Reasons For Attendance

Question 1

How does the speaker feel about society?

Answer 1

The speaker feels separate from society and wished to be free from the societal expectations.

Question 2

Where does the speaker feel you can find happiness?

Answer 2

In individuality

Question 3

What does the speaker begin to feel at the end of the poem?

Answer 3

He feels tempted to join in with the rest of society and wanted to be involved but is too arrogant to.

Question 4

What was Larkin a huge fan of and what did he do?

Answer 4

Jazz music and he wrote jazz reviews for the daily telegraph

Question 5

What did Larkin say about poetry and jazz?

Answer 5

He said “I can live a week without poetry but not a day without jazz”

Question 6

What kind of attitude did Larkin have towards sex?

Answer 6

Arguably derisory attitude

Question 7

What is the structure of this poem?

Answer 7

First stanza is a quatrain and the second, third and fourth stanza are quintains.

Question 8

1) “draws me a __ to the __ glass”
- barrier? separate? context? how is the speaker described as?

Answer 8

1) moment, lighted
- physical, from social conformity, outsider-hermit of hull, mature and older

Question 9

2) “__ on the beat of __”
- happiness?

Answer 9

2) solemnly, happiness
- presenting their happiness as a facade

Question 10

3) “sex, __ but what is sex”
- feeling? wishes what? where can you find happiness? how is sex described?

Answer 10

3) yes
- desire, wishes to be free from societal expectations, in individuality, it is regimented - control behaviour

Question 11

4) “they __ to and __”
- feature? pursue? movement?

Answer 11

4) maul, fro
- animalistic, of sex, duality movement

Question 12

5) “if no one has __ himself. Or __”
- caesura? happiness? what does the speaker reveal?

Answer 12

5) misjudged, lied
- volta, conformity can lead to happiness, he reveals that he wants to be involved but is too arrogant to