkin's poems use nature to make a big philosophical comment. For example, First Sight that uses lambs to gives us a representation of human life. However Larkin's poems are a lot more abstract and it's harder to understand the real message behind his poems. Whereas Abse's poems are a lot more concrete in their overall message. This poem also links to the Larkin poem Talking in Bed as it is also about a couple who appear to have been together for years as do the couples in this poem. Much like this one Larkin uses nature to represent what is going on in this poem and this is also conveyed in Talking in Bed.

A Scene from Married Life is a poem about the life and arguments of a married couple. The poem is written when the couple are in an unstable position within their marriage. The first stanza gives us a representation of normal everyday reality through the quote 'the commuters trapped in their stuffy office block, the sea slow, the Monday beach sullen, empty'. However this gives us a sense that the persona is trapped in this office. This quote maybe a larger comment on the fact that marriage can trap you. This is further represented through the quote in stanza two 'squabble with my wife'. This gives us the idea that everything is normal until they argue because of the representation of the everyday norm in stanza one.

'Fast barbed words' gives us an idea that the couples arguments are said out of spite. This is further reinforced when the other makes the other one 'squirm' and it is described as 'verbal revenge' as if the couple are always trying to outwit one another with nasty remarks and are always trying to hurt one another. The metaphor 'a dead bird eaten by the early worm' is used to convey the nastiness of their remarks towards one another. Or it could be a further representation that their current marriage situation is literally eating away at one another. This is also an image of decay, so this acts as a metaphor that their marriage is decaying.

In the fourth stanza we understand that this boat is a metaphor for many other marriages failing through the quote 'so many boats it had torn asunder'. It's as if many marriages crumble and fall apart and this boat is the metaphor for their marriage. The quote 'Seagulls drifted above like lost thoughts of the damned' is used by Abse to give us a comparison between humans and nature. This is similar to what Larkin does.

The reference to the 'B movie' in stanza five could represent that this couples marriage is no more than basic, in other words it is nothing special at all. People who go to watch B movies look down at them due to there low budget. Maybe Larkin is commenting that other people look down at this couple because they don't think that it is genuine, it is just a façade.

In stanza six we get a sense that the persona is sorry to the wife. However she is presented as being more powerful than he is. 'High cliff my wife dressed in blue' suggests the wife is looking superior - standing up dressed in blue represents her as a goddess, it's as if she has become idealised within her own husband's thoughts. We get the impression that the husband has surrendered the fight, he may not want to, but he feels that he has to which represents an unhealthy marriage.

Within the last stanza the persona describes their marriage as 'Our own cold wars'. This represents that their arguments had sufficient impact on both of them, so much so that they were just as destructive as a war. However, it is described as a 'cold war' which represents that a lot didn't go on and that it might of just been a build up of negative feelings from within the couple. The quote 'but children's cries were mightier than the pen' suggests that the children are his priority in life. The ending of this poem has some significance. The 'and then...' represents that the couples arguments will always continue on in a cycle and it will never stop. This again gives us this idea that the persona is feeling trapped.

This poem links to other Larkin poems such as Talking in Bed through the representation of an unsteady relationship. It also links to First Sight through many of the metaphors that are used in both poems to describe human life. 

Faith Healing - Larkin

From within the first stanza of this poem we are given a very clear description of this Faith Healer. 'Rimless glasses, silver hair, dark suit, white collar' gives across the connotations of someone business-like or professional. However, this faith healer is presented as having a sinister nature to him as well. He 'persuaded them onwards to his voice and hands'. This gives us an idea that he is herding sheep. It gives us further connotaions that these women are easily controlled in life and that they are vulnerable to the Faith Healer's power. This is probably because they are tricked into his religious faith healings so the women are literally easily persuaded. Although the faith healer is a professional person, it seems as though he has little time or love for any of these women. 'The deep American voice demands'. The fact that he is demanding these women to come over again gives a further representaion of his control. He is able to be forceful to these women so that he gets them to do what he wants them to do. He is also 'scarcely pausing' which again reinforces this idea that he has no care for these women. He is using this Faith Healing session as an act of performance. We see that he is not doing this for the love of the women, however for the business and profit that he will get out of it. Larkin uses this idea to give us an insight into the personality and characterisitics of this faith healer. We see during the end of the first stanza that the faith healer believes he is superior to God. He is 'directing God', we get the impression that the faith healer thinks he has power over God. This gives us further connotations that this faith healer is a fake or a con.

