Toads Revisited

> This poem responds to Larkins 'Toads'. It carries an extended metaphor, work is the 'toad' in everyone's  lives. 

Stanza One 

> 'should feel better' - implies that even though it should, it doesn't feel better, pity inducing 

> 'the lake, the sunshine, the grass to lie on' simple imagery of nature, it's simplicity suggests that he's never noticed it before as he's not had the time to 

Stanza Two 

> 'blurred playground noises' - noises he used to hear but can't really any more, suggests he has aged, blurred childhood memories 

> 'not a bad place to be : yet it doesn't suit me' - line break emphasises it really isn't that bad, he respects the place he's at in his life yet he doesn't feel comfortable in it.

Stanza Three
> 'palsied old step takers' - the elderly, shaking, zimmoframe
> 'hare eyed' - fearful, 'jitters' could refer to drug addicts

Stanza Four

> 'waxed-fleshed out patients : still vague from accidents' - waxed fleshed indicates paleness, possibly emotionless - people out of work on sick leave

> 'long coats' - homeless people 

Stanza Five

> 'all dodging the toad work : by being stupid or weak' - his opinion of the old, ill, or disabled, dodging implies they're purposefully avoiding work, he's a snob towards the 'work shy' who actually cannot work.

> 'think of being them!' - explanation mark, ironic because he is one of them, he feels uncomfortable with the group he's been categorised into, almost mocking of himself

Stanza Six
> A general reference to their lives, genuinely boring lives, they spend their whole day 'watching' rather than doing.
> Repetition of 'think of being them!' reinforces irony, Larkin is one of them.

Stanza Seven
> 'Turning over their failures' - because they don't go to work they have failed in life, possibly how Larkin feels about himself now he is not going to work. 'Turning over' implies failures once hidden are now coming out
> 'Lobelias' another reference to flowers, Larkin incorporating nature
> 'No friends but empty chairs' - everyone else works so you are alone

Stanza Eight
> This stanza refers how Larkins opinion has changed, he'd rather go back to work than be workless
> 'loaf-haired secretary' is mocking, misoginistic, rather than reffering to her hair as a bun he refers to is a 'loaf', makes her hair seem cheaper and less classier

Stanza Nine
> The finishing line 'give me your arm, old toad' - the hand in hand aspect creates a union between Larkin and work, almost a bond.
> 'Help me down cemetery road' - he wants to work until the day he dies, work will help him to his death, this could be seen as a positive or negative. Personification of work 'helping him' provides a connection between Larkin and the work.

PERSONAL RESPONSE - This poem to me represents Larkins snobbish nature, he'd rather work, doing something he doesn't enjoy than be associated with those who 'avoid toad work'. To me this suggests that Larkin is very concerned with his self image and how he appears to others. It could also suggest Larkin finds no fufilment in a life without work, this could suggest he is a commited man,

Afternoons

> www.bbc.co.uk - a woman's place documentary 

Stanza One

- 'hollows of the afternoon' - purposeless if you don't go to work 

- 'setting free their children' - animalistic, they've been caged up, indicates mothers cannot control their children, they're poor at the one job they have to or are meant to do

- 'young mothers assemble' - Young is highlighted, indicates an element of judging. Assemble sounds formal, this makes what they're doing seem silly

Stanza Two 

- 'behind them, at intervals' - do the women place themselves in front of the men because in terms of the family the mothers are dominant? 'Intervals' implies that the fathers are there occasionally, parenting is a part time second place job for them over their 'real' careers. 

- 'estateful' - a neologism, suggests their living conditions, grimy, cheap?

- 'our wedding, lying' - the albums are on show, lying open to make the couple seem perfect and happy it's a lie now. LINEBREAK emphasises the word lying, and makes the reader consider its double meaning 

- 'near the television' - the TV draws attentions, they look at the TV and then see the album, reminding them how 'happy they are'. Suggests the feelings are fake, maybe only they stay together for the children which dominate their lives? Later reinforced (last line stanza three)

- 'ruining their courting place' - memories

Stanza Three 

- 'but the lovers are all in school' - Young love, bracketed like it should be hidden, it's shameful because they're so young

- 'their beauty has thickened'- Larkin sees this as the most important thing, suggests his vanity and his lack of care for emotions

- 'something pushing' - left unidentified like it's not very important 

- 'pushing them to the side of their own lives' - could be sympathetic, the wives have lost all control of their own lives because it's been taken over by family - they leave the albums out to reminisce how they used to be

Talking in Bed

The Title - Talking in Bed - The act of talking in bed is something you would do in a comfortable, intimate relationship (maybe more long-term).


