Comments | eversmiles: "This Be The Verse"

eversmiles

"This Be The Verse"

Jan 13, 2011 17:07

“This Be The Verse,” by Philip Larkin certainly fulfils some aspects of the criteria that make up “great literature”. The theme of the poem is universal in that all parents, everywhere, pass on some part of themselves to their children-- some parts good and some parts bad. I feel that this poem has withstood the test of time; written in 1971 it is ( Read more... )

poetry, parenting, madeline thien, philip larkin, symbolism, short story, literature

Comments 8

eciov92 January 15 2011, 06:49:58 UTC

I really enjoyed your analysis of "Simple Recipes." Your remark that the fish dying in the sink was representative of the end of the author's childhood was very intriguing and left me pondering. This symbolism offers a much deeper meaning to the text and was very well interpreted! I also agree that although Larkin's poem seems to be comical, it is apparent that the underlying is message is quite serious and not meant to be taken lightly.

kaeleyy January 15 2011, 15:47:12 UTC

This is a great write up! It's neat how you thought of girls jumping rope and chanting this. It definitely does give off that impression and now that you mention it I can imagine it also!

It's true. "fucking up" your children can have some serious consequences!

Good job!

belinda111 January 16 2011, 01:10:37 UTC

Well said. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. I also at times have taken a dislike to rhyming as in Larkin's poem. However,in this case it inclined me to read more as I wondered what was to come next!

kitty00litter January 16 2011, 06:21:20 UTC

Awesome take on Larkin. I completely agree with your note on the symbolism of the rice. I personally didn't notice the connection until you mentioned it. I'd even go so far as to add that the daughter would also like to remove the impurities from her father so that their relationship could be whole and pure.

Part 1 and 2 tweedledeedo January 16 2011, 20:41:28 UTC

I enjoyed how you expressed your reaction to the rhyming. When I first read the poem, the rhyming made me not want to take it seriously at all. "little girls jumping rope" is right. It fits into what Headrick says about a Poet using the form to "emphasize what is conveyed by the poems content."

Also like your interpretation of the washing of the rice. I liked Thein's use of this symbol in the story.