Within the second stanza there is a further repesentation of these women being herded through the word 'sheepishly'. The women are unable to control themselves, therefore Larkin is presenting them as pathetic and weak. We also get the impression that these women are also having problems at home through the quote 'To re-awake at kindness'. This supports the view that these women receive no love when they are at home. So Larkin is suggesting that it would be natural for them to seek love from the faith healer instead. The women are therefore vulnerable and weak in the world, because they can only rely on one person to seek love in life. We also get religious words towards the end of this stanza such as 'rejoice' and 'joy arrives'. This represents the view that these women generally believe that this faith healer is genuine. This just shows their lack of ability to think in life because they can't see past his appearance the true personality of the faith healer. Or on the other hand they trust the faith healer because they themselves have nobody in life.

In the final stanza of this poem we see that the persona is now talking to us through the quote 'What's wrong!'. The quote 'In everyone there sleeps a sense of life lived according to love'. Larkin is suggesting that within these women's dreams, they feel as if they are being loved, however this is not the case in real life or reality, we see that this is an idealised version of how we want to live our lives. It can never become possible in real life, only within our dreams. 'To some it means the difference they could make by loving others suggests that by loving other people in life this gives us a sense of puropse, something to do, aspire or achieve to in life. Then we move onto the quote 'By loving others, but across most of it sweeps as all they might have done had they been loved'. We are able to see a link of regret in their lives and dissapointment of what they have become. 'They had not loved enough' doesn't just apply to us, but to all of us. Larkin is examining the view that as humans are we even able to love at all. The use of personification is used in the final stanza to convey that the faith healer is unable to heal these women through when 'rigid landscapes weep'. It as if these women are crying to because they no longer have any trust in the faith healer. 'Ache' is used to convey this desire to love that these women so desperately need.

The Malham Bird (For Joan) - Abse

The structure of this poem is similar to Larkin. The first three stanzas convey a rather concrete idea across to the reader, whereas the last two stanzas convey a more philosophical idea to this poem.. Larkin and Abse also both use metaphors to show their views, this gives their poems a more abstract nature to them. Unlike Larkin, Abse conveys more positive views about love, that it is actually genuine love and it is not just a facade that seems to be the case with Larkin. We have also got the religious imagery that is highlighted in a lot of other Abse poems as well. We can see this through the first stanza where he says 'I a jew'. The Malham Bird also has some significence in this poem as well, as it is a religious symbol to Judaism and it is something that they beleive in. Again through this poem, we get a sense that Abse conveys his feelings in a more intimate manner than that of Larkin. The difference is that Larkin usually uses the persona, which confuses the reader into how Larkin is really feeling and makes Larkin's feelings seem less personal.

Firstly, the poem is called The Malham Bird. This has some significence as The Malham Bird is a Jewish legend that The Malham Bird of Eden obeyed the commandment not to eat off the forbidden fruit and so lives forever in paradise. This meant that it could not taste the joys of the world, and one example of this would be marriage. During the last part of the stanza we get the reinforcement that the couples love is very intimate. 'In love-you a Gentile and I a Jew!' Considering that a Gentile is a person who isn't Jewish it justs shows that they can still love one another, even if their beliefs are different. This shows a strong connection of love between the two people.

The second stanza reinforces this strong nature of love. Abse starts this stanza off with 'Dear Wife'. This shows that he cares a lot about her and is showing this through recalling all of the memories they had with one another during their holiday. 'The rented room, the hidden beach in Wales, the tame seagull that seemed portent'. This is very descriptive detail of the hoilday that they once had together. Abse remembers all of the details very clearly so it's obvious that he treasures this memory as it reminds him of his intimate love that he feels for his wife. Abse seems to be recalling memories with his wife, these happy memories enable his wife to live on, as she died in a car crash recently.

