Afternoons by Philip Larkin (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
What is the poem about?
‘Afternoons’ was written by the poet Philip Larkin in 1959 and published in a collection called The Whitsun Weddings in 1964. It is a melancholic poem that reflects on the subject of marriage. The poem presents the banality of life for a group of young mothers, watching their children play in a park. The poem reflects on the transition from youth to maturity and Larkin depicts the women as caught in a tedious routine of domesticity and childcare, which has overtaken their former youth, beauty, passion and romanticism.
Language, structure and form revision | What happens in the poem? |
Language:
Form:
| Stanza One:
Stanza Two:
Stanza Three:
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Poems for comparison:
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Key words
Context: | Post-war | Realism | Melancholic | Irony |
Themes: | Marriage | Passing of time | Motherhood | Futility of existence |
Poem analysis
'Afternoons' by Philip Larkin
Summer is fading:
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.
Behind them, at intervals,
Stand husbands in skilled trades,
An estateful of washing,
And the albums, lettered
Our Wedding, lying
Near the television:
Before them, the wind
Is ruining their courting-places
That are still courting-places
(But the lovers are all in school),
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.
Language
Larkin establishes the setting: “Summer is fading” in the “hollows of the afternoon” to highlight the passage of time
Larkin uses military phrases such as “Young mothers assemble” and “at intervals” to highlight the regimented nature of the women’s lives
Leaves also “fall in ones and twos”, symbolic of the lack of spontaneity
Double meaning of “lying” suggests the “lie” of their marriages
Sibilance in “swing”, “sandpit” and “setting” contrasts the children’s freedom with their parents, with the formality of husbands who “stand” and are merely “skilled”
Metaphor of “An estateful of washing” suggests the women’s lives are dominated by domestic drudgery
Structure
Larkin depicts the outward scene before focusing on the women’s inner discontent and their sense of being pushed to the side of their own lives
The tripartite stanza structure reflects ordered nature of women’s lives
Most sentences are long, reflecting the endless monotony of existence. The shortest sentence, “Their beauty has thickened”, is unequivocal , indicating the loss of their beauty and vitality
Caesura is used to add poignancy
The final, melancholic stanza describes the fading beauty of the women, which implies a lack of optimism for the future
Form
24 lines but only four sentences, with enjambment emphasising the monotony of the women’s lives
Free verse enables Larkin to reflect the dull authenticity of everyday life, devoid of any artificiality that might result from adhering to traditional poetic forms
The absence of a rhyme scheme could reflect their joyless existence
Overview of themes
Themes | Key quotations | Language, form and structure |
Marriage | “And the albums, lettered Our Wedding, lying Near the television:” “Behind them, at intervals, Stand husbands in skilled trades,”
(But the lovers are all in school),”
| The juxtaposition of “albums” and “television” contrasts idealised romance with the reality of everyday life. The alliteration and enjambment suggest that the once-precious, romantic symbol of their love is now discarded; another item in this commonplace, homely, prosaic setting
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Passing of time | “Summer is fading: The leaves fall in ones and twos”
“Their beauty has thickened.” | By setting the poem in the fading afternoon of summer, Larkin highlights the passing of time, particularly the idea that the best moments of life are fleeting As the sun begins its descent, the women have moved beyond their youthful prime, where life now revolves around children and routine, rather than their individuality. The word “hollows” emphasises the emptiness and loneliness of their lives
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Motherhood | “Young mothers assemble” “At swing and sandpit Setting free their children” “And their children, so intent on Finding more unripe acorns, Expect to be taken home.” | The collective term “mothers” signifies a loss of individuality. The word “assemble” indicates a regimented existence and infers a sense of obligation rather than a desire to be there “Setting free” contrasts with the mothers’ entrapment. Sibilance reinforces the children’s joy and liberation, contrasted with the monotony of their parents’ existence
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Futility of existence | “An estateful of washing”
To the side of their own lives.” | The metaphor alludes to the overwhelming chores associated with motherhood and domesticity
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Historical and literary context
Philip Larkin, born in Hull, England, is remembered as one of Britain’s most important post-war poets
His poems were often melancholic; he wrote ‘Afternoons’ in 1959 and it was published in 1964
