Thorough analysis and summary of Larkin's poem 'Born Yesterday', produced by all A* achieving student at A level.
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Course
Unit 3 - Poetry
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
This is a 2 page document that acts as a thorough essay plan and revision resource, produced by a student who achieved all A* at A level. It is split into an analysis of the poem itself, context, form, structure, language and ideas. (Hence touching upon all A0s assessed in the A level poetry exam.)
The title ‘Born Yesterday’ is a pun as
Sally was born a short time before the
poem was written. Phrase can also be
Born Yesterday used to describe someone who is naïve
about the world.
This is a poem about happiness, speaking volume about life and meaning and purpose. Linking to the
title of the poem, Larkin does not want people (in particular Sally Amis) to be deceived and caught in
the trap of believing that beauty, fortune and achievement is what makes a person worthwhile. He
points out the fallacy of this belief in a world where we are encouraged to ‘better ourselves’, instead
proposing that a simple life is the best way to achieve happiness. This poem also offers an insight
into societal views and expectations of women at this time.
Different themes:
Society and its expectations.
Happiness.
Women.
Key poems to link to and why:
Wedding wind- happiness.
Social expectation- poetry of departures, arrivals departures
Contextual links:
1950s society- women valued on superficial things. In this poem, there is this sense of the
binary outlook on women and how they are either hypersexualized, or must play the role as
housewife.
Only 5 years later the first film of sleeping beauty released- baby gifted beauty and song,
capturing what society thought made a woman desirable.
In Larkin’s works, he often adopted ‘sad-eyed realism’ and spoke of life in an honest way
which is clearly represented by this poem as he addresses clichés and counters this with
reality.
Addressed and dedicated to Sally Amis, who is the daughter of Kingsley Amis, one of Larkin’s
close friends.
Key aspects of form and structure:
Split into two stanzas- the first talks about the ‘usual’ things that are wished on a woman,
and the second is what Larkin wishes for Sally- that she be ‘ordinary.’ This stanza split
enforces this contrast and further reinforces the binary outlook of women that is conveyed
in this poem.
The second stanza consists of 14 lines, and could be seen as sonnet-like, where Larkin
conveys an indirect love for Sally whilst capturing how happiness will come to her naturally.
Key methods and arguments of poem:
Poem opens with a recognizable image of a new-born baby, with the metaphor of a ‘tightly folded
bud’.
Image of both the potential for growth, but also vulnerability.
The association of a rose perhaps illustrates the perception and pressure of women to be
beautiful.
Typical image of femininity, floral imagery.
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