Reasons For Attendance Flashcards
(15 cards)
What technique is used in the opening line “the trumpets voice is loud and authoritative”?
The use of personification shows that the music has power over the speaker
Why is the speaker drawn to the “lighted glass”?
This metaphor shows that the speaker has shone a light on society and exposed the truth
What tone does “face to flushed face” and “smoke and sweat” create?
The alliteration creates an intimate and sensory tone
Why is society described as “dancing solemnly on the beat of happiness”?
Through the use of antithesis those inside are portrayed as a microcosm of society
Why is the line “but then,” significant ?
There is a Volta as there is a shift in tone of the speaker
Why does the speaker equip a sarcastic tone in the line “the lions share// of happiness is found by couples- sheer”?
The speaker mocks society for their view of sex, relationships, and happiness through this cliche statement
Why does the speaker use enjambment across stanzas? - “sheer// inaccuracy”
Enjambment is used to show the speaker breaking away from societal norms
Why does the speaker repeat the word “individual” ?
The speaker uses repetition to emphasise that the speaker is individual and does not conform with the rest of society
What technique is used in the line “it speaks; I hear”?
This monosyllabic phrase creates an intimate and direct tone
What is the significance of the line “Therefore, I stay outside” ?
Shows the speakers broad sense of philosophical acceptance
Why does the speaker say that society “maul and fro” ?
This shows that the speaker looks down on society as animalistic and primal
What is the significance of the final line “or lied”?
This caesura emphasises the speakers doubt whether anyone is truly honest with themselves, including him.
Why does the poem end on the rhyming couplet “and both are satisfied,// If no one has misjudged himself. Or lied” ?
The rhyming couplet creates a sense of resolution and links back to the beginning as the speaker get stuck in a never-ending cycle of thought
Relevant context - jazz
Larkin was a huge fan of jazz music and wrote regular jazz reviews for the daily telegraph even going as far to say that “I can live a week without poetry but not a day without jazz”.
Relevant context - sex
Larkin had an arguably derisory attitude to sex and famously said that it’s is “always disappointing and often repulsive, like asking someone else to blow your own nose for you”
