Faith Healing

Question 1

Title

Answer 1

Powerful, religious presence.
Desparation, medicine has failed.

Question 2

ao3

Answer 2

the importance of religion in the 1960s, in which religious norms were prominent in everyday life. Larkin is an athiest himself (critical?) Larkin was apart of the 1950s movement of poets who were anti-romantic in their style and sceptical of religion.

Question 3

ao4

Answer 3

link to prayer.

Question 4

ao5

Answer 4

‘the imperfect, transitory experiences of the mundane reality that the poet shares with his readers’

Question 5

1. ‘slowly the women file where he stands’
2. ‘white collar. Stewards tirelessly (enjab) Persuade them onwards to his voice and hands,’
   3.’ Now, dear child… the American voice demands’
3. ’ Their heads are clasped abruptly; then, exiled’

Answer 5

1. Presents women as mocked figures, exploited, vulnerable and reliant uses them as being heals (undertone of misogyny) on the male (beacon) figure to guide them. ‘file’ is dehumanising, suggests regiment and order.
2. The male is presented as a business man, which makes him more respectable and authoritative. Biblical connotations of ‘stewards’, conveyer belt imagery conveyed through en jab. ‘persuade’ juxtaposes ‘tiredlessly’ suggesting a reluctance to the healing. Double standards enforced.
3. Demeaning, condescending voice, corrupt as the American accent holds appeal.
4. ‘clasped’ violent, forceful connotations. Depicts the moment of healing.

Question 6

1. ’ Sheepishly stray’
2. ‘twitching and loud (enjab) With deep hoarse tears, as if a kind of dumb (enjab) And idiot child within them still survives’
3. ‘At last calls them alone’
4. ’ a crowd (enjab) Of huge unheard answers jam and rejoice’

Answer 6

1. Portrays the women as weak, feeble personas needing male guidance, biblical connotations as Jesus was a shepherd. The parable of the Sheep and Goats, guiding them away from sin.
   2.Some of the women have an intense physical response to the ritual, depicts the sense of naviety the women have. The women are vulnerable and easily lead astray, suggests Larkin’s view that they are ignorant to the point of futility, could display positives of religion undermined by Larkin.
   3.The ritual begins, vulnerability of the women.
2. Range of emotional actions evoked and outpouring of emotions from the audience, the power of salvation.

Question 7

1. ’ Moustahced in flowered frocks they shake’
2. ‘All they may have done had they been loved’
3. ‘As then, thawing, the rigid landscape weeps’
4. ‘Saying Dear Child, and all time has disproved’

Answer 7

1.The speaker delibrately creates a stereotypically unappealing image of women, in attempt to portray them as society’s disregard needing to be saved by divine forces. All behave similar.
2. Larkin explicitly demonstrates tat those who have partaked in the practice are not ‘loved’ , and therefore susceptible to religion as they view religion as the answer. One of Larkin’s positive statements about love. Inner child that deserves love.
3. The similie likens the epiphany to the thawing of life, perhaps indicating that the experience has melted the women’s cool exterior, the anthropomorphism of the ‘rigid lanscape’ to demonstrate the emotional impact the experience has had.
4. Questions the reliability of religion, impermanent forgiveness? a facade?