Comparing four or more poems Essay

The world around you is full of relationships. Some good, some bad. A relationship can bring happiness and love whilst also bringing sadness and unpleasantness. Two people having emotional feeling for each other, sharing those feelings with comfort and pleasure, form a relationship. Many will say that a relationship is the best thing ever, whilst others may say it’s also the worst. When a relationship forms why does there always have to be a good and a bad part? One of the poems I have studied is ‘this be the verse’ by Philip Larkin. It is about a child blaming everything that has happened to him on his parents. Larkin has expressed his feelings for a relationship by using the bitter and brutal word ‘fuck’. He chooses these choices of words to shock the readers and members of his family. When the poem was write in 1960 the word ‘fuck’ would have been even more offensive than it is now. Ask yourself why call the poem ‘this be the verse’? Larkin uses the word ‘be’ to get his point across on relationships. Using the word ‘be’ makes his opinion a fixed thing. Larkin’s uses of language in this poem sets out the pessimistic image that your parents destroy you. You can tell that him and his parents have never really got along by the quote: ‘they fuck you up your mum and dad’. Larkin is applying that your parents mess you up when he states ‘they may not mean to but they do’. He also sets up the image of hatred by using the rhythm to bang in an effect of anger. The rhythm is bouncy and contracts with the message. Having said that it also depends on your mood when reading the poem. Larkin obviously had a disruptive childhood by the tone and the mood of his poem. ‘Add some extra just for you’. Larkin dents the ironic image by implying he is ashamed of his parents and their parents. The second verse sets up the impression that Larkin might have changed his mind about his parents as the first word is ‘but’. However I was wrong he carries on throughout the verse ‘slagging off’ his parents and grandparents by saying ‘by fools in old style hats and coats’. On verse three he still hasn’t changed his mind about his distraught childhood and his hatred towards his parents. ‘It deepens like a coastal shelf’ Larkin explains that his hurt and hatred built up and deepens more every time he got hurt. Larkin obviously cannot forget about this childhood and forgive his parents for the way he has turned out. He states ‘get out as early as you can’. Larkin gets the impression across the only way to stop you tuning out like you family is to kill yourself. ‘This be the verse’ is a misanthropic poem. Does this mean that Philip Larkin agrees with Sartre, that hell is other people? My opinion towards this poem is that the poet, Philip Larkin is cruel and bitter towards his parents. He gives off the impression very clearly that he has no respect for his parents and grandparents what so ever. And it is very clear that he is not willing to forgive his parents for the way in which he has turned out. However his opinion is different than mine. I feel that the way you turn out has some effect on your parents. However most of it is up to you, by the way you choose to dot things and the way you choose to learn from your mistakes yourself. Another poem I have chosen to study is called ‘the sick equation’ written by Brian Patten. What is a healthy equation? One that works, that provides an answer. Patten is implying that the ‘sick equation’ is one that doesn’t work. Signifying that his parents don’t work well together. At the beginning of each poem ‘this be the verse’ and ‘the sick equation’ they both have a point of comparison. Both poets bring the image across that a relationship is a fixed and bad thing by Patten using ‘absolute’ and Larkin using ‘be’. Are both poets establishing the same message? Patten’s poem talks about the difference at home and school. ‘In school I learned that one and one made two and could have been engraved in stone, an absolute I could not question or refute’. Patten gives out the impression that at school everything has an answer however at home nothing adds up. He the goes on to use the ironic message ‘but home sweet home’ he uses irony to get the message across that he doesn’t care. I feel using irony has more of an impact that not using it. In the second verse Patten uses the strong word ‘raw’. He describes that he is feeling hurt and the hatred towards his parents has grown strongly. ‘In that raw cocoon of parental hate’. ‘I came to believe how it was best that one remained one, for two, one at least would suffer so’. Here Patten explains that for the best its better to keep yourself to yourself, as if you are to become committed at least one of you would hurt. He objects with his mum and dad being together as one of them is always hurting. In the second verse Patten is applying that he had love but let it go by the comment ‘believing this I threw away so many gifts- I never let love stay enough to take to take root, but by thinking myself of too little worth I crushed all its messengers. His parents have let love go for him, they have spoiled love for him, the way his mum and dad acted towards each other impacted into Patten that love is not a good thing. He goes on to stay ‘I grew-or did not grow-and kept my head down low, and drifted with the crowd’. Even though he grew on the outside in height he still remained immature on the inside. ‘I stayed apart, stayed one claiming separateness was out of choice, and at every wedding ceremony I saw the shadow albatross- divorce- fall over groom and bride’. By saying this it implied that for some time that Patten never had the courage to have a full time relationship, as he was scared that the same might happen to him that happened to his parents. It feels that Patten sees a divorce at the beginning of a wedding. In the final verse Patten states that he can’t blame his parents for the way he turned out. (Unlike Larkin) he explains to the reader that he can’t judge everyone for the way they are or that way they have been brought up. He changes his opinion on his parents towards the end of the poem. Its absurd to believe all others are as damaged as we’, ‘the lesson that our parents taught’ he clearly feels he cannot blame his family for what had happened to him now and in the past. He can forgive and forget, unlike Larkin. Unlike Larkin, Patten chooses to only highlight the positive side of a relationship. Pattens choice of words hammer to message into the head that not all relationships are bad, just because he had a bad experience he learnt that you will always be able to love someone. The language he uses relates to his loneliness and hurt in his past. He expresses his hurtful past through his poetry. Another poem I looked at is ‘looking for dad’ again by Brain Patten. You can guess what Patten is going to talk about before reading it for yourself. His dad. The poem is about a boy who thinks his dad has ran away because he hadn’t tided his room, when really it was just another relationship ending disruptly. The poem is set out from the others, when you look at a poem the first thing you will notice is the fact is has verses. ‘Looking for dad’ is all joint together without any verses.