For Sideny Bechet

Philip Larkin had a deep passion for jazz music, which had been fostered from childhood by his parents, who purchases both a drum kit and a saxophone. Between 1961 and 1971, Larkin served as the jazz critic for The Daily Telegraph. Larkin wanted was a huge fan of Sidney Bechet, who was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. Bechet was born in New Orleans, and spent his teen years playing in dance halls and brothels in Storyville. In "For Sidney Bechet," Larkin wanted the poem to function like a jazz song; as the song/poem progresses the listener/reader imagines different scenarios. The poem had a jazz-like rhythm, and a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefghggh. "For Sidney Bechet" was written in 1954, and published in Larkin's collection of thirty-poems entitled The Whitsun Weddings, which was published in 1964.

The first stanza sets up the poem as a cause and effect; the music causes people to imagine different scenarios. The musical note, that Bechet is playing, narrows and rises causing New Orleans reflection in the water to shake (ripples). This is a beautiful simile. The verb "shakes" is put at the end of line one, in order to stretch the action onto the second line. "And in all ears appropriate falsehood wakes" meaning that the audience gets lost in the music, and drifts off into various day-dreams. "Wakes" stems from the word 'awaken,' but it also a pun on water-a wake is the track left by a ship in the water-which keeps with the water theme of the first stanza.

The first imagined scenario (lines 3 to 6) is one of beauty and love. Some people imagine the "legendary Quarter," which refers to the French Quarter. The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, and is now a National Historic Landmark. They also imagine balconies, flower-baskets, and quadrilles, which are square dances for couples. Everyone is "making love" and "going shares," which means taking it easy. This first scenario seems very relaxing and fun.
The second scenario that is imagined (lines 7 to 10) is about the dark, seedy side of New Orleans. "Oh, play that thing!" is a common cry that you would hear at a jazz concert; it means the audience is particularly moved by a part of the song. "Mute glorious Storyvilles" means that the music mutes out the sounds of Storyville and has the audience "grouping round their chairs." Storyville is the red-light district of New Orleans, and is often referred to just as the District. It was set up to limit prostitution to just one area, so that the government could monitor and regulate it. "License" refers to the government giving prostitutes the permission to engage is prostitution. "Sporting-house girls" is another term for prostitutes. The simile: "sporting-house girls like circus tigers (priced far above rubies)" refers to the Proverbs 31.10 of the King James Bible, which states: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." Comparing a prostitute to a circus tiger is the equivalent of saying that the prostitute is now tame due to the fact that they are controlled by government regulations; whereas, before the governments interference they were wild, dangerous, and erotic creatures. "Priced far above rubies" can also mean that the prostitutes were very expensive.
The fourth stanza describes the wannabes, who sit in the audience. "Manqués" are would-be scholars. They sit in the audience nodding along with the music, unnoticed. Larkin uses another simile to describe the wannabes: they are so engrossed with the "personnels," which are the band members that they are like "old plaids." Plaids are a rectangular length of tartan worn especially over the left shoulder as part of the Scottish national costume.

Stanza five (lines 13 to 15) describes how the music affects Larkin himself. We know that Larkin is talking about himself because he uses the two personal pronouns: "me" and "my." The music makes him feel the way love is said to make people feel. The music "is orgasmic, hitting all the right notes, and [gives] a sense of affirmation" (Level Up). "Crescent City" refers to New Orleans. Larkin says that New Orleans is the only place where Bechet's "speech" (meaning his music) is understood,
because New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.

The last two lines of the poem are abstract. Bechet's music is "the natural noise of good," which scatters "long-haired grief and scored pity" (lines 16-17). Listening to Bechet's music and sharing or "scattering" it with others somehow dispels the long-harbored grief that African Americans feel. The origin of Jazz comes from African music, which consisted of a single-line melody and a call-and-response pattern. When slaves were brought to America they brought with them the work songs of their people, which coupled with European instruments became jazz music. "Scored pity" is a pun on a musical score. It also refers to the pity we feel when listening to Sidney Bechet's music

Naturally the Foundation wll bear your Expenses

Theme:

This poem includes the idea of war, and remembrance day which includes the reflection of those who fought in the past. There is an element of travelling and education throughout the poem.

