The Malham Bird

I believe this poem is about Abse remembering the first days when he met his wife and the choices that they made early on which changed and shaped their life to how it is now. This can be seen within in the first three stanzas however by the last two stanzas it seems to me that Abse is showing an epiphany - similar to those that Larkin portrays - through the link to the present times and the religious aspects that he believes in.
One of the key themes that I believe can be seen in this poem is relationships and the intimacy that he has between himself and his wife. This can be seen in "Dear wife" and "(For Joan)" as it suggests that Abse must have a lot of respect and love for his wife to dedicate the whole poem to her and the relationship that they shared.
Another key theme that I feel can be seen in this poem is religion and beliefs as Abse quotes different Jewish beliefs throughout the poem. These can be seen in "the malham of Eden", "forbidden fruit" and "the vanished gardens of Paradise".This portrays a Jewish legend and the forbidden fruit signifies that you cannot taste the joys of the world. I believe that the religious aspects of this poem are significant as it shows that Abse is religious compared with Larkin who is not.
However, I believe that the "forbidden fruit"could also be a metaphor for life choices and how we make conscious life choices all the time. I believe that this therefore links to 'Dockery and Son' by Larkin as it suggests that we make conscious life choices and it also shows an epiphany at the end of the poem similarly to 'The Malham Bird'.
Another thing that I found interesting about this poem was the emphasis on birds throughout. This can be seen in "friendly gull", "black feathered bird" and "of all the birds". I believe that the use of birds could suggest the freedom that the couple first had when they were together but also links to the choices they had as well.
The rhyme scheme used within this poem is also not regular as the first and third stanza rhyme however the the second and fourth stanza feature half-rhymes. This could suggest that their love is regular as it is every other stanza that has half-rhymes suggesting a regular pattern however that their love at a young age was unclear due to the choices that they had yet to make.

Mr Bleaney

The poem 'Mr Bleaney' is about the persona exploring the room that Mr Bleaney used to own in order to rent it from him. During this he compares his life to Mr Bleaney's through the objects that Mr Bleaney had in his room.
Firstly, the rhyme scheme of the poem reflects the poem as it is quite a straight-forward ballad rhyme scheme which suggests that so was Mr Bleaney and the persona's life. Throughout the poem there are also descriptions that suggest the simplicity of Mr Bleaney's life and the lifestyle that he has come to acquire. "Flowered curtains, thin and frayed" suggests that the curtains are old, neglected and poor. The view from the window is of "building land" which suggests that it is ugly, desolate, cheap and not picturesque. The description of the facilities of the room are also quite basic which shows similarity to a prison cell, "Bed, upright chair, sixty-watt bulb, no hook". This room could also symbolize quite a basic person and a metaphor for his life. The persona also connects with Mr Bleaney through the lack of life that this room has to offer him. This can be seen through "stub my fags on the same saucer-souvenir". This is quite casual as there is no entertainment therefore leaving the persona to contemplate existence and life. "The jabbering set" however suggests a difference to the Mr Bleaney's life from the persona as Mr Bleaney had other sounds in his room whereas the persona has cut himself off from everything. In this poem it also suggests that the persona knows that he has nothing fulfilling in his life and this connects with Mr Bleaney as he they both plug "at the four aways". This gives them hope however this is only vague and doesn't give them much of a practical chance.
However, in the last two stanzas of the poem the persona seems to have a epiphany of reality as he tells "himself that this was home". This suggests that he is trying to convince himself to make the most of it as this is all he has to offer himself. The persona has got to put up with this as he has no choice. The word "dread" at the end of stanza 6 could imply different things such as that this is what the persona is thinking but as that he is dreading the way that his life is going to be. "That how we live measures our own nature" could be implying that this is Larkin's view as it sums up what he has been saying in the whole poem. "One hired box" is also quite interesting because the persona is literally summing up the room that he is renting but also that the next hired box he will be in will be a coffin.
I believe that as the persona does not know the inner life of Mr Bleaney he has no idea of how Mr Bleaney would have felt in this situation and due to this he trying to convince himself that his own life is better when in fact it's not. This therefore suggests that Larkin is judgemental, an expecting type of person, quite philosophical, a deep thinker and bleak. I believe that the whole poem is asking the question what is the point in living?

