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.
good to see you catching up with your blog. Need the other 2 Abse poems now from last week and then this week's 4. Please calso catch up with Larkin poems so that you have revisited each at least once more before the exam in May
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