Connections Between Larkin and Abse
tWhat connections have you found between the ways in which Larkin and Abse write about places in their poems? In your response you must include detailed critical discussion of at least two of Larkin’s poem.
In the poem Here Larkin describes the city as ‘rich industrial shadows’ this suggests Larkin sees it as dirtily rich with corruption lurking in the ‘shadows’. ‘Shadow’ suggests misery, a lack of hope and spiritual enlightenment. ‘Shadows’ suggests blindness, perhaps to clarity which Larkin is trying to pursue but ‘swerving east’ away from the city. From this extract you were presume that Larkin have negative connotations to the city however he contracts himself in The Whitsun Weddings as he describes London as ‘its postal districts packed like squares of wheat’ this reference to nature suggests fertility and genuineness. The fact its ‘packed’ together doesn’t suggest overcrowding but density and solidness of nurturance and all things good. Wheat is common but it’s been round for century’s as a basic commodity, emphasising Larkin’s point of London being ‘down to earth’.
Both Larkin and Abse have connection in the way they feel about places, such as in the poem The Importance of Elsewhere Larkin feels dissatisfaction and loneliness to a place because he knows he doesn’t belong, as Ireland is not his hometown. But he found comfort in the fact there was a reason for his loneliness this is shown in the line ‘strangeness makes sense’, as this feeling of not fitting in is completely normal. He is reminded of his difference in the Irish accent additionally described as ‘the salt rebuff of speech’, ‘rebuff’ suggests he feels his is being pushed away and will never be able to quite fit in, as he will never possess the accent. The reference to ‘salt’ could symbolise the sea separating the two people, geographically as there is a sea in between England and Ireland. But also ‘salt’ can be seen as harsh as it effect on the land erodes; Just like what it’s doing to
In the poem Here Larkin describes the city as ‘rich industrial shadows’ this suggests Larkin sees it as dirtily rich with corruption lurking in the ‘shadows’. ‘Shadow’ suggests misery, a lack of hope and spiritual enlightenment. ‘Shadows’ suggests blindness, perhaps to clarity which Larkin is trying to pursue but ‘swerving east’ away from the city. From this extract you were presume that Larkin have negative connotations to the city however he contracts himself in The Whitsun Weddings as he describes London as ‘its postal districts packed like squares of wheat’ this reference to nature suggests fertility and genuineness. The fact its ‘packed’ together doesn’t suggest overcrowding but density and solidness of nurturance and all things good. Wheat is common but it’s been round for century’s as a basic commodity, emphasising Larkin’s point of London being ‘down to earth’.
Both Larkin and Abse have connection in the way they feel about places, such as in the poem The Importance of Elsewhere Larkin feels dissatisfaction and loneliness to a place because he knows he doesn’t belong, as Ireland is not his hometown. But he found comfort in the fact there was a reason for his loneliness this is shown in the line ‘strangeness makes sense’, as this feeling of not fitting in is completely normal. He is reminded of his difference in the Irish accent additionally described as ‘the salt rebuff of speech’, ‘rebuff’ suggests he feels his is being pushed away and will never be able to quite fit in, as he will never possess the accent. The reference to ‘salt’ could symbolise the sea separating the two people, geographically as there is a sea in between England and Ireland. But also ‘salt’ can be seen as harsh as it effect on the land erodes; Just like what it’s doing to