{"id":400,"date":"2021-12-14T04:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T04:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=400"},"modified":"2022-01-12T23:35:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T23:35:17","slug":"an-informed-close-reading-of-philip-larkins-this-be-the-verse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=400","title":{"rendered":"An Informed Close Reading of Philip Larkin’s “This Be the Verse”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Be the Verse<\/strong><\/p>

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They may not mean to, but they do.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
They fill you with the faults they had
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And add some extra, just for you.<\/p>

But they were fucked up in their turn
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By fools in old-style hats and coats,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Who half the time were soppy-stern
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And half at one another\u2019s throats.<\/p>

Man hands on misery to man.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And don\u2019t have any kids yourself.<\/p>Philip Larkin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Philip Larkin is known for communicating blunt and somewhat unsettling messages through his poetry. He offers many on life and death, depression and marriage; but none quite so staggering as that of his poem, “This Be the Verse.” At first glance, the poem in its entirety appears to be a hard slight toward the parents of the speaker. The appalling language and the sharpness of tone encourage this interpretation. One may automatically conclude as well that, as the writer of the poem, Larkin must have a terrible opinion of his parents. However, there is a disconnection between the manner in which Larkin depicts the parents in this poem, and the manner in which he interacts with and speaks of his own. His life demonstrates, not a perfect relationship with them, but one in which he invested his time, his devotion, and even his love. Larkin does, however, have a gray-toned opinion of the happenings of life, for which he often uses his own experiences as an example, demonstrated in his poetry. Here, he uses the harshness and vulgarity of this poem to express an opinion about human life in general, and not specifically about his own parents. The opinion, however, happens to be an overarching category under which his parents\u2014along with all parents\u2014fall. In the context of Larkin\u2019s life, his poetic opinion on the office of parenthood becomes much clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first stanza of the poem begins with the abrasive statement, \u201cThey f**k you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do\u201d, revealing that there is an arsenal of experience behind the words (Larkin, 1-2). The speaker of the poem makes the statement with a bitter, yet subtly hurting voice, which demonstrates that, though the words are obscene and severe, they hold undeniable truth within them. By observing Larkin\u2019s childhood, it is understandable why he would create such a speaker and such an opinion in this poem. Larkin\u2019s mother was known as \u201ca nervous, jittery individual\u201d and his father a \u201cmonomaniac\u201d who hardly offered his wife any support (Bradford). It wasn\u2019t until after his father\u2019s death that he gave significant thought to the implications of his parent\u2019s relationship. In recognizing his father\u2019s maltreatment of his mother and his mother\u2019s continuous offering of depressing and anxious sentiments to the family, he concludes that \u201c[their] marriage left me with two convictions: that human beings should not live together, and that children should be taken from their parents at an early age\u201d (Booth). In this poem, the speaker says, \u201cThey fill you with the faults they had,\u201d which is evident through the depression Larkin adopted from his mother, and the abrasiveness and religious skepticism he carried on from his father (3). \u201cAnd leave some extra just for you,\u201d which suggests that not only do children adopt their parents\u2019 bad habits but they also develop their own, unique habits through the impressions made upon them during those impressionable years (4). This may be an allusion to the speech impairment Larkin dealt with for most of his life as well as his habit of seclusion, which both at times have been attributed to his difficult childhood (Bradford).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second stanza, the voice shifts; and this is where, for the first time, the audience can perceive small inklings of a more tender and understanding voice\u2014despite the vulgarity. \u201cBut they were f**ked up in their turn\u201d (5). While this statement is still harsh, it emphasizes the idea that it is not a slight against one specific set of parents, but an explanation that all parents are guilty of this fault. He continues with an image of an older generation of parents: \u201cBy fools in old-style hats and coats\u201d (6). This could be a reference to Larkin\u2019s own grandparents who were 19th-century business people, fitting the description of attire (Bradford). The speaker then communicates imperfection in the older generation, as well, through the following lines: \u201cWho half the time were soppy-stern, and half at one another\u2019s throats\u201d (7-8). These verses speak to the deficiency of every parent in raising children. In an interview with The Paris Review<\/em>, Larkin states that poetry to him is \u201ca release\u201d to needs in which he desires to \u201cjustify\u201d and \u201cexplain\u201d his thoughts (Philips). By writing this stanza, Larkin offers an explanation for his opinion of parenthood, which is solely grounded on experience and observation. This is further evidenced in the third stanza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this third and final stanza, there is a rise back toward the harsh and bitter voice, but diversely offered in a melancholy manner. There is less passion in the tone, as if the speaker has calmed from the fit of anger, come to the realization, and is numb to its significance now. \u201cMan hands on misery to man\u201d (9). This is a summary of the first two stanzas, and evident in Larkin\u2019s own relationship with his parents. Booth states in his biography of Larkin, \u201cThe father\u2019s brusque precision of expression and emotional idealism are echoed in his son\u201d (Booth). Larkin gleaned a lot from his father, and he did indeed grow to emulate him\u2014along with many of his miseries. This is how Larkin comes to his conclusion on parenthood. Through his observations, there was not a set of parents who did not rub negative qualities off on their children. The conclusion of the poem is remarkably similar to the statement previously made on Larkin\u2019s convictions: \u201cHuman beings should not live together, and children should be taken from their parents at an early age\u201d (Booth). Similarly, the poem concludes with \u201cGet out as early as you can, And don\u2019t have any kids yourself\u201d (11-12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larkin frequently uses his own experiences as examples for explaining opinions through poetry. Evidence of his difficult childhood and imperfect parents is abundant in This Be the Verse<\/em>. While the subtle undertones of Larkin\u2019s true testimony lead readers to initially believe he has distain for his parents, the message of the poem is very different. This is first evident by watching the manner in which he interacts with and speaks of his mother and father. He has respect for his father; and he sacrifices a lot to care for his mother (Booth). This is proof that Larkin does not hold his parents in disregard, but merely recognizes their faults and the negative impact they had on his life. In an interview with the Observer in 1979, the proctor asked Larkin to expound on his childhood. In his response, Larkin directly addresses the public sentiments of this poem. He says, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want it thought that I didn\u2019t like my parents. I did like them. But at the same time they were rather awkward people and not very good at being happy. And these things rub off\u201d (Gross). While Larkin displays true affection for his mother and father, he communicates that the office of parenthood, in general, is a dangerous position, terrifying responsibility, and sure failure. This Be the Verse <\/em> is his outlet of expression for this opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 14, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Booth, James. Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love. <\/em>Bloomsbury Press, New York. 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradford, Richard. First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of Philip Larkin. <\/em>Dufour Editions Inc., London. 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gross, Miriam. Interview with Philip Larkin. The Observer, <\/em>1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larkin, Philip. “This Be the Verse.\u201d Philip Larkin Collected Poems<\/em>, edited by Anthony Thwaite, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004, pp. 142.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philips, Robert. Interview with Philip Larkin. The Paris Review,<\/em> 1982.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Be the Verse They fuck you up, your mum and dad.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They may not mean to, but they do.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They fill you with the faults they had\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By fools in old-style hats and coats,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Who half the time were soppy-stern\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[247,107,245,244,104,85,246,243],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-analyses","tag-depression","tag-explication","tag-kids","tag-parenting","tag-philip-larkin","tag-poetry","tag-poetry-analysis","tag-this-be-the-verse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":430,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions\/430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}