Ignorance

Ignorance-Philip Larkin

The title of the poem "Ignorance", means that the person has a lack of knowledge and refuses to believe in anything else. Ignorance’ cuts to the heart of the collection’s doubtfulness about the future.

The first stanza of the poem talks about Larkin feeling strange to not know something and to be uncertain about something. He talks about being unsure "Of what is true or right or real".  

In the second stanza, Larkin continues to be unsure by saying "strange to be ignorant of the way things work", which suggests that the way life works is strange and Larkin is unsure about it. In the stanza is also suggests that people are unsure of life and what they need to know. 

The last stanza shows that people wear knowledge which means they know things, but they still don't understand why they the things happen. There is also a paradox at the beginning of the stanza and the end which is " Even to wear such knowledge... Have no idea why", which is what i just said. 

Te poem is filled with tentative and uncertain phrases which shows that Larkin is unsure himself. Overall the poem is about the uncertainty of life and that you do not understand the purpose of life, or the future. 

 Larkin comments on how strange it is ‘never to be sure / Of what is true or right or real’. This, and the question about death in the last stanza, point to religious doubt – Larkin was an agnostic – but also social uncertainty. The second stanza, which describes ignorance of ‘the way things work’ (a vague subject) ‘their sense of shape, and punctual spread of seed’ suggests again Larkin as an observer, noting others’ instinctive identity and reproduction, but unable to participate without questioning these. The body (‘flesh’) is predetermined, but the reason for life remains a mystery.