Content:

The persona is dislikable, and rude towards a historical event as he sits in a taxi and the events of remembrance day are making him late for his plane. His views are controversial, with no sentiment, pity or feeling for humanity towards the past.

Analysis:

Bearing 'your expenses' is taking away the difficulties, and people take advantage to this because expenses make us view life cynically. Expenses could include transport and accommodation.
'Catch my comet' describes the persona travelling, by plane, to somewhere far away from where he is. The 'my' makes the persona sound possessive and dislikable.
'One dark November day' shows that the poem is about remembrance day, the 11th November, the day WW1 soldiers are respected and remembered. The 'dark' suggests that the persona sees this with a miserable, pessimistic, dull view, like it's just another day. In the first stanza Abse compares this day to all the places he has been, a different world to what he sees. The persona brags about these places and people, 'the sunshine of Bombay', reading 'pages Berkeley' which implies that the persona is academic, and the 'Third' is the most intellect BBC radio program of the time, showing that the persona is showing off.
'Crowds, colourless and careworn' an alliteration that becomes scathing, snobbish and makes the persona's surrounding seem bland and uninteresting. The person doesn't understand why this is making his taxi late until he is 'airborne'. 'The day when Queen and Minister and Band of Guards and all still act their solemn-sinister wreath-rubbish in Whitehall', suggests the authority, and higher status people pay their respects as a fake performance, just to follow their duties by 'acting'. There is some irony that the Queen sympathises with these soldiers but she was the one that sent the men to their death, a kind of hypocrisy. 'Solemn' implies that Larkin is expected to be respectful but instead he is shocking and against it. 'Wreath-rubbish' is rude and critical of remembrance day, aimed at the upper class.
'It used to make me throw up' is an exaggeration on how Larkin thinks the event is sickening, 'these mawkish, nursery games' are just done because of tradition, done thoughtlessly. The persona is rude to the day, a pointless symbol, devoid of its true meaning. 'O When will England grow up?' is rude to the monarchy, a parade of grief and how it's acted out, England wasting their time on something they need to forget.
The persona name drops in the last stanza also, a rude, critising character.

Terrible Angles

Terrible Angels

Theme/Content:
This poem is about war, and the effects on war. The poem reminisces on when they were younger and how their father used to fight in the war, collecting all these medals, has returned to show his son.

Analysis:

Terrible Angels is an oxymoron, a paradox that angels are meant to sent from heaven, the place of complete bliss and peace, a paradise to be, yet they are terrible, which suggests destruction and corruption. Angels are flawless, graceful and innocence, the opposite to terrible. The angels are prayed to by soldiers to save themselves from the enemy however this is ironic because to live, others must die, and this becomes a tragedy.

'One bedtime' suggests the persona is a child, yet this is written in past tense which could mean that Abse is reflecting on his childhood and his father. The medals had 'pretty coloured ribbons', like toys and play things, his father displays this as a prize, a proud possession. They are a symbol of achievement, and are there still as a memory of the war, something that is very much still in his life, represented by the metals.

'Elite and puissant expedition from God' is having great power/influence in higher class, the expedition given from God suggests that going to war was righteous, and this was seen as courageous and moral for men back then. Religion has a large influence on the soldiers that fought.
The 'angels of Mons', the Battle of Mons which was the first major battle in WW1, are described to make 'horses bolt and flocks of meat-snatching birds to rise'. The 'invisible presence' of the angels can symbolise the war itself, the nature of war or religion, how angels are seen as a comfort to protect the soldiers in difficult times and help them defeat the enemy however this is ironic because the angels scare the 'horses'. They symbolise death, from heaven themselves, the soldiers are looking for protection against death by wanting others to die. The 'meat-snatching birds' are vultures, watching over the soldiers waiting for them, 'circle around and around like a carousel'. Death is eternal, forever and part of the cycle of life meaning that the soldiers will never escape it. They might escape death in the war but will be haunted by others deaths.