Within the third stanza Abse seems to use a metaphor to represent his wife's sudden death. 'Two chalk lines kiss and slowly disappear'. This just shows how quickly things can change in life. Someone can be there one minute, then they can be gone the next. Abse is commenting that make the most of what you have got because it won't last forever. When it comes to death, Larkin seems to have a more depressing view on it. He thinks there is no life after death. However, Abse uses positive imagery within this stanza to enable his wife to live on inside him. She may be dead, but Abse still has the ability to remember her and this is how she keeps on living in his mind.

The fourth stanza of this poem then moves onto a more philosophical meaning and this is similar to how Larkin structures his poems. This stanza moves onto the theme of choices. 'When others singing pecked forbidden fruit'. The forbiddent fruit in this quote symbolises the wrong choice made by the bird. However it 'pecked' it and it is 'singing'. This shows that the birds are actually happy with the choice they have made, even if it is the wrong one. The bird is used to convey that as humans we think we have made the right life choice, however sometimes without realising it, we may have made the wrong one. It acts as a metaphor that everyone makes different life choices in life, therefore each life choice you make will have different consequence. This poem is about making the right choice in life. This bird that they meet followed the rules yet they talk about other birds singing and making the right choice. The theme of life choices can be closely linked to many Larkin poems. A few of these would include 'Dockery and Son', 'Self's the Man' and 'Wild Oats'.

Within the last stanza it is clear that one bird has made separate choices from all of the other birds. The bird has made different choices to the other birds which has resulted in it ending up alone. However it is now 'forever winging over the vanished gardens of paradise'. This is something positive because it is now flying around the gardens of paradise and is also now 'immortal'. Again the birds in this poem are an accurate representation of human life choices. When making life choices don't just follow the crowd because that may not get you the best outcome in life. However if you are like the bird who made the different decison to that of the other birds, then you may be more succesful in life because through making your own life choice you know what is better for you.

This poem can link to the poem 'The Whitsun Weddings' due to the fact that love is represented postively in both of the poems. This can also link to the poem 'As Bad as a Mile' where there is a reference to the Garden of Eden. However, in As Bad as a Mile Larkin is a lot more negative through his portryal of failure in life.

The Importance of Elsewhere - Larkin

The Importance of Elsewhere is a poem by Larkin that conveys his contrasting feelings about his experiences at home and abroad in Ireland. The first stanza starts off with the comment 'Lonely in Ireland'. This conveys the feelings that Larkin feels isolated, lonely and cut-off. This links to the poem by Abse 'Leaving Cardiff', where Abse also feels sad about leaving his home town. We get the impression that through both of the poets poetry, they don't like this feeling of change or something new. This is reinforced through this poem where Larkin comments 'it was not home' conveying that Dublin is somewhere that he is not familiar with. However the views of Dublin that Larkin has changes towards the end of this stanza. He uses 'me' to put himself in situations and become more sociable with people. In a sense, he is becoming more involved in this 'elsewhere'. This is further reinforced at the end of this stanza where Larkin comments 'we were in touch' communicating the fact that he now feels connected with the Dublin community and he can now communicate with them. Maybe why Larkin feels so isolated is that he couldn't get past the language barrier and this is what made him feel so lonely and isolated. We also get the impression that Larkin thinks it is good not to fit in or be normal through the quote 'so on difference'. This is because no one actually knows what he is like, unlike back at home in Hull. So effectively, he can change his personality in order to make firends and prevent him from becoming lonely.

However, in stanza two we get more negative outlooks of this 'Elsewhere'. 'Their draughty streets' conveys an unwelcoming setting. The 'Archaic smell of dockland' conveys something old and forgotten. However, this also links to another Larkin poems such as 'Here' through the smell of the Hull fish town. This is familiar, so this reminds Larkin of home some more and possibly reassures him. We also get further negative smells in this stanza through the quote 'like a stable', this gives off connotations of horrid smells, animal like. Lastly we have the word 'dwindling' which represents something small, or far away. This could convey Larkin's inner feelings that he wants to go back home to Hull, however it is far away and this makes him feel lonely.


