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Essential Beauty

This document analyzes Philip Larkin's poem "Essential Beauty" through discussing its themes, techniques, and context. It examines how the poem juxtaposes idealized advertisements with a less perfect reality, using rhyme and repetition to emphasize contrasts. Additionally, it explores how the poem reflects Larkin's negative views of industrialization dominating society and how advertisements promote an unattainable image of life. The context discussed is that the poem was written about post-World War 2 Hull and Larkin's belief that society prefers covering up problems rather than addressing them.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
179 views10 pages

Essential Beauty

This document analyzes Philip Larkin's poem "Essential Beauty" through discussing its themes, techniques, and context. It examines how the poem juxtaposes idealized advertisements with a less perfect reality, using rhyme and repetition to emphasize contrasts. Additionally, it explores how the poem reflects Larkin's negative views of industrialization dominating society and how advertisements promote an unattainable image of life. The context discussed is that the poem was written about post-World War 2 Hull and Larkin's belief that society prefers covering up problems rather than addressing them.

Uploaded by

PaigeIvey-Bond
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Essential Beauty

What it is about

How publicity doesnt reflect real life


Juxtaposes the idealistic adverts with a less
perfect reality suggesting people shouldnt
buy into the fake world it is portraying

Larkins techniques

Juxtaposition e.g. screen graves with custard,


cover slums with praise
- screen and cover represents the
medias coverage of real life
- custard silver knife/golden butter
suggests his sarcasm, making the poem slightly
comical

Larkins techniques

Rhyme scheme emphasises the contrasts


e.g. gutter and butter suggesting
they are two things that should not go together
They dominate outdoors shows Larkins
negative and destructive views regarding
industrialisation

Larkins techniques

Repetition of pure emphasises how


idealistic and unobtainable the
advertisements are
Pure coldness to our live imperfect eyes
coldness suggests we are allowing items that
are not alive to define our lifestyles

Larkins techniques

Taste old age synaesthesia, reflecting the


impossibility of what the advertisements
portray
Where nothings made as new or washed
quite clean advertisements force its
audience to strive for the unachievable

Larkins techniques

White clothed ones from tennis clubs


juxtaposes the boy puking his heart out in the
gents as the drunk wouldnt be portrayed in
advertisements, contrasts with the upper class
who would be
- ones reflects the detachment of the
upper class and the general population

Links

Whitsun Weddings doesnt believe in


happiness of the couples or of what the
adverts are portraying, paranoid he is being
tricked
Talking in Bed couples should be an
emblem however it shows an interpretation
that is not true

Links

Here they dominate outdoors is mirrored


and shows Larkins hatred for the power
industrialisation holds
An Arundel Tomb both present an
unobtainable image that Larkin disagrees with

Context

Written about Hull, after World War 2, about


the large amount of billboards covering the
destruction caused by the bombs
Larkin doesnt like industrialisation, and
believes societys dysfunctional ways would
rather cover problems than fix them
repetition of graves reinforces the idea that
idealistic advertisements cover the parts of
society that arent working

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