Return to Cardiff

'Return to Cardiff' I feel is about the familiarity of travelling back to your home town but also the conflict between past and present and how you notice how much things have changed in your life since you were last at home.

One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was the rhyme scheme that Abse chose to use. Abse chooses to use a regular rhyme scheme that is as follows; A,A; B,B etc. I believe that this shows the support and comfort that Abse feels when he is back in Cardiff. I feel as though it almost acts as a comfort blanket keeping him safe from his life. However, in stanza 2 Abse chooses to use a half-rhyme in "raid" and "façade". I believe that as this stanza shows how he was surprised at how unfamiliar Cardiff had become to him and chose to show this through the rhyme. I also feel that the rhyme scheme suggests this as it still has a rhyme to it which shows that it is still his home and where he belongs however he now feels that it is less familiar to how it was when he was younger.

Another thing that I found interesting about this poem was the quote "boy I was not and the man I am not", which shows a conflict between past and present. This shows how much Cardiff has changed, and how Abse now does not believe he ever fully fitted in. This links in with 'Dockery and Son' by Larkin as that too shows the conflict between past and present. Conflict can also be seen in "what I wanted to be as much for what it unashamedly is" which suggests a contrast between reality and his illusion of how things should be.

There is also an emphasis on how your home town makes you who you are and this can be seen in "first everything". I believe that this suggests that your home town is where you experience things for the first time and that this is where you gain your much needed life experience before moving away.

I also feel that Abse does not feel as comfortable as he used to in Cardiff. This can be seen in "mislaid identities" as this suggests that Cardiff is no longer now he remembers it and that he no longer sees a familiar face when he returns to Cardiff.

I believe that this poem does not only link to 'Dockery and Son' but also 'Here' as both poems are centred around certain places that mean something to the author and their home. 

Musical Moments 1. His Last Piano Lesson (1933)

I believe that this poem is about the persona's father forcing music upon his by making him take piano lessons as a young child and throughout this poem we see the boredom that this boy is put through as he does not enjoy his music lessons. I believe that the main themes in this poem are music and identity as I believe that music has become part of his identity.
One of the things that interested me about this poem was the phrase "numbly bored" as it suggests that the persona was incredibly bored of the piano lesson that he was in that his body had become numb which could suggest that he had no feeling towards music at this young time. This feeling of boredom can also be supported with the quote "pointless cries of children" as it suggests that he wants to be elsewhere with the other children rather than being in his piano lesson. I also found the use of the word "coffin" interesting as it could emphasise even further his boredom as it could link with the phrase bored to death.
The piano lesson has been forced upon by his father and this has therefore led him to lose interest in music as after his first piano lesson his father declares "That's his last piano lesson". This could suggest that the child found it hard to become interested in anything so sophisticated at such a young age and would have rather been with the other children.
I believe that this poem links in with 'A Study of Reading Habits' as this shows Larkin's boredom towards reading whilst 'Musical Moments 1' shows Abse's boredom towards music.

Red Balloon

I believe that this poem is about Dannie Abse's beliefs and the bullying that he was a victim of due to being Jewish in Wales. Therefore, I believe the key themes in this poem are beliefs and identity as Abse's religion has made him the man he is.
One of the things that interested me about the structure of this poem was the rhyme scheme that Abse chose to use. The rhyme scheme is regular as the first and last lines of each stanza either rhyme of half-rhyme. This can be seen in "joy" and "toy" and "stood" and "blood". This linked in with the regular stanza pattern of four lines each could suggest that Abse's religion and beliefs are what gives his life structure and purpose.
This poem represents many views that Dannie Abse has about his religion and one of these can be seen in "It was my shame, it was my joy". This is a paradox which could suggest that being Jewish brings out the best and worst in him. The idea that his religion brings out the best in him can be supported with the quote "soared" which suggests that his religion and belief increases his happiness. It can also be seen in this poem that being Jewish made Abse the man he is as he states that being Jewish "cannot be denied".
However, throughout this poem it is not just his opinion that we find out about his beliefs but that of others and how they treated Dannie Abse. This can be seen in "give up your red balloon" which suggests that people were not respecting towards his religion so made it clear that they wanted him to give up his religion. It would have hard for Abse to have been accepted as a Jew in Wales at the time when Anti-Semitism was high so would have therefore been a victim to bullying. It can also be seen that his religion would have surprised his neighbours and friends as he chose to use the phrase "startled town" in 'Red Balloon'. Abse has also chosen to use "bled my nose" as a way in which they treated him which relates to a stereotypical view of Jew's as they were accused of having 'long noses'.
'Red Balloon' links to 'Water' by Larkin as it links to the fact that both poems are centred around beliefs. They also link as in 'Water', Larkin is mocking religion whereas in 'Red Balloon' people are mocking Abse's beliefs and religion.

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?