The last stanza gives us an insight into Larkin's views of England, especially his hometown, Hull. We get the impression that Larkin has to act differently around people, once he is back in England. 'Living in England has no such excuse'. This means that there is literally no excuse for Larkin to act differently around people as he already knows the majority of them. This stanza is more uncertain in its nature through the vague word 'it'. This poem also has a half-rhyme that conveys unease. It gives us a representation that Larkin really doesn't feel right wherever he goes in life. The last line of the last stanza reinforces to us how Larkin is feeling. 'Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence'. We get the feeling that Larkin is not able to be himself back at home. Other people have exprectations of what he is expected to do. He looses himself in his own existence. So therefore, the irony/paradox of this poem is that only elsewhere can Larkin truly feel alive himself. This links to other Larkin poems such as Here through the familiarity of the fishing docks, Dockery and Son through the theme of isolation, Mr Bleaney and Self's the Man. It also links to the Abse poem Leaving Cardiff as both Larkin and Abse seem to be resistant to change.

Last visit to 198 Cathedral Road - Abse

This poem has similar links to other Larkin poems through the presentation that objects bring back memories. This aspect of memories in this poem can be closely linked to Love Songs in Age, where the sheets of music reminded the persona of certain memories, especially of her daughter. The room in this poem gives off interpretations of what the occupant was like. This is similar to the poem by Larkin, Mr Bleaney. The persona is also reminiscing over memories of a long lost relative in this poem as well. This has close links to Home is So Sad, where objects are left behind that trigger the memories of the occupant of the house. This also links to the poem by Abse Two Photographs, where the photographs help the persona remember his grandmother's and these objects also convey this deep love that Abse has for his relatives that isn't really shown to us through Larkin.

Abse is acting as the detatched observer in this poem, through his use of the third person. Within the first stanza the person describes that they entered the room 'like a burglar'. This conveys that when they enter this room they are committing a crime. Because it is the person's father's room, then maybe they had an unstable relationship with one another. The person also comments that 'I don't know why I sat in the dark, in my father's armchair'. It's as if it is a natural impulse for this person to sit in his father's chair, this gives us more postive connotations as it shows that he wants to remember his father through the objects that he owns in his house.

We are given a contrast in stanza two with 'living room' and 'dying room'. This links with Home is So Sad by Larkin because in that poem the house feels empty and dead now that the occupant has died. This is what is also conveyed by Abse in this poem. When the person's father was alive this was a 'living room'. However now that the father has died this means it is now a 'dying room' because it doesn't contain the occupant, it just contains memories through their possessions. Abse also uses personification in this poem to convey a longing for the father to return. This is represented through quotes such as 'the awakened empty fruit bowl', 'vase that yawned hideously' and 'the pattern that ran up the curtain'. It's as if the person is imagining that these objects could come to life. Through this we get the idea of the sense of longing for the father to return because if the person imagines the objects could come alive, then he is that one step closer to having the father back as these objects have common associations with the father.

Within stanza three, it's as if the room is portraying death itself. It describes that 'the room that was out of breath' and that the person is 'sightless'. This is all common associations that we have with death, as you can't see when you die and you obviously stop breathing. We get the impression that this room may act as a metaphor for the father's death and that these objects have reminded the person of how the father died.

We get the impression that the person has personal connections with the objects in the room. Again this is different to Larkin, it seems as if Abse is a lot more emotional and intimate with his descriptions of the dead. Similar to Larkin however the last stanza conveys a philosophical message that Larkin also uses in many of his poems. 'Silence' in the last stanza, may refer to the father, 'profound' means a lot of emotion representing the fact that the person was very emotional when the father died.

A Study of Reading Habits - Larkin

A Study of Reading Habits is a poem to do with the different stages of ageing. From within the first stanza we are able to see that books helped the persona to escape bullies through the quote 'Cured most things short of school', it's as if the persona was living his life through books during his childhood. 'To know I could still keep cool' suggests that the persona immersed himself so much in these books that he imagined he is a character from within these books. The tragic thing is that he only read books just to escape the bullies. 'dirty dogs' is used within this stanza as a metaphor for these bullies.

