Larkin’s works are a mixture of tones with strong leanings towards the sarcastic for the purposes of evoking a particular emotion or thought from the audience. Interestingly, it seems that by taking on an attitude of superiority with respect to others, he poses himself as the prime authority on all matters of opinion. Reverence is shown, but only after his chief concern, (that is to say, his own opinion), is voiced.
In the poem, “Church Going,” Larkin illustrates this with ease. His opinion of the aesthetic of the Church, not its intended purpose but what it currently is and his belief of that aesthetic is reverent but only with regard to his opinion thereof. The title is witty as it would lead one to believe that it was a Sunday religious service, but it is simply a sightseeing trip. Although, this is not without a deeper sentiment. It is through his attitude that this approach takes form to disarm the reader.
He asks, “Shall we avoid them as unlucky places?” Here, Larkin is using ironic humor to invoke a response that states that simply because the Church is abandoned, it should not be forgotten. This strongly points to the indifference of others, as it is others who have forgotten the Church, not the speaker having just visited the Church. Once again, Larkin evokes a similar method in the line ”This special shell?” By stating this as a question dripping with dry rhetorical wit, Larkin reinforces his opinion. It is as if Larkin were to state rhetorically: Am I right?
The final line of the poem, “If only that so many dead lie round” is the final insult to the ideals that of the current popular thought/belief. It is humorous, as Larkin is basically stating that they and/or their ideas should die. Or, as if to state, that it would be better if they were dead. By using language and ideas this way, Larkin is able to use his biting wit to illustrate his point.
Larkin again takes on what he believes are ideas that wrong in the poem “Here.” By juxtaposing different concepts, Larkin shows off his wit. This is illustrated by contrasting the images of “domes and statues, spires” with “cheap suits.” He includes literally and figuratively both the great and the small, as a means of pointing to the banality of what he sees. Also, this approach shocks the reader by introducing images that are on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
Larkin has a bitter-sweet tone in the final stanza, which is meant to illustrate the disparity between the concepts previously mentioned. “Loneliness clarifies. Here silence stands/ Like heat,” points to a feeling that Larkin wishes to convey. That is to say that his unique perspective shines light on what he sees as the blight that is the situation. In a contrast to his silence, there is a greater silence that is shown in the final line, “Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach.” Here, the speaker illustrates that he is not in touch with those around him, that his is disconnected from his peers. In taking this stance, Larkin’s language indicates that he is alone and at one with himself, thus the cause of his biting wit and strong opinion.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sylvia Plath
"The Arrival of the Bee Box"
One of the two ways in which the work may be interpreted is as a reflection on the poet’s feelings as a mother. The idea of a beekeeper is directly representative of Plath as a mother and her trepidations concerning motherhood. Chiefly, a beekeeper is a caregiver, one who sees after the needs of those in their care. The work is fraught with illusions of the fear that a mother might have for her child and the concerns, both rational and irrational, that, at times, point to mental instability.
The line, “The box is locked, it is dangerous” exemplifies the fear that a mother might have that is “locked” within here. Here a the question of the speaker’s mental stability is questioned. Certainly, the healthy mother would not bottle up fear but, rather, confront it, as nature would demand. The inclusion of the concept of danger proves that the locking away of this fear will result in negative repercussions. The beginnings of questioning one’s ability to care, in any sense of the word, for a mother foreshadows what would likely, today, be considered post-partum depression.
This concept is illustrated later in the poem in line, “They can die, I need feed them nothing.” The basic function of a mother is to provide this care and when it is called into question, so is the mental well being of the mother. This concept is well before its time at the time that this was written. A mother killing her child from refusal to feed the child illustrates this concept perfectly. It is both literal and figurative in a mother providing nourishment to a child through her breast milk and the traditional classical interpretation thereof, that of the purest form of care giving.
The lines, “I wonder how hungry they are. / I wonder if they would forget me” both speak to the natural feelings of a mother and to the irrational feelings of this mother. Simply wondering is not sufficient to provide care, action must be taken. The concern over whether or not they will remember her is representative of the potential impact upon the child’s life that she grapples with.
The second way that the work can be interpreted is as a commentary on slavery or race relations between whites and African Americans. The imagery of figure of power and a controlled, unfairly locked away group is perfectly illustrated. The lines, “With the swarmy feeling of African hands/Minute and shrunk for export” draws the reader to the conclusion that there is a disparity between the two races of people. The double meaning of “African hands” invokes the use of African labor, slave or otherwise, with the past used term for a laborer, a hand. This term was used for those workers on the lower strata of workers. The turn of phrase “shrunk for export” invokes images of Africans being sold into slavery as a human commodity.
The box is representative of slavery and injustice, which by the end of the poem is promised to be temporal. This leaves the promise of hope for the reader. However, in the mean time, the lines ”So why should they turn on me?/ Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free” shows that the injustice lasts. Why should the speaker wait until tomorrow to give freedom that was not theirs to restrict. The fear shown in the first part of this line illustrates that there may be repercussions for the unjust actions of the past.
One of the two ways in which the work may be interpreted is as a reflection on the poet’s feelings as a mother. The idea of a beekeeper is directly representative of Plath as a mother and her trepidations concerning motherhood. Chiefly, a beekeeper is a caregiver, one who sees after the needs of those in their care. The work is fraught with illusions of the fear that a mother might have for her child and the concerns, both rational and irrational, that, at times, point to mental instability.
The line, “The box is locked, it is dangerous” exemplifies the fear that a mother might have that is “locked” within here. Here a the question of the speaker’s mental stability is questioned. Certainly, the healthy mother would not bottle up fear but, rather, confront it, as nature would demand. The inclusion of the concept of danger proves that the locking away of this fear will result in negative repercussions. The beginnings of questioning one’s ability to care, in any sense of the word, for a mother foreshadows what would likely, today, be considered post-partum depression.
This concept is illustrated later in the poem in line, “They can die, I need feed them nothing.” The basic function of a mother is to provide this care and when it is called into question, so is the mental well being of the mother. This concept is well before its time at the time that this was written. A mother killing her child from refusal to feed the child illustrates this concept perfectly. It is both literal and figurative in a mother providing nourishment to a child through her breast milk and the traditional classical interpretation thereof, that of the purest form of care giving.
The lines, “I wonder how hungry they are. / I wonder if they would forget me” both speak to the natural feelings of a mother and to the irrational feelings of this mother. Simply wondering is not sufficient to provide care, action must be taken. The concern over whether or not they will remember her is representative of the potential impact upon the child’s life that she grapples with.
The second way that the work can be interpreted is as a commentary on slavery or race relations between whites and African Americans. The imagery of figure of power and a controlled, unfairly locked away group is perfectly illustrated. The lines, “With the swarmy feeling of African hands/Minute and shrunk for export” draws the reader to the conclusion that there is a disparity between the two races of people. The double meaning of “African hands” invokes the use of African labor, slave or otherwise, with the past used term for a laborer, a hand. This term was used for those workers on the lower strata of workers. The turn of phrase “shrunk for export” invokes images of Africans being sold into slavery as a human commodity.
The box is representative of slavery and injustice, which by the end of the poem is promised to be temporal. This leaves the promise of hope for the reader. However, in the mean time, the lines ”So why should they turn on me?/ Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free” shows that the injustice lasts. Why should the speaker wait until tomorrow to give freedom that was not theirs to restrict. The fear shown in the first part of this line illustrates that there may be repercussions for the unjust actions of the past.
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