'But war coarsens (he said) even genteel angels', suggests that war will make things vulgar and unpleasant because even the most kindest, gentle angels are corrupted by war, that fighting can scar them. 'When they spoke it was the silence of gas, amen; when they sang it was the shrapnel striking helmets', is a metaphor, that the soldiers would wish upon destructive deaths for the enemy to die and for them to live. Gas is a silent killer, that death can creep up slowly upon some unlike shrapnel striking helmets which is quite loud, metal clashing and sounds more painful. The protection of the soldiers relied on the death of the enemy to survive. 'Stealthily visible' is an oxymoron, that if you are stealthy you shouldn't be seen because you're quick and agile. The angels are stealthy because they can kill easily and unexpectedly, yet this is visible to everyone because a death man will just lay there, the remains of a life.

The angels are described as 'cold', 'bold and bloodthirsty' and 'thrilled' by the haunting 'screams' coming from the soldiers on the battlefield. This suggests that the angels are corrupt, they have evil elements about them but are still described as angels which is the complete opposite. The destruction and death of the enemy was comforting throughout the war because it meant survival for another, yet in any other case this would be shocking and terrible. The father says that these show 'true facsimiles of men', that satisfaction from death and selfishness of survival was what men were really about. Men were like this before civilisation, that their true madness was uncovered.

The final stanza is only two lines, an after thought because of the brackets used, which makes these lines stand out. (My father, invalided home, was told he know more about angels than was healthy.) The father seemed to be too aware of the angels, knowing too much of the war so that the haunting nature of war has scarred him. Though the war was behind them, the memory still remains, an obsession that he couldn't let go off. This is the real, horrific affect of war. War has taken a toll on him and left him weak and scarred.

A Figure of 8

Content:

The poem is about the daily routine of young student in the classroom, who's rebelling against what they've been taught at school.
Theme:

The poem talks about rebellion, and doubt, a young person's attempt to break free and express their opinions within the classroom.

Analysis of The Poem

Analysis:

The title of the poem, is the shape of the infinity sign, going round in circles and showing the cyclical nature of life. The life of the persona is a routine and repetitive, like the motion of the infinity sign, and feels like that their life is revolving around education. A figure of 8 could mean that the persona, a figure, is 8 years old.
The persona refers to his classroom as 'Mr Theophilus's jail', suggesting that the classroom is restrictive and confined like a prison. They can't escape, and feel trapped, unable to express their opinion and can only listen and do what they're told, having to be taught not learning things for themselves. 'The boy half listens to a story of royalty-loving Christopher Robin'. This is a reference to Winnie the Pooh, showing the persona's young age to this children's book. The teacher is teaching the students about stories, innocent and patriotic things that don't relate to the reality outside the classroom. The persona also 'half-listens' implying he's bored, doesn't care and is distracted, maybe daydreaming about something else. His mind works independently, no matter what the teacher tries to tell him. Abse makes the tone comical by 'his friend, Fatty Jones', a childish nickname for a classmate. Fatty Jones sings 'God bless the Prince of Wales!', a Welsh hymn.
The second stanza talks about escaping from school, 'free, at last', from the mundane, repetitive classroom. This exaggerates how happy the persona is to get away, 'arms horizontal'. The child is so cheerful and excited he 'jet-roars out' like a plane, escaping 'jail'. Flying away shows a liberation, lack of restriction and freedom to do anything as the persona 'loops the loop, flies to Africa to see naked women'. This shows the child is fantasising about adult themes, inappropriate for his age, and thinks about things that are avoided at school. He thinks independently and is growing up. However this view is shifted by to the persona's immaturity when he comically 'farts H2SS'.
The third stanza is a contrast to the childlike first stanza, a more depressing and realistic view of the world. This stanza is short and dramatic, 'someone has bombed the park'. The child could be playing war games, and this makes the persona sinister to think these things, a vivid imagination to have. However this could show that the child is growing up, and not so naivety towards the bad events, the ones teachers avoid to tell children and instead tell fairytale stories. This idea is continued in stanza four, 'both the swings are on fire, the empty see-saw is charred', destruction to playground objects that children would use. This is implies that his childish views are being burnt down, and reality is overcoming his thoughts. 'The enemy is a brute, the enemy must be foiled', threats of war and violence, which are quite childish, playing games where the bad guys can just be beaten. 'The wooden horses are running wild' is like the persona's self, running wild and hard to control because he's finding freedom.
The persona mentions a 'sorcerer' and 'spaceship', all imagined childish thoughts. But the persona comes 'safely... comes home to base'. Home suggests protection and safety, a secure place for a child compared to the outside world.
The last stanza involves the persona chalking 'across the garden shed FUCK WINNIE THE POOH'. Symbolising rebellion and a hatred towards the things he's been taught, the ideals of society and the false stories he hears in the classroom. The child is fed up with hearing untruths, 'FUCK MR THEOPHILUS TOO', and doesn't like education. The last stanza is comical to how people will try to teach children and form a path for them but they can't be taught and protected forever, that they instead break free.