The second stanza of this poem conveys the persona entering his teenage years. 'Me and my coat and fangs' conveys a vampire kind of novel, so we get this sense that the persona is growing up, however he is still fairly young. The last part of this stanza conveys he is ageing into his later teens when he starts to read more romantic novels. This is represented through the quote 'The women I clubbed with sex! I broke them up like meringues'. This acts as light hearted imagery, however this books symbolise the persona ageing. Larkin is conveying the view that our interests in life differ over time and are never always the same.

The last stanza of this poem again reinforces a dull nature to life itself. Larkin is representing the view that the characters we relate ourselves to in novels convey what we are like ourselves in life. The books are the same in this stanza, but now he is older he has different interpretations of these books. The poem ends with the persona commenting that 'books are a load of crap'. This is quite demotic and colloquial in its use of language. The persona doesn't like books anymore because he has come to realise that he relates himself more now to the coward. Books have made him realise that he is actually a coward himself in life and he isn't at all like the heroes you get. It's as if books used to be his friends when he was a child, as he gives them human characteristics such as 'The women'. However when he is older they seem to be the complete opposite, now they are his enemy. This poem has major themes of life, disappointment, ageing and loneliness.

A Winter Visit - Abse

The poem is similar to Larkin's work as it encompasses some of the key themes that he uses such as death, time, love and life decisions. We can closely link this to Larkin poems such as Dockery and Son, Loves Songs in Age and Reference Back. Abse also uses a consistent rhyme scheme throughout this poem through words such as 'park and dark' 'frail and tail' 'die and cry' 'keeps and weep' and 'things and wings'. Larkin also does this to convey certain attitudes in his poems. This poem is also different to some of Larkin's work as it doesn't have a philosophical meaning, which Larkin uses in a lot of his poems. This poem is more concrete and easier to understand. Again like many other Abse poems, this poem feels a lot more personal and intimate. Larkin lacks this as a poet. This poem is told through the eyes of the persona. The persona in this poem talks about the way that the one that they care about is getting old, so the main theme of the poem is about death and we get the impression the persona really cares about this person so this further reinforces this idea that they are a family member.

Death is conveyed through the weather. It is winter, words such as 'cold and dark' in the first stanza act as pathetic fallacy for this idea of death. The whole of the first stanza gives us the impression of something bleak or lacking. We get a sense that all living things have disappeared through the quote 'too cold, the usual peacocks do not screech'. It gives us this idea that this park used to be full of life, however now it is not. The park resembles this ninety year old in a way because she had life, like when life comes out in summer and now she is slowly dying just like winter.

We get the impression in stanza two that the person is using the peacock to describe the person what he is talking about. 'That from one pale dot of peacock's sperm' suggests that all life is created from something very small and it grows and grows until it gets smaller again as if it reverses back. This is also represented to us where the persona describes that she is 'so aged and so frail'. The use of the peacock being born in this stanza represents the cycle of life and how quickly it can pass us by. We learn in stanza three that this is the persona's mum where she comments 'This winter I'm half dead, son.'

In stanza four we get the impression that the son is a doctor. He 'inhabits a white coat' which paints a visual interpretation of a doctor in our minds and he describes that he is 'not qualified to weep', the word qualified gives us a hint that the persona has a career which he is qualified for, something that he worked towards, like a doctor. This gives us an idea that the persona has to remain professional, even though his mother is actually dying. The idea that 'only nothing keeps' suggests that the persona is making a reference that everything will come to an end one day, there is literally 'nothing' the persona can do to prevent his mother from dying. So ultimately death is everyone's fate in life.

So the persona then deters from the imminent impact of death on his mothers life in stanza four. He admires the park and everything around it, suggesting he has more appreciation of life now that his mother is so close to dying. The quote 'so I speak of small approximate things' adds to this idea that he is deterring away from this idea of death. He begins to talk about small, irrelevant things. In a way, he wants to distract his mother from death. So we get positive attributes from the persona and Abse paints him as a rather affectionate and caring person.

