Sample Larkin Essay

emmamadigan

I had so much trouble finding a Larkin essay I vowed after I did mine I'd put it up, so here it is! Masrked as 78%, not the best but tone down on the personal response and apparently it'd be grand!

Philip Larkin is an incredible poet who is responsible for some of the greatest English poetry of this century. He has been described as “an extraordinarily various and accomplished poet, who takes everyday things and puts a new light on them” and I completely agree with this view. His gift seems to have lain in his exceptional ability to confront the ordinary events of everyday life, in a form and language that is immediately both accessible and profound. The rich and powerful imagery with which he interprets his world are typical of a poet whose work has both a timeless and universal appeal. Larkin may have been a conservative librarian, but to me, his poetry is as fresh and relevant today as it was when he was first inspired to write it. My appreciation for the work of this dark but deeply rewarding poet formed through the study of, in my opinion, some of his most impressive works; “Cut Grass”, “The Trees”, “MCMXIV”, “The Explosion”, “An Arundel tomb” and “Ambulances”.
My relationship with poetry, as a modern teenager, has not always been a thriving one. Whether it was learning poems off by heart which I couldn’t fully understand, never mind relate with, or being “forced” to study confusing poems because my mother wanted me to get a good grade in an exam, I can’t say that I’ve always had a “fond” love for it. A lot of the time I’ve found poetic language dense and difficult usually resulting in me needing the teacher’s help to even get started with a particular poem. So, when I came across Larkin and his poetry, it was a refreshing contrast to the struggle I had so many times before with other poets. With his everyday accessible language, it is no exaggeration to say that I was delighted that i had found him. Finally here was a poet that wrote poetry for the people! The ordinary, yet evocative image of the of someone being “carried and stowed” in an ambulance in the poem “Ambulances” or the sickening naivety portrayed in MCMXIV as the soldiers stand “patiently As if they were stretched outside The Oval or Villa Park,” waiting to enlist, shows Larkin’s’ incredible control over the simplicity of the English language. He takes such mundane things and describes them in a profoundly simple, yet complex way making his poetry accessible to any reader. Larkin also uses colloquial language to describe his observations. A great example of this is in “The Explosion”. He describes the miners as they came “Down the lane… Coughing oath-edged talk” This brings a whole new level to his poetry and really echoes his themes of everyday life. This I think is Larkin’s greatest gift – his use of everyday language opens the door for the reader to join him as he explores various ideas and issues.
As previously stated in my last paragraph, Larkin writes about ordinary, everyday things. He writes about things that we pass possibly on a daily basis, and may not even look twice at. Yet Larkin makes these almost banal objects seem so brightly interesting in a way one may never even have thought about. This is because of the beautiful imagery presented to us in Larkin’s poetry. Such as in “Cut Grass”, he describes the cut grass as it “lies frail” and how the freshly “Mown stalks exhale”. This is a beautiful image, again of an everyday thing. By describing the grass as exhaling he personifies the grass. By doing this he shows the cut grass in a new light, highlighting its natural, everyday beauty. Rich imagery seems to be part of almost all his poetry. He presents us with this imagery through his outstanding control over language. In the poem “The Trees” we are again presented with stunning imagery of a full forest; “Yet still the unresting castles thresh in fullgrown thickness every May”. Larkin writes about these trees so well that I feel I was almost with him as he observes this crowded forest. Such a common observation to write about, yet he brings these huge trees to life with rich imagery. He truly is an amazing poet.
Universal themes can commonly be seen throughout Larkin’s work. He takes such relatable subjects and presents them to us in a different way which leads us to form a whole new thought process about said theme. I feel he does this, so intelligently, with the theme of Religion. The theme of religion can be found in a lot of Larkin’s work. Larkin was typically very open about his disbelief in the afterlife and religion. One could say that Larkin even mocked believers of religion. This incredulity can be seen in the poem “An Arundel Tomb”. “They would not think to lie so long” Larkin uses the word lie to refer to couple’s faith in the promise of immortality. The religious beliefs of the earl and countess had convinced them that after death they would be together eternally, their souls everlasting. Indeed the Christian burial service commits the body to burial and eternal life. But rather than enjoying a resurrection to eternal life, all that remains of them are their stone effigies, and these are slowly fading. Growing up in catholic Ireland, questioning religion is a thing we are told not to do. We are told what to believe and when to go to mass but are never presented with an alternative. Larkin openly shows these dark inner thoughts without hesitation. It is incredibly interesting and is another reason I find Larkin’s observations so interesting. Although Larkin was known to be a very open atheist, some of his poetry conveys a hidden sense of spirituality, like in “The Explosion”. As the loved ones pray for the victims of the mining explosion they turn to religion as a “comfort”. Larkin inserts a beautiful bible quote into this poem which is both lyrically and theme fitting. Larkin shows his beliefs by using the small phrase “It was said” in this poem. By recognising other peoples’ views Larkin really shows the reader how perceptive he is. He looks upon a thing as ordinary as religion and makes us even question our own beliefs. He was an extremely talented man.
Another universal theme Larkin so commonly comments on is Death. Larkin did not believe in life after death, he seen death as a constant factor in our lives, lurking under all our happiness and joy. I believe his views on death are perfectly presented in the poem “Ambulances”. He describes death in this poem as a “solving emptiness” which is “blank and true”. He tells us how it lies under “all we do”. His bleak honesty on the topic of death is truly refreshing. Thinking about death so deeply is something uncomfortable. It is a factor we cannot control in our life and for most human beings we try our best to ignore it. Larkin bravely addresses this grim topic and openly expresses his feelings on it. Death was obviously a topic Larkin was very pensive about.
Studying the poetry of Philip Larkin was a pleasure but also a slight challenge. At first I felt the bleak tone and generally pessimistic world view would be more than I take. However, as I dug deeper I really found myself starting to admire both the rich imagery and the searing honesty of his work: the idea that these monumental issues should be confronted and challenged – and in the everyday language that would allow all readers to join him in his reflections. It has been noted by critics that “Larkin found the perfect voice for expressing our worst fears” and I think that really sums up his appeal to me. He took things so common in my daily life and showed them to me in a way I had never thought about. Having found myself becoming absorbed in his poetry, I don’t think there can be any doubt that he truly is “a perceptive observer of the ordinary life in poems that are sometimes illuminated by images of lyrical beauty”.

