Blog #1

[timshel]

Part 1:
I had never read or heard of the works of Larkin before. So when I set out to read his poem, with the question "is this great literature" in mind, I thought the answer would be no. After reading the title and the opening line, the opposition of the two started to change my mind. It really made me think. I thought with a title like "This be the Verse," Larkin would mean business, but the first line showed he was here to play.

One definition of "great literature" is the ability to find new meaning each time a piece is reread. Although I thought I had gotten most out of the poem during the first read, after I followed the steps laid out for us, I had a new understanding. Another definition of "great literature" is addressing a universal theme. I think we would be hard pressed to find a theme more universal than parenting. Although we ourselves may not be parents, we all come from parents. The term does not necessarily have to mean birth parents, just the grown up or person who was the influence in your young life. Larkin was able to achieve the theme while being serious and comical. When addressing a universal theme such as this, I believe it was smart of Larkin to not be blatantly straight forward and outright in his approach to the topic.

The lines "They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had," made me reflect on my parents influence on my own life. Growing up I remember my mom always telling my three sisters and I that we could be whatever we wanted to be, and to never settle for being anything but happy and fulfilled in life. While she told us to dream big, she was unhappy herself. My mom has always wanted to be a teacher, but instead spent her entire life as a stay-at-home mom. She talks about how much she regrets it to this day. I see the reflection of this in my sisters lives, as well as my own, as we settle for bad jobs just for money, or give up our dreams to give our husband a forth child. My mom thought she was doing the right thing, by telling us to dream, but she didn't follow her own example, so therefore we never had an example. "They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had."

Part 2:
After reading "Eveline" by Joyce, the theme of "This be the Verse" expanded and cemented after rereading it. "Eveline" illustrated the underlying messages Larkin was portraying using two different examples. Firstly her dad, which is a more obvious image. The abuse that Eveline endured is enough to drive her out of the home. This is pretty much the literal meaning of the line "They fuck you up, your mum and dad." The relationship that she had with her mom however is more reminiscent of the next line "They may not mean to, but they do." It wasn't the mother's intention to mess up the life of her daughter by making her promise to keep the family together. However, this promise becomes the constant hang up in Eveline's life. "Eveline" shows how influential the smallest acts of a parent can unintentionally affect a child, and it accompanies Larkin's poem nicely.

Comments

"This Be The Verse" provokes/promotes some deep reflection

[dream_blogger2012]

I, too, have never read Larkin's works before:) This poem is thought-provoking, and allows for some deep reflection on our own upbringing. I like how you talked about how this poem gave you a new understanding. Thank you for sharing about the influence your mom had on your own life.

[west_coast_best]

Great reflection! I also thought that the title of the poem seemed appropriate of something a little more serious, but of course after reading the first few words I was sitting there a little wide-eyed and intrigued by what the rest of the literature was about. I think it was attention grabbing the way Larkin used these words :)
I completely agree and relate to your experience at home with your mom. I think our parents often guide us to paths they do not follow themselves.
I like how you related the story of Eveline to Larkin's poem. "They May not mean to but they do" absolutely expands the theme of Larkins poem by shining some light on the fact that by keeping her promise to her mother it ended up affecting her life in a negative way.

[ash361]

I like how you explained that the theme is not necessarily about our biological parents, and that the poem can relate to whom exhibits the behaviour of which we observe and learn from. The example of your own life really speaks to me. When you tell about how your mother's example seems to seep into your own life, and of that of your sisters, even though her intentions was to tell you that you can do anything, it really speaks of how we seem to sculpt ourselves after our parents, or role-models growing up. I really enjoyed your blog entry, thanks.