Afternoons - Context Flashcards
1
Q
who wrote the poem?
A
philip larkin
2
Q
when was the poem published?
A
in 1964 as part of a collection called ‘the whitsun weddings’
3
Q
philip larkin
A
- 1922-1985
- english poet, novelist and librarian
- couldn’t serve in WW2 due to his eyesight
- was head librarian at the university of hull until he died of cancer in 1985
- highly decorated poet - declined the chance to be poet laureate in 1984
4
Q
what was larkin’s childhood like?
A
- home-schooled until he was 8
- had few friend or close relationships in this early stage of life
- eventually studied english at oxford
5
Q
how was larkin’s love life?
A
- generally unsuccessful in love - at one point, he was in three relationships at the same time
6
Q
what are larkin known for?
A
- being solitary and fame-hating
- his poems are observational and focus on everyday life and relationships - often called negative, miserable and melancholic
7
Q
1960s
A
- gender roles were regimented in the 1960s : women were expected to stay at home; men went out and worked
- the government was taking steps to get rid of run-down housing and was replacing it with modern estates which had plenty of green spaces
8
Q
what is the poem about?
A
- poem is v.observational - the narrator describes an ordinary scene - children play while their ‘young mothers’ stand by
- narrator points a picture of women’s restricted lives for the reader, describing routine chores such as laundry and ordinary objects such as televisions
- the poem ends by showing that the women’s lives have changed and now they are no longer in control of their own lives. there’s a sense that the next generation will follow the same pattern
9
Q
what themes are present through the poem?
A
- love and relationships
- passage of time
- change and transformation
