'Red Balloon' by Dannie Abse.

When I first read this poem, I believed that the red balloon was a symbol of hope in a dull society. I believed that the boys who beat him up we're trying to steal his hope and take it away, metaphorically and literally leaving him 'hopeless.' I thought that his hope had come to him in his time of need, explaining why the town was 'startled.'

However, upon reading it again, I have come to believe that the balloon is a symbol of Abse's religion or faith. I believe that the fact that the symbol of his faith is a red balloon is used. To show how different his beliefs are to that of the other people at the time. Furthermore, I believe that the boys were trying it take his faith and destroy it in the poem, but Abse's faith was too strong to be destroyed.

I believe that this poem is to Larkin's 'Faith Healing' as both write about how strong people's faith is and what they can achieve as long as they believe. Also, in both, we see people trying to interfere with their faith. In 'Faith Healing,' we see someone taking advantage of the people's faith - the healer himself- and in 'Red Balloon' we see people trying to destroy his faith.

'Musical Moments 1 & 2' by Dannie Abse

Musical moments 1.
This poem has a similar style to a lot of Larkin's poetry. Larkin often includes enjambment in his poetry, in this poem, we can see Abse using it too. This is usually used to help the poem 'flow easier' and create a 'smoother rhythm.' Apart from this,  I can't see many links to Larkin in this poem.

This poem hasn't got the usual feeling that Abse seems to have behind it in the previous poems that I have looked at. I think this could be why I don't feel as connected to this poem as I usually am to Abse's poetry. However, this poem does read as if it is a memory of Abse's, which does make it a tad more personal.

Musical moments 2. 
This poem reminds me of Larkin's 'Love Songs In Age.' Both write about music in a way that makes it sound beautiful and how it creates a connection. I think that the way they both write about music allows us to see how it affects them and allows us to see a slither of their personal side.

I like the fact that both of the 'Musical Moment' poems start with a quote about pianos (the instrument that is used in these poems). I believe this helps us to understand the connection that he has with the music and the memories that he has with it.

Both poems remind me of the middle stanza in 'Love Songs In Age' by Philip Larkin. I think they remind me of this as, like the first one, it is written as a memory and, like the second, it does show the connection that Larkin has with the music.

'Malham Bird' by Dannie Abse.

This poem is simply beautiful. The fact that the poem is dedicated to his wife makes it so much sweeter and really shows Abse's true feelings. It shows that Abse still thinks back to the early days in their relationship, which implies that they have good memories and times together. Also, the fact that he mentions how far they have come - 'three grandchildren later' - suggests that their relationship is strong and the fact that they have made it this far together implies that they must really love each other.

I don't feel like there are many Larkin poems that link to this poem as Larkin doesn't tend to let us into his emotions or show us much about his personal life.

'Scene from Married Life' by Dannie Abse.

This poem by Dannie Abse reminds me of 'Wild Oats' by Larkin. I think this is because they both write about the relationships and the troubles that they face in them. However, I feel a lot more connected to what Abse writes than what I do to Larkin as the was Abse writes is more emotive.

Abse writes about arguments with his wife and how they have affected him. The way that he writes about them is very emotive and we can tell how he feels about them. We can see that this has affected him a lot as he writes,. 'nothing was happening until it happened,' which implies that it was a big event in his life. Also, the fact that he refers back to the cold war - a big event - implies how catastrophic he felt the argument was.

'Last Visit to 198 Cathedral Road' by Dannie Abse

As soon as I read this poem, I though of Larkin's 'Home is So Sad.' There is one major similarity: they are both about visiting their parents house after they have died. However, there is one key difference: I actually feel sorry for Abse. I think that the thing that makes this poem so sad is how we can almost imagine the outrage his mother would be sure to have about the dust and empty fruit bowl. He paints a picture of how his mother would have reacted, which makes it feel that little bit more personal. Also, we can see how much of his life he has spent here as he describes it in so much detail: 'the pattern that ran up the curtain' and 'photophobic crack in the ceiling.'

I feel we can see how much the death of his parents has effected Abse as we see him almost get angry at the fact that they are gone. His sarcastic remark,'dying room more like,' doesn't feel like it's a joke, more of a harsh statement that hints at how hurt he is. We can tell he misses his parents as he sits in the room with no light at the end and sits there in silence, and we all know that silence can say more than words ever could.

'A Winter Visit' by Dannie Abse

In this Abse poem, I can see similarities to Larkin and huge differences. I think of Larkin immediately when reading this because it is about death - and Larkin does write about death a lot.

However, unlike Larkin, we are allowed an insight into Abse's emotions. We see him write, 'and because it's true I want to cry.' We would NEVER catch Larkin writing something like this. I believe this is why I feel more connected to Abse than I ever did to Larkin.

This poem seems very real and I can imagine Abse and his mother or something going for a walk in the park and having this conversation. I think this is why this poem makes me feel really sad as I can beieve that t happened and we get a sense of how it made Abse feel.

'Here' by Philip Larkin

'Here' is just one of Larkin's poems that shows his, or rather the persona's, need for isolation. With phrases like, 'loneliness clarifies,' it is evident that this persona clearly isn't a people's person. We can also see how much this persona looks down on others by how they are described. We see Larkin thinks the limits to their desires is simply 'cheap suits' and other normal household appliances, which is really something that everyone has.

The persona clearly doesn't think much of the area that he is in as well. We see the area described as having, 'raw estates' and 'dead straight miles,' which portrays the area as one that isn't the nicest, to put it politely. Not only that, we also see the area described as 'fishy smelling' which really doesn't sound that appealing. Invoking more senses helps the reader really get a feel of how grim this place is. I think it is clear that Larkin didn't want this place to be seen as anything special.

I think it is safe to say I really wouldn't want to visit here...

'The Whitsun Weddings' by Philip Larkin

'The Whitsun Weddings' seems to have the most pessimistic view of the future I have ever encountered. According to Larkin, we have nothing to look forward to in marriage except except doom and gloom - apparently the wedding day itself won't be much better. Now, call me cynical, but I thought that our wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days in our lives and brings us together with the person who we have fallen madly in love with, not something that is full of so much disappointment that it is almost palatable. I think it is safe to say Larkin doesn't think highly of the holy union. 


Sorry Larkin, but you definitely won't make my wedding list with your pessimistic views!