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.

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