Stanza One
'Talking in bed ought to be easiest' - it should be easy, but it isn't, suggesting their relationship is not a comfortable one, or isn't anymore. He is honest from line one.
'Lying together there goes back so far' - implications that the relationship is long term.
'Emblem' - something representative.
'Lying together' - double meaning, to lay or to lie. Implies they're both lying about their feelings for one another to keep the relationship going, they're on the same boat.


Stanza Two
'More and more time passes silently' - growing awkwardness, its not an comfortable silence anymore, suggesting it is happening frequently or they are growing apart.
'Outside the wind's incomplete unrest, builds and disperses clouds about the sky' - pathetic fallacy, the atmosphere is stormy, Larkin is agitated by the situation but has not yet flipped, this could foreshadow an argument to come. Their tension taints the once perfect 'blue sky' (their relationship), further worsening the situation.


Stanza Three
'Dark towns heap up on the horizon' - possibly indicates rows and/or dark times to come.
'None of this cares for us' - there is nothing good in their relationship helping them to stay together.
'At this unique distance from isolation' - Larkin isn't physically isolated, but feels mentally isolated. He's close, but far.


Stanza Four
This final stanza suggests Larkin love's her, because he does not want to her hurt, but is not in love with her, as he cannot be honest with her. He does not want to lie 'words at once true and kind', but he does want to tell the truth 'or not true and not unkind'. It seems as if Larkin does not want to let go, but not provide false hope, he is torn in two by the situation

The Whitsun Weddings

The poem describes a train journey, Larkin talks about young couples boarding trains at different station on the way to their Whitsun Wedding.

DEFINITION - Whitsun - Placed in the half term before summer, Whitsun is a bank holiday.

Stanza One
Larkin seem's to make more of a personal connection to the train, rather than the people he is describes. He uses 'we ran' to talk about the movement on the train, but describes no interactions between him and the couples. This suggests he is disconnected from those around him, possibly a loner. He also seems relaxed when he is on the train, which is said to be 'three quarters empty', suggesting his preference to be alone. Once again Larkin shows his preference to the natural world over the urban world. He talks about the smell of the fish-dock and blinding windscreens (negative imagery) in comparison to the meeting of the sky and water and the drifting breadth of the river (positive imagery).

Stanza Two 
Once again, he highlights the unpleasantness of urban areas, describing the 'canals with floatings of industrial froth', the modernization is tainting the country. He also notices the 'displacement' of industrial smells by the smell of the grass, the industrial smells do not appeal to him suggesting he is more at one with nature. 'New and nondescript' is symbolic of his feelings towards modernization, all that's new has no character. This stanza two symbolizes how he see's the world, all that is new is bad and characterless, things should be kept as natural as possible in order to be successful.

Stanza Three
The first wedding is introduced in this stanza. He comments on the noise the guest's make, he does not seem to understand the excitement that would comes with a wedding, seemingly not understanding the fuss. He describes girls in 'parodies of fashion', their knock off clothing makes them seem cheap and less classy, indicating his views on the wedding. Their 'irresolute' posing implies discomfort, maybe not from them but from Larkin himself, he feels uncomfortable watching the brides pose.

Stanza Four 
In this stanza, Larkin's openly expresses his opinion on those, suggesting he is quite self-assured. He describes the mothers as 'loud and fat', as well as pointing out the uncles dirty jokes and the 'jewellery-substitutes' and 'nylon gloves', nylon being one of the cheapest fabrics. He wants to highlight their lack of class, quite simply he is a snob. He highlights the ugliest colours worn, avoiding the pureness of white likely worn by the bride. He even seems to suggest the ugly colours represent their ugly characteristics, (continued into stanza 5).
Stanza Five
He indicates the location of the weddings, most vividly describing the 'bunting-dresses coach-party annexes', the cheapest location, as if to highlight he is better than them (a snob). The idea of advice being 'thrown' indicates that its quite thoughtless, the wedding guests are there for the show, not because they care about the bride and groom. 'Children frowned' indicates boredom, and Larkin refers to the wedding as 'dull'.
Stanza Six
'Wholly farcical' - completely ridiculous, the father notices the ridiculousness of the situation, this could hint at sexism, Larkin suggesting the man is wiser. The idea of 'a happy funeral' has implications that marriage is the end of your like, an extremely inappropriate thing to say on a wedding day, suggesting Larkin's nature.