Take one Home for the Kiddies Take One Home for the Kiddies

The title of the poem sounds really nice and the reference to Kiddies shows innocence and playfulness. The reference to " one" is a pet that the mother is taking home to her children to look after. the results of this is what the poem is about.  In the title Larkin is mocking and being sarcastic when he says " Kiddies", because Larkin actually thinks that the children are brats, Heartless and careless. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB, which is a small and simple rhyme scheme almost like/for a child.    

The first stanza talks about the life of the pet in the pet store and how it is being treated. The stanza starts by talking about "shallow straw" to show that it is uncomfortable and has a cruel life. The " shade less glass shows that there is no privacy for the pet and that is is unprotected from the outside world. The second line shows that the animal gets its warmth by huddling with the other animals (like  penguins) and that they have " empty bowls" which suggests that is does not get much food and is not being cared for. The next line, the constant repetition of “no” enforces the deprivation, with “no dam” means “no mother” and "no grass" means nothing natural. The final line of the stanza is the first piece of dialogue, the children’s words with the working class (formal) language“Mam”. The child’s speech shows an innocence that only comes in childhood, demanding one “to keep”. He or she doesn't appreciate that the animal will eventually die, believing in “always”. The comical speech is a sharp contrast to the dark image of suffering painted in the previous lines.

The second stanza starts of with "Living toys" which refers to the animals and shows that the children are treating the pet like toys. In the second line is shows that the kids have gotten bored of the pet (like toys). the third line " Fetch the shoebox, fetch the shovel" shows that the the pet is dead and they are going to bury it in the garden. In the last line of the poem the children are speaking again and they say " Mam we're playing funerals now.", this suggests that the kids are heartless and that the pet dying is just another game for them. In the end the pet died out of neglect because the kids treated it as a toy rather than a living thing.

In the poem, Larkin represents the children as spiolt and demanding by using imperatives. The poem could aslo been seen as Larkin having a rant about working class people and there behavior towards others.

The poem could be about

• the cruelty of keeping pets 
• the cruelty of children
• playing vs living or doing something serious.