triple time

Question 1

What time period is presented in the first stansa (triple time)

Answer 1

Present

Question 2

Analyse: ‘empty street’/’blandness’/’a little indistinct’/’unrecommended’

Answer 2

semantic field of mundanity and a lack of specificity conveys speakers lack of appreciation for the present as he treats all moments to be the same

Question 3

Analyse: ‘a time traditionally soured//A time unrecommended.’ (triple time)

Answer 3

Anaphoric repetition can refer to the repetitiveness of life, but also serves of a criticism as the repetition of societies and the speaker’s failure to appreciate the present. End stop at the end of the stansa conveys finality of the end of the unappreciated moment to emphasise the irretrievable nature of the present once it is over.

Question 4

What time period is presented in the second stansa? (triple time)

Answer 4

The past, as displayed by the agument marker ‘But’ at the start of the stansa which creates the shift

Question 5

Analyse ‘the furthest future’ (triple time)

Answer 5

Fricative alliteration emphasises eagerness to reach the future in youth.

Question 6

Analyse: ‘An air lambent with adult enterprise’ (triple time)

Answer 6

Metaphor conveys how children view the world of adult responsibility with attractive opportunity. Emphatic of how we waste the moment looking towards the future, creating a past of wasted time.

Question 7

How can you link A03 to ‘An air lambent with adult enterprise’ (triple time)

Answer 7

Possible criticism of overwhelming post-war optimism which looked to exponentially grow economically after the war. Suggesting people wasted the moment of tranquility by rushing into thought of the future.

Question 8

What time period does the third stansa present? (triple time)

Answer 8

The future, and how we will spend the future looking onto it’s past

Question 9

Analyse the argument marker on the third stansa (triple time)

Answer 9

‘And’ - emphatic of how quickly time passes without our proper realisation

Question 10

Analyse: ‘A valley cropped by fat neglected chances’ (triple time)

Answer 10

Metaphor for the missed opportunities that we will inevitably regret in the future. Suggesting life has been limited by this missing of opportunity.

Question 11

Analyse: ‘insensately forbore to fleece.’ (triple time)

Answer 11

Means foolishly failed to take opportunities. Use of end stop conveys the finality of this decision to not make the most of the present moment. The past is again presented as irretrievable.

Question 12

Analyse: ‘On this we blame our last//Threadbare perspectives’ (triple time)

Answer 12

Metaphor to suggest we don’t realise our fault in this lack of appreciation for the moment that causes us fail to take advantage of the present. Criticises societies failure to take blame for the loss of opportunity.

Question 13

Analyse: ‘seasonal decrease.’ (triple time)

Answer 13

Euphemistic metaphor to reflect how we are running out of time. The loss of vitality as we waste time pondering on the past of future is inevitably cut off by death. Death, presented by the end-stop, is the certain end to this time we waste.

Question 14

What themes are prominent in triple time? (triple time)

Answer 14

Opportunity, time

Question 15

Analyse the title ‘Triple Time’ (triple time)

Answer 15

Dual meaning: 1) reflects the past, present and future. 2) a fast paced musical tempo to reflect the quick passing of time - links to Larkin’s interest in jazz (wrote jazz reviews for the daily telegraph, 1961-1971)

Question 16

What did Larkin say about time? (ao3) (triple time)

Answer 16

‘Time erodes, spoils, disappoints’