Ambulances

Ambulances is about the way that people look on when an accident has occurred in which an ambulance is needed. It suggests how people are taken in by what is unfolding before them allowing them to reflect on their own lives. One of the key themes in this poem is shock and sorrow at the person in the ambulance but with a hint of reflection involved. One thing that I found interesting about the language used in 'Ambulances' is the repetition of 'and' in the third stanza, "so permanent, blank and true". This could suggest that it is happening again and again and there is nothing people can do to stop the inevitability that we are all going to die. Another interesting about the language is the half-rhyme that is used in the first and the last stanza. This suggests that in the case of the last stanza is that you predict the word to by 'die' rather than and not 'by' showing that it is less satisfying than a full rhyme. The language used with the words 'thread', 'blend' and 'loosen' are also interesting as it relates to the fabric of life. It suggests that life is unravelling and will happen to us all at some point. It can also suggest that with everyday that unravelling process gets closer. The structure used is also interesting as it is a regularly repeated in each stanza. This reflects a person's heartbeat and that life is inevitable. The poem 'Ambulances' contrasts with another poem written by Philip Larkin called 'The Whitsun Weddings'. This is due to the fact that 'The Whitsun Weddings' focuses on beginnings through to endings whereas 'Ambulances' focuses completely on endings. However, 'Ambulances' links to 'Dockery and Son' as it is centred around the same tone and that life carries on.

Dockery and Son

'Dockery and Son' is about the persona visiting his old university in Oxford and finds out that his old friend Dockery now has a son. The poem then goes on to explain how he compares his life to that of Dockery's and they way he has chosen to lead his life. One of the main themes within this poem is life choices which the persona emphasises on towards the end of the poem. This can be shown in "Those warp tight-shut, like doors" which suggests that humans do not have as much free will as we think that we do. One thing that interested me about the language used in this poem was the use of tracks as a metaphor for life choices. I also found the line "Suddenly they harden into all we've got" quite interesting as it suggests that we are not even conscious of the life choices that we are making . The line "they rear like sand-clouds, thick and close" interesting as it suggests life goes quickly and that the chances you take determine what is going to happen in your life. However, it could also suggest that an age comes in your life when you can't go back on your life choices. There are different rhyme schemes that are noticeable within the different stanzas.

Here

The poem 'Here' is predominately about the persona travelling on a train to the end of the track and then observing and thinking about what his life has become. One of the main themes in this poem is that of movement which can be linked to 'The Whitsun Weddings' as the journey of the train is again at the centre of the poem. Another key theme in this poem is loneliness which is centred upon in the third and fourth stanzas. One thing that interested me about the language was how the countryside was described compared with the man-made aspects of the poem. There is a more positive description of the countryside compared with a more negative description of the more urban aspects of the poem. This could suggest that the persona of the poem is that the environment has become ruined by the man-made aspects of the country and that this is limiting the beautiful and refreshing aspects of the countryside. This can be shown in "piled gold clouds" and "mortgaged high-built edges". I also found the description of loneliness within the poem quite interesting as they are viewing loneliness as an advantage. This could suggest that loneliness allows you to think and gives you the hope and potential which your normal lives do not. It also suggests that you are no longer trapped in your lives. This can be shown in "unfenced existence".

The Whitsun Weddings

The Whitsun Weddings is about the persona sitting on a train watching as the couples board the train ready to go and get married. It is through his vision of how the wedding parties are shown to the reader. One of the main themes of the poem shows quite an observant side with quite physical descriptions which changes to more abstract ideas towards the end. Another theme incorporated into this poem is religion which is shown with the weddings being on the Whit Sunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter. Their is a continued use of enjambment throughout the poem which can be shown in "watching us go, as if out on the end". This suggests that he Larkin is trying to show movement not just through the words but the structure that the poem is written in. This movement is constant which is reflected in the flow through the different stanzas. There is a slight rhyme scheme throughout the poem however there are some exceptions to this. The rhyme pattern is line 1 rhymes with line 3, line 2 rhymes with line 4 and line 7 rhymes with line 10. This can be seen in the first stanza "getting away...Saturday". However, there are exceptions to this pattern in stanzas 4, with line 2 and 4 not rhyming and in stanza 7, with lines 1 and 3 not rhyming which can be seen in "farcical...funeral". One of the things that I found interesting about the language used in this poem is the different meanings that can be interpreted from what Larkin has written. This can be shown in "becoming rain". This can suggest different meanings such as the feeling of new life as rain helps things grow but also the "rain" can suggest tears but also floods which cause ruin presenting a more gloomy aspect. This can also link to pathetic fallacy as at the start it was extremely hot, however by the end there is a rain shower suggesting something bad is going to happen.