Skip to main content

Analysis of Talking in Bed

Synopsis= Larkin begins this poem with an intimate moment between a couple that is talking in bed, and this moment is carried through the entire poem to highlight that even in our most intimate moments we can feel isolated and lonely. Events such as talking in bed only makes an individual blatantly aware of our solitude and insignificance in such a vast world.

 Key Quotations + Analysis
1.) "Talking in bed ought to be easiest"

  • The opening line of the poem may mark the realisation of the speakers loneliness, it is only when they are in such an intimate moment that they realise how isolated they are from the rest of the world.
  • "ought" is an expression of doubt, this connotes that the speaker is confused by their conflicting emotions, they perhaps feel as if their conversations should flow easily but their realisation is blocking them from being so intimate.
  • It could also highlight that perhaps the couple have grown apart over time and gradually they have ran out of things that they can talk about together. Therefore perhaps this lack of intimacy is due to distance in a relationship and consequently has triggered feelings of isolation. 
2.) "More and more time passes silently" 
  • Shows the common nature of  adult relationships, many couples get caught amongst their family life, children and work and forget to value their partner. This could imply that according to the speaker, talking in bed is an integral part of any relationship to maintain their connection. The verb choice "silently" reinforces this as it portrays that most couples don’t notice how much distance is between them until it is too late, if they do not talk in bed they are "silent" and lack any companionship.
3.) "Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind"
  • Larkins use of a double negative in the final lines of the poem is successful in placing the reader in the same confused state that the couple within the poem are in, they are confused by their feelings of loneliness despite being so vulnerable to one another.
  • Perhaps Larkin is critiquing faithfulness within a relationship. The tone of this stanza is rather bitter which could imply that the speaker is resentful of the vulnerability of talking in bed, as they have once expressed this vulnerability only for it to be taken advantage of.

Links to Duffy poems
Disgrace= Both poems explore the decaying of a once intimate relationship "thickening cyst of dust and gloom". Both poems highlight their immense loneliness and confusion at how the relationship has spiralled out of control. 

The Windows= The speaker in this poem suffers from immense loneliness, similarly to the speaker in Talking in Bed who Is confused by their own solitude


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Analysis of Fraud

Synopsis= It is widely believed that Duffy based the poem 'Fraud' on a man name Robert Maxwell, however his prior name was Jon Ludwick Hock. Maxwell managed to carve a new identity for himself in England after moving from Czechoslovakia where he became a largely successful MP and media head. However after his death there was a burst of controversy surrounding Maxwell as it was believed that there was a lot of flaws in his finances, mainly from pensions. Key Quotations + Analysis 1.) "I spoke the English" Here the speaker is trying to affirm his English identity, however the deviant grammar contradicts this as no native English person would make this mistake. As a result this error flaws the speakers cover and almost unveils his true identity. 2.) "Politicians in and out of their pram"  This line has a lot of plosive language which can convey the speakers bitterness towards politics, his bitter tone is somewhat ironic as Robert Maxwell himself was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Analysis of Caul

Synopsis= A caul is when a baby is born still in their amniotic sac, this was deemed as especially lucky and as a result sailors would buy the caul and use it as a token of luck. It is significant to note that Duffy was born within her caul therefore this poem has a somewhat autobiographical sense and one could argue that the caul is a symbol of Duffy's fortune. Key Quotations + Analysis=  1.) "I'll never be drowned" Here the speaker is perhaps reliant on the fortune that her caul brings her and it is a part of her that will "never" diminish,  "never" alludes to a tone of sarcasm which is significant as cauls were supposed to prevent a sailor from drowning at sea. Therefore, this sarcastic attitude is perhaps a result of misfortune in the speakers life causing her to majorly doubt the validity of the cauls fortune.  2.) "under the waves or spoil on a beach"  The speaker is questioning whether her caul is still used for luck ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Analysis of First Love

Synopsis= Duffy focuses this poem on the impact that is left after going through a first love and the surreal feeling of falling in love that takes over a persona briefly. It is clear to see in this poem that the speaker is now disconnected from their first love but the memories of it are reflected on nostalgically and with pleasure Key Quotations + Analysis= Waking, with a dream of first love forming real words, as close to my lips as lipstick, I speaker your name, after a silence of years, into the pillow, and the power of your name brings me here to the window, naked, to say it again to a garden shaking with light. This was a child's love, and yet I clench my eyes  till the pictures return, unfocused at first, then almost clear, an old film played at a slow speed. All day I will glimpse it, in windows of changing sky,   in mirrors, my lover's eyes, wherever you are. And later a star, long dead , here seems precisely  the size of a tear....
Post a Comment
Read more