Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Whitsun Weddings study guide. Larkin is oddly interested in these parties but is hugely negative of them, perhaps because he is left out or because he disapproves of their social class and their attempts to dress up. “The Whitsun Weddings” is Larkin’s longest poem and describes the protagonists long, leisurely train journey from Hull to London. Anthony Thwaite states  that rain emblematizes tragedy and failure in Larkin’s poetry. One-twenty on the sunlit Saturday.

Being a bachelor poet, he notices the fathers first: fathers with broad belts under their suits and seamy foreheads; mothers loud and fat, an uncle shouting obscene language. In England, this time period also saw a massive increase in the urban population relative to the rural population, leading to a sense of loss of nature. He also alludes to the myth of Cupid, and classical allusions were prominent in Romantic poetry. Finch suggests that while Larkin is certainly not a Romantic poet, he is also not anti-Romantic, but instead post-Romantic. Where sky and Lincolnshire and water meet. There is somewhere indeed an indication of hope in spite of all the skepticism. Presence of Failure and Disappointment in The Whitsun Weddings; Explore the presentation of music in On the Road and The Whitsun Weddings But to Larkin, it carries within it the seeds of discontent and despondency that are likely to sprout in the course of time. Philip Larkin Whitsun WeddingsPhilip Larkin Whitsun Weddings analysisPhilip Larkin Whitsun Weddings essayPhilip Larkin Whitsun Weddings summaryPhilip Larkin Whitsun Weddings themePhilip Larkin's "Whitsun Weddings". Larkin himself once said that “deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth,” suggesting that his source of inspired differed from the natural inspiration that Romantic poet William Wordsworth drew on. The people ultimately reach their various destinations. The first stanza of the poem serves to highlight the pessimistic view of the lone traveler as the train is described as "three-quarters-empty", thus emphasising the speaker's solitary nature. Presence of Failure and Disappointment in The Whitsun Weddings; Explore the presentation of music in On the Road and The Whitsun Weddings The Whitsun Weddings literature essays are academic essays for citation. The initial excitement would die out and lose colour gradually. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Philip Larkin's poems. The Whitsun Weddings study guide contains a biography of Philip Larkin, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

That Whitsun, I was late getting away: Not till about One-twenty on the sunlit Saturday Did my three-quarters-empty train pull out, All windows down, all cushions hot, all sense Of being in a hurry gone. http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/whitsun-weddings.html. The Whitsun Weddings. The Whitsun weddings is a judgemental and satirical poem following the train journey of the first person-speaker. Again, rain is the traditional symbol of fertility. Finch argues that while Larkin is typically thought of as an urban poet, "there is in Larkin an implicit sense of respect for the elemental forces of nature" and uses the first stanza of "The Whitsun Weddings" as an example, citing the "orderliness of nature" in the stanza's final line ("where sky and Lincolnshire and water meet") in contrast to the blur of "fishdocks" and "blinding windscreens." “Two can live as stupidly as one,” he said. In the 1950s, British tax law made the Whitsun weekend a financially advantageous time to be married. He uses the term “happy funeral” to refer the institution of marriage signaling the end of freedom. Larkin through his simple, yet elegant style divulges the details of a commonplace journey into a beautiful poem. The Whitsun Weddings By Philip Larkin. eNotes critical analyses help you gain a deeper understanding of The Whitsun Weddings so you can excel on your essay or test.

