At the Concert

'At the Concert' is about the persona being at a concert but his thoughts are elsewhere. Within this poem, Abse also portrays his views about life and how we all live our lives for the same purpose. I believe that the main themes in this poem are observations as Abse comments on his interpretations of life but also music as his thoughts take place whilst he is at a concert which could suggest that the music reminds him of a certain aspect in his life.
One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was how the first few stanzas present normal life and everyday tasks. This can be seen in "Only yesterday while walking" and "same old grass".This could suggest that Abse is observing towards life and even whilst being at a concert his mind is wandering to what he would normally be doing. Another thing that can be seen in this poem is that it shows how we all wait for something to happen in our lives rather than making something happen. This can be seen in "Do you wait, as I do". This could suggest that everyone is stuck in their lives whilst they wait for what we want. This sense of being stationary in life can be seen with the choice of words that Abse chose to use such as "motionless", "static" and "numb". This could also show that the persona is stuck in the moment due to the fact that he is at a concert and cannot do the things he has been putting off from doing. This can be supported by the fact that there is no rhyme scheme used suggesting that there is no regularity in his life and that nothing is going anywhere for him.
I also found the line "someone shouts bravo" quite interesting as it shows that the persona was in a daydream and only this has managed to take him from that daydream. He seems to be in a daydream as whilst he is at the concert, his thoughts seem to be somewhere else. This can be seen in "While my cat back home". This links in with Larkin's poem 'Broadcast' as it is two people listening to the same music but in different places whilst this is him listening to music but his thoughts being elsewhere.
There are also rhetorical questions used in this poem which relates the poem back to the reader. This can be seen in "And how's your life?". This makes you question your own life and whether or not it is going anywhere or if your life is stuck like the persona.

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.