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Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing ideas of time and loss of innocence in Larkin's 'Afternoons'

I can analyse how Larkin presents the themes of a loss of innocence and the passage of time in ‘Afternoons’.

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Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing ideas of time and loss of innocence in Larkin's 'Afternoons'

I can analyse how Larkin presents the themes of a loss of innocence and the passage of time in ‘Afternoons’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Larkin presents the young couples as having lost their youthfulness as a result of having children.
  2. Larkin arguably presents the responsibility of having a child as burdensome in the poem.
  3. The title could reflect that these couples are in the 'afternoon' of their lives, creating a pitiful tone.
  4. Larkin uses contrasting tones in the first stanza, perhaps to reflect the expectation vs the reality of having a child.
  5. Larkin’s ominous and, at times, foreboding tone could represent time creeping up on the young couples.

Keywords

  • Cynical - being distrustful of people - believing the worst about their intentions and their integrity

  • Burdensome - undesirably restrictive

  • Tone - how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter

  • Foreboding - giving the sense that something bad is going to happen

  • Autonomy - a person’s freedom and independence

Common misconception

Students often want to be told the 'right' answer in English and think there is a right answer for every question.

There are no 'right' answers in this lesson - this lesson asks students to consider different possibilities and interpretations and to make up their own minds about the poem.

There is an interesting debate to be had about whether or not Larkin does change tone throughout the poem - is the threatening menace of time always there or does it come and go?
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote the poem 'Afternoons'?
Wilfred Owen
Rupert Brooke
Imtiaz Dharker
Correct answer: Philip Larkin
Q2.
Which words give us the impression of youth in the first stanza of 'Afternoons'?
Correct answer: young
hollows
Correct answer: new
assemble
Q3.
Which is the missing season: summer, spring, and winter?
Correct Answer: autumn
Q4.
Which is the final word in the poem 'Afternoons'?
you
mother
Correct answer: lives
children
Q5.
What is 'tone'?
repetition of words or phrases in the first part of successive clauses
expressing personal emotions or feelings in a poetic, musical way
intentionally repeating words, lines, stanzas
an invented perspective or speaker used by a writer
Correct answer: how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter
Q6.
Which of the following is not an explanation for the title 'Afternoons'?
Larkin might be suggesting this loss of autonomy is happening to many people.
It might be the time of day at which Larkin is observing these families.
It could be the metaphorical afternoon of a person’s life.
Correct answer: It could be the time at which the poem is being read.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the first word in the poem 'Afternoons'?
fading
Correct answer: summer
wedding
lives
Q2.
How does Larkin present the domestic duties the mothers have to undertake in the poem 'Afternoons'?
as entertaining
Correct answer: as burdensome
as time-consuming
as unimportant
Q3.
Starting with the first, put the events of the poem 'Afternoons' in chronological order.
1 - A scene of young mothers taking their children to the park is set.
2 - We are given an insight into the domestic lives of the couples.
3 - We hear how much obligation and responsibility the young mothers have.
Q4.
As well as having a child, what else does Larkin suggest threatens a mother's autonomy in 'Afternoons'?
having a husband
Correct answer: the passage of time
modern technology like televisions
Q5.
What might the fact that the wedding album is "lying" next to the TV in 'Afternoons' represent?
the lack of autonomy of the young mothers
Correct answer: the emotional distance between the couples
the transition to using new technology in relationships
Correct answer: the idea that the couples no longer rely on conversation for entertainment
Q6.
Match the vocabulary up to its definition.
Correct Answer:cynical,being distrustful of people

being distrustful of people

Correct Answer:burdensome,undesirably restrictive

undesirably restrictive

Correct Answer:tone,how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter

how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter

Correct Answer:foreboding,giving the sense that something bad is going to happen

giving the sense that something bad is going to happen

Correct Answer:autonomy,a person’s freedom and independence

a person’s freedom and independence