Compare the ways in which
Larkin and Duffy explore
isolation in their poems.
With Philip Larkin a confirmed bachelor for much of his adult life, it is no
surprise that such a large majority of his poetry sees this as a central
theme. Certainly, the poems ‘Mr Bleaney’ and ‘Dockery and Son’ see
loneliness and alienation as strong motifs throughout. ‘Mr Bleaney’ is a
poem recalling the life of the titular character through the perspective of
his former landlady, who happens to be presenting the “hired box” to an
equally tragic personality. Here, descriptions of the room’s physicality are
vital to creating a sense of emptiness and bleakness, as well as in
depicting the vast aloneness experienced by said Mr Bleaney. Larkin
himself described an “uneasy feeling that (he was) becoming Mr Bleaney”
himself, and it is thus apparent that this is a fear spanning over several of
Larkin’s works, including ‘Dockery and Son,’ a semi-autobiographical piece
in which Larkin makes reference to his former university, taking place
directly following a nostalgic conversation with the Dean of Oxford
University. Larkin recalls an old friend – the titular “Dockery” – and begins
to examine the differences between their lives and ultimately realises his
own loneliness in comparison. ‘Dockery and Son’ makes a somewhat
convincing argument that Larkin is relatively apathetic towards his own
alienation, yet references to a desire to rebel against cliché stereotypes
incorporated into the final two stanzas only aid in distancing himself
further from the rest of his peers and society in general. Whilst Carol Ann
Duffy also explores the theme of isolation within her poetry, it seems that,
as with much of her poetry, the ideas are far more general and in some
ways less personally invested in than Larkin’s. With evident parallels to be
drawn between Larkin and his poetic creation, Mr Bleaney, Duffy did not
experience such aloneness herself, and was certainly far less resigned to a
life of complete independence, with Jackie Kay and Adrian Henri amongst
some of her more public lovers. Arguably, Duffy’s ‘Room’ is a piece with
the most notable similarities to Larkin’s ‘Mr Bleaney’; both use stark and
bleak language to conjure up imagery of equally dismal rooms and so too,
the people inhabiting them, however, ‘Room’ is presented in the the form
of an advertisement – dark humour, perhaps, jesting at the idea that a
place so miserably depicted should be desirable. ‘Oslo’ by Duffy sees
gambling as the primary subject, however, fragmented lines and short,
snappy sentences alter the pace so as to create a sense of
uncontrollability, which helps to create an overall feeling of dejectedness
and apathy to life.
As with any poem, the title of is utmost importance in terms of introducing
the subject matter and immediately setting the tone of the poem to follow.
Titled ‘Dockery and Son’, Larkin has the poem open with a sense of
commerce and a business-like tone. The “and Son” promptly introduces a
sense of detachment and deviation from typical social-norms. Larkin is
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