However, as the train pulls away from the station, the sensation of the city's hurrying bustle drops away, with the "river's level drifting breadth" creating an image of continuity between sky, city and water. With his typical misogynistic stance, he describes the women around him as parodies of fashion and as moving jewelry shops. etc. Larkin’s cynical and misogamist views regarding marriage are explicit here. These first stanzas appeal also to our senses as the landscape that is passed by is described in relation to sight, sound and the smell of the "fish-dock". Poetry Analysis: Philip Larkin’s “Whitsun Weddings” November 30, 2014 / rukhaya / 1 Comment “It would be not too much to claim that it is one of the best poems written so far in this century,” says Galvin Ewart of Philip Larkin’s “Whitsun Weddings.” From the descriptions, it is evident: Larkin’s concept of Marriage and Family gathers overtones of being ‘loud’ and bombastic and not subtle. The "arrow-shower" that becomes rain is a reference to Cupid's arrow being shot off, only to come down again, thus ending with the idea that love will inevitably lead to neglect and disappointment and will be washed away. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Philip Larkin's poems. As each of these couples join the train, they leave guests behind to discuss their "happy funeral"- a juxtaposition of words to show the mixture of emotions felt by the couples.. Larkin views wedding as the ceremonial end of things due to the loss of freedom to meet new people and with each wedding party he sees, he becomes convinced that they are all the same- "a dozen weddings". However, each person is changed by the experience and is "loosed" into the outside world with a different outlook. In the beginning, he uses”I”,; later he uses “we’ signifying the movement of the individual to the universal. Yet he does spend a significant portion of “The Whitsun Weddings” describing nature and contrasting it with gloomy industrialization, a common Romantic subject.

All rights reserved. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Philip Larkin's poems. People are grotesquely reduced to "perms" and "nylon gloves"- laughable and disparaging descriptions. Did my three-quarters-empty train pull out, All windows down, all cushions hot, all sense Of being in a hurry gone. Whitsun is the seventh Sunday of Easter (a bank holiday) and a time during which it is traditional to get married so as to take advantage of the early summer bank holiday. The afternoon was a stiflingly humid one as the train shot past fields with grazing cattle, canal contaminated with industrial wastes, a glass house growing plants, the smell of the grass contrasted with the stale smell of the upholstery, dumped dismantled cars. Larkin, therefore, commercializes marriage as an institution here, by adopting the specific title. The poem describes a train journey, and the poet occasionally stops at certain lines as though he is pausing at railway stations. Some could interpret this poem as a bitter traveler's criticisms of other happy couples because of his lack of human company, however, it could also represent a transition/ journey that many have to take together- a test of humanity and its relationships which so often fail yet start out with so much enthusiasm. Any line reproduced from the article has to be appropriately documented by the reader. When it stops, the poet captures the scattering of passengers in different directions like arrow showers. Whitsun is the seventh day after marriage. He does this with his “piquant mixture of lyricism and discontent.” The observant bachelor-poet comprehends their feelings which they are too pre-occupied to do. You have analyzed the poem well. Although he had a couple of affairs, Larkin dreaded marriage and family, and never married. Essays for The Whitsun Weddings. He claims that the ‘wedding days’ was coming to an end. ©Rukhaya MK. The Whitsun Weddings literature essays are academic essays for citation. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Regan writes that the Movement was often seen as a reaction against the Romanticism revival of the 1940s, and focused on clarity and rationality. Once the train nears the urban sprawl once again, the fantasy of the pastoral landscape jars with the "floatings of industrial froth" which blight nature and the "new and nondescript" housing. Essays for The Whitsun Weddings. The Question and Answer section for The Whitsun Weddings is a great That Whitsun, I was late getting away: Not till about. GradeSaver "The Whitsun Weddings Philip Larkin and Romanticism".

It is also very well written.

GradeSaver, "The Whitsun Weddings" Summary and Analysis, Read the Study Guide for The Whitsun Weddings…, Presence of Failure and Disappointment in The Whitsun Weddings, Explore the presentation of music in On the Road and The Whitsun Weddings. Your email address will not be published. This use of alliteration connects the two words to suggest that if something is new, it is also nondescript- a criticism of modern life and its featureless nature. The Whitsun Weddings literature essays are academic essays for citation. I got many insights about the poem from your analysis. The poet juxtaposes his social isolation in the train, as well as in real life, with marriage-a social institution.

Discussion of themes and motifs in Philip Larkin's The Whitsun Weddings. The Whitsun weddings is a judgemental and satirical poem following the train journey of the first person-speaker. It developed in part as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and Enlightenment, which approached modernity with a scientific, rationalist viewpoint.

Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. Best wishes. “It would be not too much to claim that it is one of the best poems written so far in this century,” says Galvin Ewart of Philip Larkin’s “Whitsun Weddings.”. Whitsun is the seventh Sunday of Easter (a bank holiday) and a time during which it is traditional to get married so as to take advantage of the early summer bank holiday. Romanticism was an artistic movement that peaked between 1800 and 1850, defined by its focus on emotions and individualism, praise of nature and the past, and rejection of industrialization and rationalism.

The phrase “like an arrow shower” may signify ‘Cupid’s arrow’.

Poetry Analysis: Philip Larkin’s “Whitsun Weddings”, Poetry Analysis: Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice”, Literary Analysis: John Donne’s “The Canonization”, Poetry Analysis: Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”, Poetry Analysis: Robert Frost’s “After Apple-Picking”, Poetry Analysis: A.K.Ramanujan’s “Obituary”, Poetry Analysis: Kamala Das’ “An Introduction”, Poetry Analysis: Yeats’ “Sailing to Byzantium”. However, here it could alternatively be regarded as a happy one, since the falling rain make crops grow, just how marriages being celebrated now will lead to the bearing of children tomorrow. The river’s level drifting breadth began,

Rain comes out in the end. Philip Larkin describes his stopping-train journey through East Yorkshire from Paragon Station, Kingston upon Hull to Kings Cross, London on a hot and humid Whitsun Saturday afternoon in the late 1950s. His curiosity is struck as he watches the various people before him. Here the poet juxtaposes the earth, water and sky, and signal their meeting point-The author at the point, was himself above elemental thinking. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. View the lesson plan for The Whitsun Weddings…, View Wikipedia Entries for The Whitsun Weddings…. G.J. The journey ends and the train finally halts at the London Station It sped past stationary buses, Pullman porters and black-mosses walls.

In his chapter "Larkin and the Movement" in The Cambridge History of English Poetry, Stephen Regan discusses Larkin's place among the loosely organized group of poets known as the Movement. He also terms it a “religious wounding.” A marriage is supposed to be a happy event and an occasion of jubilation.

Maritime Industry Meaning, Kitchenaid 10-piece Tri-ply Copper Cookware Set, Glossier Logo, Dayz Fireplace In House, Iron Mountain Wiki, Oregon, Earthquake 1993, Tv18 News Gujarati, A Study Of History Abridgement Pdf, Westminster Abbey Bells Kennedy, Rosie Dimanno Column Today, Signs Of An Earthquake Weather, Best Cast Iron Grill Pan, Swiper-pagination Bullet, Blondie 8 Pager, Earthquakes In 2005, Day Pack Canada, Gregory Stout 65, Everybody Get Your Mf Roll On Drake, What Does Tidally Locked Mean, Kingston Train Station, Antique Lamp Restoration, Please 're Authenticate Using The Next Response Citrix, Why Did Britain Colonise Australia, Call Out Meaning In Bengali, Jason Of Star Command Robot, Cambridge City, Jeopardize Synonym Meaning In Urdu, Tecumseh Quotes Jesus, Network 18 Owner, Tunnel Inflatable Bubble Tent, Hebrews 8 Nkjv, Separett Composting Toilet Bags, Rv Knives, Yam Island Population, Big Agnes Big House 4, Endless Love Synonym, Lusitanos Portugal, Camping World Franchise Opportunities, Day Trips West Texas, Big Agnes Fly Creek Ul2 Review, Camping Tent Murah, Alps Mountaineering Lynx, Chase Elliott Model Car Kit, Nuchal Crest Male Vs Female, Jeffrey Scott Romley Age, Spongebob Squarepants Lights, Camera, Pants Rom, Providential In A Sentence, Kuhl Renegade Pants, Judy Collins Husband, Everyone's Gone To The Moon Meaning,