Cricket Ball

I believe that this poem by Dannie Abse is about the passion that he has towards the sport Cricket. Therefore, I believe that the main themes in this poem are passion and love.
One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was the play on words used in "biggest hit with me". I found this interesting as in cricket you have to hit the ball as hard as you can however in this phrase Abse has chose to use it to show the impact that cricket has had on him which shows the passion he has for the sport.
In the line at the start "1935, I watched" it shows that Abse is recalling his fondest memory of going to watch a cricket match. This can also be seen in the first four stanzas as he is recapping what happened to him when he went to this cricket match.
I also found the lines "sound of summer" and "applauding ground" quite interesting as it is personification as he is suggesting that the cricket meant so much that the ground was applauding and it was like the sound of summer. This again shows the passion that Abse has for the sport and the adoration he feels towards it.
The last stanza in this poem I believe shows the present time which is in contrast from the other stanzas in the poem. This can be seen in "The years, too, gone like change". However, the line "I smell cut grass" links back to the memory as it is using the senses to show a connection to his memory.
The last line also shows his passion towards cricket as it says "I shine an apple on my thigh" which is what the players do with a cricket ball before throwing it. It is also a metaphor as apples are red and usually cricket balls are as well.
'Cricket Ball' links to 'For Sidney Bechet' by Larkin as both poets express their passion and adoration towards both sport and music through their poetry.

Two Photographs

This poem by Dannie Abse is about the love that he feels for his both his grandmothers and although they were completely different characters he still shared the same amount of love for them both. This poem is also about memory as the photographs referred to in the title are what takes him back to this memory. Therefore, I believe that the key themes in this poem are memory and love.
One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was the descriptions that Abse chose to use when describing both grandmothers. Annabella is described as "How slim" and "vulnerable" whilst Doris is described as "How portly" and "formidable". Abse chooses to describe the two women with a similar pattern showing that the love that he has for Annabella and Doris is symmetrical. This can also be seen in "Annabella fasted-pious, passive" and "Doris feasted-pacy, pushy". This again shows a parallel listing  which has produced a vivid memory with a tone of celebration coming through. The equal love that Abse had for the two women can be also be seen in "I liked Doris, I liked Annabella".
Another thing that I found interesting about this poem was the way Abse chose to use the senses when talking about his grandparents. An example of this is "withered rose" and "my Eau de Cologne grandmothers" which shows his sense of smell. The quote "I dreamed" is also quite interesting as it shows the inner life of a poet and the personal thoughts that they connect with through their dreams.
Lastly, I also found the question in the poem of "Who?" significant as it shows that when people pass away they only exist in the minds of those who knew and loved them. Therefore, there is a sense of loss in this poem as well.
'Two Photographs' can link to many different poems by Larkin. It can link to 'Mr Bleaney' and 'Dockery and Son' through the portrayal of two persona's but it can also link to 'Love Songs in Age' This is due to the fact that in both poems there is a memento or souvenir which triggers a memory and in this case it is the photographs. This is also the case of 'Reference Back'. However, through the fact that there is a contrast of two women in 'Two Photographs', it can also link to 'Self's the Man'. The line "sudden sunbeam (sieved through leaky curtains)" can link to 'Home Is So Sad' through the use of concrete nouns providing a memory.
I believe that this poem by Abse is celebrating the diversity of women and the love and fondness from Abse towards women. This is unlike Larkin as he celebrates the superficiality of women.
 

Reference Back

I believe that this poem is about how music can take you back to a moment in time and remind you of what you were doing then. Therefore it seems to be a poem about time and ageing. I believe that the main themes in this poem are love, relationships and music.
One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was the rhyme scheme that Larkin chose to use. At the start there is a regular rhyme scheme with the end of each line rhyming such as "call" and "hall" and "you" and "to". This could suggest that the song produces such a vivid memory for his mother as she remembers it quite clearly. However, in the last stanza of the poem the first four lines do not have any rhyme which could suggest that the poem has gone into a more philosophical aspect rather than his mother's memory. By the last two lines the regular rhyme scheme is returned with "though" and "so" as the poem has reached an epiphany.
One thing that I found interesting about this poem was the use of the word "unsatisfactory". This could suggest that their age is unsatisfactory as he is looking back with with his mother who has now grown old. The house could also be unsatisfactory for the persona as he is still by his mother's side at his mother's house.
Another thing that I found interesting about this poem was the difference in what the song reminds them of. For his mother it reminds her of her youth and what she was doing at the time whilst for the persona it reminds him that he still lives at home with his mother as he would have been there when he first heard the song.
This reminds me of other poems by Larkin such as 'Talking in Bed' as it shows them talking yet separated and isolated whilst in 'Reference Back' it shows them together in time yet separated by the memory that the song provides them with.

Musical Moments 2. Outside a Graveyard (1989)

I believe that this poem is about the loss that Dannie Abse is feeling towards the death of his piano teacher 'Miss Crouch'. This immediately shows a contrast from 'Musical Moments 1' as it shows empathy towards his piano teacher as he feels that he should have been more respectful towards her and stuck with learning piano longer. I believe that they key themes in this poem are music and regret.
One of the things that I found interesting about this poem was the way the persona said "Sorry Miss Crouch". This could suggest that he is apologising as now that he has grown up he understands things better and is regretting the fact that he did not carry on with his piano lessons. It also shows that he still refers to her in the way he did when he was younger suggesting that he is an observer in this poem.
I also found the time in which this was written quite significant as the year is "1989" showing that a lot of time has passed since his first piano lesson. This in addition to the quotes "dismissed forever" and "Wagnerian Funeral March". This suggests that a long with regret that the persona is feeling, he is also feeling the loss of his piano teacher.
I also get the feeling from this poem that the persona is now a great lover of music as he states "the piano triumphantly rising between the clouds, higher and higher". This could suggest that with the loss of his piano teacher it has encouraged him to carry on with the music for her.
I believe that this poem links in with 'Send No Money' by Larkin as in this poem, Larkin states that the persona  regrets wasting time whereas in 'Musical Moments 2', Abse states that the persona regrets not taken more of an interest in music as a young child. Both poems are also observations on life as both persona's are acting as the observer.

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.

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.

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.