Case History - Abse

Case History is a poem by Abse about his experience with a fascist/racist patient. Within the first stanza we get the impression that this patient is extremely fascist towards the Jewish of the Nazi death camps. We get this impression through the quote 'Then he praised the architects of the German death camps'. This supports the view that this patient is pro-nazi and that he is anti-liberal. We come to the realisation that this is unacceptable racism because the Holocaust caused the death of 6 million jews. Obviously, Abse would take great offence to this patient as he is Jewish himself.

Medical jargon is conveyed within the second stanza when Abse describes that he 'palpated his liver'. When Abse is carrying out the operation on his patient it reminds him of senior Nazi officers. For example he mentions the 'liver of Goering' and the 'heartbeats of Himmler'. Abse is conveying the view that these men did such terrible things to the Jewish race that they are going to live on for eternity and be remembered for the crimes that they committed. Abse also mentions 'Sieg heil, mein Fuhrer' which is the way of saluting Hitler, as Fuhrer means leader in German. Everything to do with this patient has brought back terrible memories of the past.

The third stanza represents how Abse is fantasising over how to kill this patient. The quote 'red berry of black bryony, cowbane, deadly nightshade, deathcap' conveys Abse's thoughts on ways in which he could poison his patient. Yet at the end of this stanza he comes to realise that his occupation is a doctor and killing this person would not only go against the job role of what a doctor must do, but also represent Abse as being just as bad as the Nazi officers such as Goering and Himmler.

The last stanza conveys the more philosophical ideas to this poem, this is similar to the way in which Larkin structures many of his poems. 'On my arm' conveys the idea that Abse lost the function in his arm during the night, so he has avoided responsibility for challenging these fascist views. Because his hand is numb he can't write the prescription. So this gives him the excuse to avoid his responsiblity as a doctor. However the last stanza conveys a deeper philosophical message to the poem as well, that he is psychologically punishing himself for treating this man because the pain of this is reflecting within in his body because he didn't stand up for himself. This poem is different to most of Larkin's as it addresses issues that Larkin wouldn't neccessarily be familar with. Larkin wouldn't be able to address Jewish issues as Larkin isn't Jewish himself.

St Valentine's Night - Abse

St Valentine's Night is a poem by Abse about desire, this is evident through the first stanza. 'Eros' is the God of love, this links into the theme of the poem which is Valentine's Day. This also gives us a representation of something rather erotic, this conveys this idea or drive to reproduce in life and through this creates a desire to have sex. We also get a reference to Cupid through the quote 'you let your arrows fly'. Of course Cupid represents desire itself. This can be interpreted in two ways, it can act as an euphemism for sex, which is the main theme of this poem. Or it could be interpreted through this idea that there is hope for love in the future. The arrow links to the poem 'Here' by Larkin where the arrow is used for the same purpose. Abse represents an interesting aspect to the representation of women in this poem. He comments that the woman is 'flirting with a cloud'. This gives across the connotations that this woman is willing to have sex, it gives us an interesting aspect into how women are being represented in this poem and goes against the normal stereotypes of what a woman should be like when it comes to sex. It is normally the man who is dominant and willing to try it, however in this case it is the woman. The reference to 'Black Magic Chocolates' act as symbolism for sex within the modern era. These chocolates were often used in the 1960s for men to entice women into having sex with them. So we get the connotations that this is what has happened in this poem.

'Homage' in the second stanza gives across a rather romantic feel to the idea of this couple having sex. After all Homage literally means a special offering of love. The description of the woman eating chocolates 'unwrapping, the soft-centered' acts a metaphor for the woman's desire to have sex with the man. The man is described as 'St Valentine' himself, which conveys that the woman views him as a holy man and strongly reinforces the idea of the desire the two have for one another to have sex.

The last stanza conveys a more philosphical message to this poem, similar to the technique Larkin uses in many of his poems. We are given a reference to 'Thantos' which conveys a personification of death, that death itself drives us and gives us the desire to live and die. We also get the underlying message that Abse is trying to convey in this poem through when he comments 'Thou shalt die'. This represents the view that Abse believes that if you can't love you will die. Love completes you and gives you the desire to love and experience romance in life. This is different to many of Larkin's poems where love is presented negatively, where there is no hope for it.