Afternoons

Question 1

Who wrote ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 1

Phillip Larkin

Question 2

When was ‘Afternoons’ written?

Answer 2

1964

Question 3

What collection was ‘Afternoons’ part of?

Answer 3

The Whitsun Weddings Collection

Question 4

What does Larkin explore through his poetry?

Answer 4

ordinary events of life

Question 5

What semantic fields are used in ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 5

cyclical
entrapment
worsening

Question 6

What type of commentary is the speaker giving in the poem ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 6

voyeuristic - watching
pessimistic - social commentary

Question 7

Where did Larkin live with his mother?

Answer 7

in her flat in Hull that overlooked the park in this poem

Question 8

How many stanzas are there in ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 8

3

Question 9

What are the stanzas in the poem ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 9

octets

Question 10

Why is the rigid structure of ‘Afternoons’ relevant to Larkin’s intentions?

Answer 10

predictability
cyclical life

Question 11

How does Larkin use a semantic field of entrapment to make a social commentary?

Answer 11

people cannot escape council estate/working class

Question 12

What is relevant about the title ‘Afternoons’?

Answer 12

afternoons ; after the best part of the day ; symbolises being past prime in life

Question 13

finish the quote : ‘summer is…

Answer 13

…fading’

Question 14

finish the quote : ‘the leaves…

Answer 14

…fall in ones and twos’

Question 15

finish the quote : ‘from trees…

Answer 15

…bordering’

Question 16

complete the quote : ‘…recreation ground’

Answer 16

‘the new…’

Question 17

finish the quote : ‘in the hollows…

Answer 17

…of afternoons’

Question 18

finish the quote : ‘young mothers…

Answer 18

…assemble’

Question 19

finish the quote : ‘at swing and…

Answer 19

…sandpit’

Question 20

complete the quote : ‘…their children’

Answer 20

‘setting free…’

Question 21

complete the quote : ‘…at intervals’

Answer 21

‘behind them…’

Question 22

finish the quote : ‘stand husbands in…

Answer 22

…skilled trades’

Question 23

finish the quote : ‘an estateful of…

Answer 23

…washing’

Question 24

finish the quote : ‘the albums lettered…

Answer 24

…Our Wedding’

Question 25

finish the quote : 'lying near...

Answer 25

...the television'

Question 26

finish the quote : 'Before them, the wind is...

Answer 26

...ruining their courting places'

Question 27

finish the quote : 'that are...

Answer 27

...still courting places'

Question 28

finish the quote : '(but the lovers...

Answer 28

...are all in school)'

Question 29

finish the quote : 'so intent in finding...

Answer 29

...more unripe acorns'

Question 30

complete the quote : '...taken home'

Answer 30

'expect to be...

Question 31

finish the quote : 'their beauty...

Answer 31

...has thickened'

Question 32

complete the quote : '...pushing them'

Answer 32

'something is...'

Question 33

finish the quote : 'to the side...

Answer 33

...of their own lives'

Question 34

What is the oak tree symbolic of?

Answer 34

strength and power of England

Question 35

What are some examples of skilled trades?

Answer 35

builder, carpenter, factory worker

Question 36

What is the tone of 'Afternoons' like?

Answer 36

pessimistic mocking

Question 37

How does 'washing' create a cyclical semantic field?

Answer 37

washing machine - 'cycle' - circular movement

Question 38

What is the significance of the title?

Answer 38

empty coming to an end prolonged inactive, boring, monotonous

Question 39

What type of poet was Larkin?

Answer 39

post war poet

Question 40

How did Larkin feel about publicity?

Answer 40

shied away from publicity

Question 41

What did Larkin write about?

Answer 41

everyday experiences and domesticity in an ordinary language

Question 42

What was post war Britain like?

Answer 42

austerity gave way to affluent, economic expansion and baby boom

Question 43

What was post war Britain like for working class?

Answer 43

did not experience prosperity

Question 44

Give a quote from Larkin

Answer 44

one longs for infinity and absence, the beauty of somewhere you're not