Born Yesterday

Question 1

‘Tightly-folded __________’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 1

bud

Question 1

What technique is used here: ‘Tightly-folded bud’ (Born Yesterday)?

Answer 1

metaphor

Question 2

In Born Yesterday, why does the speaker compare the young girl to a ‘Tightly-folded bud’

Answer 2

To convey ideas of potential and possibility, but also to suggest that at this early age she is protected from societal pressures and expectations.

Question 3

Who is Born Yesterday written for?

Answer 3

Sally Amis

Question 4

Who was Sally Amis?

Answer 4

Kingsley Amis’ daughter. Kingsley Amis was a friend of Larkin and a fellow writer and part of The Movement.

Question 5

Larkin was often considered to be part of a literary group called….?

Answer 5

The Movement

Question 6

What characterised the poetry of The Movement?

Answer 6

It was unsentimental, honest and rooted in everyday experience.

Question 7

Why did the poets of The Movement reject the writing of The Modernists?

Answer 7

They saw their writing as too obscure and too removed from real life.

Question 8

‘Not the usual __________/ About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 8

stuff

Question 9

‘____________ will all wish you that’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 9

They

Question 10

Why does the narrator of Born Yesterday refer to the expectations of society as ‘the usual stuff’?

Answer 10

The colloquial language suggests its unimportance, as well as conveying such ideas lack originality.

Question 11

‘About __________ / ___________ ‘ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 11

being beautiful

Question 12

What technique is used here: ‘Not the usual stuff/ About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 12

plosive alliteration via the repeated ‘b’ sound.

Question 13

What is the intended effect of the plosive alliteration - ‘About being beautiful’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 13

The harsh plosive sounds are intended to portray the speaker’s blunt rejection of these stereotypical ideas.

Question 14

‘Nothing ____________ /To pull you off your balance’ (Born Yesterday)

Answer 14

uncustomary

Question 15

The second stanza of Born Yesterday begins ‘But if it shouldn’t’ - what terminology could be used to label this turning point?

Answer 15

Volta

Question 16

What are the five qualities that the speaker of Born Yesterday wants the young girl to be?

Answer 16

skilled, vigilant, flexible, unemphasised, enthralled

Question 17

Does Born Yesterday use a regular rhyme scheme?

Answer 17

No. It is not regular, although there are some instances of rhyme.

Question 18

Why does Larkin employ an irregular rhyme scheme in Born Yesterday?

Answer 18

Because he does not want her to have a ‘regular’ life. He wishes for her to be free from societal expectations, like the unstructured rhyme scheme.

Question 19

How might the title of Born Yesterday be considered a pun?

Answer 19

It has two meanings: 1. In a literal sense, it refers to the very recent birth of Sally Amis.
2. It has connotations of naivety and foolishness. Larkin suggests the cliched expectations of society should be seen in this way.

Question 20

Why does Born Yesterday end with a rhyming couplet?

Answer 20

The final couplet creates a tone of resolution and certainty, as Larkin concludes his poem by emphasising that happiness can only be found by avoiding generic cliches.