In 1957 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan declared Britain was in a period of prosperity, contrasting with the austerity of previous decades impacted by two World Wars:
Larkin describes “a new recreation ground”, reflecting the government’s investment in towns and housing in the 1950s and 1960s
At the time ‘Afternoons’ was written, televisions were gaining popularity as families spent more on material goods
Larkin was known for his use of irony:
Despite a healthy economy, the poem reveals an emotional austerity as the husbands stand “behind” their wives and the children “expect”’ to be taken home
The women are unfulfilled and being pushed to the “side of their own lives”
Larkin’s poetry focuses on realism, particularly on the ordinariness and mundane aspects of life, which starkly contrasts with the poets from earlier generations:
Romantic poetry (1800–1837) focussed on imagination, nature and emotion
Victorian poets (1837–1901) favoured lengthy narrative poems influenced by classicism, religion and mythology
During the 1950s and 1960s, married women commonly assumed the roles of housewives and mothers while fathers, often employed in “skilled trades”, had limited time to spend with their families:
As youth and romance fade, the women appear to lose their individual identities and they are now “mothers” with “husbands”
The plural presentation of the women conveys the erosion of their individuality and self, leaving their collective lives dominated by an “estateful of washing”
Comparing poems
Look at this exam-style question about ‘Afternoons’:
How does Philip Larkin present the passing of time in the poem ‘Afternoons’? Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about the passing of time. Compare the way the poet presents the passing of time in your chosen poem with the way Philip Larkin presents it in ‘Afternoons’. In your answer you should:
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How you could approach this question:
Thesis/Essay introduction: Both ‘Afternoons’ and ‘As Imperceptibly as Grief’ present ideas about beauty and the passing of time but do so differently. Although both poems evoke a sense of sadness that summer is passing, Dickinson’s poem presents beauty as something almost ethereal that lives on throughout time, whereas Larkin describes the passing of time and fading beauty to convey the melancholy idea that life is monotonous. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poems use the transition to autumn to explore the passing of time | Larkin’s poem presents a mundane scene (families in a park) whereas Dickinson’s poem veers away from human concerns to personify abstract concepts (such as summer and nature) |
Both poems evoke a feeling of sadness and melancholy about the passing of time through a condensed style of poetry | While Larkin’s use of simple, everyday diction conveys the stark realities of life, Dickinson’s more elevated vocabulary evokes the poignant beauty of the natural world |
Both poets consider the fleeting nature of beauty as part of their exploration of the passing of time | Larkin presents the reader with melancholic observations about fading beauty and youth, while Dickinson lyrically presents nature’s ephemeral beauty and grace |
Thesis/Essay introduction: Both ‘Afternoons’ by Philip Larkin and ‘To Autumn’ by John Keats explore the passage of time through the seasonal change from summer to autumn. Larkin's ‘Afternoons’ symbolically links the end of summer to the loss of youth, passion and beauty, portraying a melancholic view of ageing and routine. In contrast, Keats' ‘To Autumn’ presents autumn as a period of abundant harvest and celebration, highlighting the richness of the season. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both ‘Afternoons’ and ‘To Autumn’ explore the passing of time through the autumn season | While Larkin symbolises autumn to convey a loss of youth and beauty, Keats personifies autumn as a time of abundance |
Both poets use nature to convey the passing of time | Larkin’s descriptions of nature are restrained and negative (“fading”, “ruining”, “bordering”) while Keats’ descriptions are effusive and celebratory |
The tripartite stanza structure of both poems is used to reflect the central theme of time passing | Larkin uses this structure to reinforce the sadness of passing youth and freedom while Keats’ structure reinforces the bountiful beauty of the changing season |
Predicted exam questions to prepare for
Compare the ways poets explore the theme of love in ‘Afternoons’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
Compare the way women are presented in ‘Afternoons’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
Examiner Tip
Always look for opportunities to compare the language techniques used in each poem as this can help you achieve higher grades. For example, in ‘Afternoons’, Philip Larkin generally uses straightforward language that often distinguishes his poems from those of other poets. Make sure you explain how his use of language is different from (or similar to) the other poet you choose to write about, and the effects that both of their language choices have.
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