spurious

What is the question that this essay is answering?

emmamadigan

“Larkin is a perceptive observer of the realities of ordinary life in poems that are
sometimes illuminated by images of lyrical beauty.”
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Support your
answer with reference to both the themes and language found in the poetry of Philip
Larkin on your course.

The 2014 paper !

EoghanIRL

The English key notes book has a Philip Larkin sample answer in it aswell.

spurious

The essay quoted reads like a learned off one with a reference to the question tacked on at the end.

xLisaBx

To be honest, I would have given that a higher mark. I got an A1 in English and that answer was miles better than mine

spurious

Some of the information and detail in it could be used to answer the question properly, but as it stands it's not great.

Canard

I have to agree with spurious. Honestly a lot of the information is fairly superfluous, e.g. the part about loving poetry and learning it because your mam wanted you to get a higher grade... Personally I think the entire personal aspect should never come into it, because ever since they realized people were rote-learning them, they've never put a question with "personal response" up. You really have to be quite concise in order to make all your points and thus get a high mark. I answered on Larkin in 2012 and I'm fairly sure I never even used the word "I", I just quoted the passage, explained how it was relevant, and moved on, but did it a lot, and got 48/50. It's probably the best approach.

It's not a bad start, but your references are quite brief -- e.g. you quoted one line of The Trees but have more than one line saying things like "I felt like I was there", but that doesn't really address the question. You'd be better off getting another example in there instead.

xLisaBx

You need some personal response though. Apparently examiners award relating poetry to current affairs. It highlights the fact that you genuinely understand the poetry and that you haven't just studied notes.