Links to Larkin:

A Study of Reading Habits - rebellion, dislike to childish stories
Sunny Prestatyn - graffiti and rebellion

Reference back

Reference Back

 

Theme:
There is a sense of nostalgia, and family memories in the poem. Music is symbolic, yet over the course of the time it is evident there is loneliness compared to what used to be.

Content:
This poem is based on Larkin's mother, living at his mother's house and listening to the same song but in different rooms. They both share a love for the music however Larkin doesn't seem to enjoy the experience through the poem.

Analysis:

• The title 'Reference Back' is a musical term but has the idea of looking back, and remembering things.
• 'Call from the unsatisfactory hall' suggests that the presence isn't satisfying enough anymore, reality doesn't live up to the old memories they have.
• 'Played record after record, idly, wasting my time at home' shows the persona gets little pleasure from the experience and the enjambment of 'you/looked' shows that there was a difference between his lack of excitement and his mother's excitement to spend time with her son at home.
• The first stanza is quite depressing and disappointing, and shows the reflection of time. The songs reintroduce memories for his mother which she likes however Larkin feels like he just needs to move on because he is bored.
• The second stanza looks at history and song itself. The song makes him reminisce over times in Chicago, and comments on jazz music, 'antique Negros' and 'pre-electric horn' which is like the gramophone for blues/jazz, the music links the two eras. There is a negative tone in this stanza too that his mother is aged and he doesn't like this. The 'sudden bridge' connects his mother and him, both enjoying the music, this is a pun on another musical term. The bridge is also a metaphor for ageing, the bridge between youth to older generations.
• 'From your unsatisfactory age to my unsatisfactory prime' is an oxymoron. Prime means the best part of your life, yet it is unsatisfactory to him and he is no longer better than his mother's age because they are both unhappy.
• There is a philosophical shift in the last stanza. 'Long perspectives' are all the memories and instances of youth which Larkin hopes for yet his reflections are pessimistic and it takes effort to be that sad, making memories pointless. The long memories are unsuited, the happy ones are comfort and Larkin thinks they drag him down, and remind him how disappointed he is now. This is taunting and mocking, Larkin becomes obsessed over regrets because he knows once you make choices you can't go back. 'They link us to our losses', the things he didn't do and can't do anymore. 'Blindingly undiminished', raw and fresh, Larkin used to see life with youthfulness, hope and optimism but growing up changed things, and if he stayed childish maybe it would have stayed that way.

Links To Abse