Afternoons by Philip Larkin Philip Larkin 1922 1985

Afternoons by Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin (1922 -1985) • English poet • Worked as a librarian in Hull • Poetry about everyday life and relationships • Some say poetry is negative and miserable • Never married • Didn’t ever travel abroad

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades”

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades” “the album, lettered, Our Wedding”

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades” “the album, lettered, Our Wedding” “something is pushing them”

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades” “the album, lettered, Our Wedding” “something is pushing them” “setting free their children”

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades” “the album, lettered, Our Wedding” “something is pushing them” “setting free their children” “summer is fading”

Pick out a quote from the poem to match each picture “husbands in skilled trades” “the album, lettered, Our Wedding” “something is pushing them” “setting free their children” “summer is fading” “an estateful of washing”

Pairs: Zoom forward about 10 years, when you’ll be in your mid-twenties. What do you imagine you’ll be doing with your life? How would you like your life to be then?

Pairs: Zoom forward about 10 years, when you’ll be in your mid-twenties. What do you imagine you’ll be doing with your life? How would you like your life to be then? Now, look back at the poem. • Are there any words or short phrases which make growing up seem unappealing? • Why might Larkin have this viewpoint? What do you think he might have experienced in this life?

Summer is fading: What else does the change of season represent? The leaves fall in ones and twos From trees bordering The new recreation ground. In the hollows of afternoons Young mothers assemble At swing and sandpit Setting free their children. What does this suggests about both the mothers and their children?

Behind them, at intervals, Stand husbands in skilled trades, How do these ideas contrast? Which is reality? An estateful of washing, And the albums, lettered Our Wedding, lying Near the television: Before them, the wind Is ruining their courtingplaces How does your life change when you grow up? Is it always better?

That are still courting-places (But the lovers are all in school), Ageing highlights memories and youthfulness of children; And their children, so intent on Finding more unripe acorns, Expect to be taken home. Their beauty has thickened. Something is pushing them To the side of their own lives. Time passing is so gradual we barely notice the changes and then wonder how we got there and possibly why we’ve not done certain things.

Check Understanding What is the effect of the poem being set at a specific time of the year? Is Larkin suggesting something about ‘time’? How could this be linked to the title? ‘the hollows in the afternoons’ is an interesting phrase. Why? There are some patterns in phrases used by Larkin: ‘Behind them’ and ‘Before them’. What is this suggesting about the lives of the young women? Why does Larkin describe the wedding albums as ‘lying/Near the television’? Could there be more than one interpretation here? Who or what are the ‘unripe acorns’ and why are the mentioned in the final stanza? Is Larkin suggesting something about life? What is the tone of the speaker in the poem, who appears to be some sort of observer? Suggest 3 adjectives to describe the tone and find relevant quotations to support your ideas.