Understanding ideas of time, family, and pessimism in Larkin's 'Afternoons'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what I think ‘Afternoons’ is about and support my opinion with evidence.
Key learning points
- Larkin arguably presents us with a cynical view of family life in the poem.
- This cynicism could be reflective of his mother’s attitudes towards marriage, which she shared with Larkin
- The passage of time is a key theme in the poem; Larkin arguably presents time as a threat to the young parents.
- Larkin arguably presents the monotony of family life as unfulfilling and arduous.
- Larkin presents the young couples as emotionally-distant, their responsibilities have forced them apart.
Keywords
Pessimistic - seeing the worst in things or people and believing that the worst will happen
Cynicism - being distrustful of people - believing the worst about their intentions and their integrity
To stifle - to restrict or restrain something
To dilute - to make something weaker
To expose - to uncover or reveal the truth about something
Common misconception
Students often think that Larkin must have had a hostile relationship with his family because of this poem and some of his other poems.
Larkin didn't have a hostile relationship with his parents - he was just a cynical man who held quite bleak views. This doesn't mean he hated his parents - he just recognised that people are products of their own parents.
Teacher tip
There are some fantastic articles about Larkin's relationship with his family that you could give to students for additional reading. They would help the students to think critically about Larkin's perspective.
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
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Philip Larkin (the poet) was born in 1922 and died in 1985. Which of the following did he witness?
Q2.When did WWII occur?
Q3.What do you think we mean when we use the term the "post-war" era?
Q4.What might the verb "to assemble" mean?
Q5.What might the word "pessimistic" mean?
Q6.What are the connotations of the word "expect"?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When did Larkin write 'Afternoons'?
Q2.What word does Larkin use to describe summer in the first line of 'Afternoons'?
Q3.Which of the following is true about Larkin?
Q4.What might Larkin be exposing in 'Afternoons'?
Q5.What might 'Afternoons' be a warning about?
Q6.Match the vocabulary with its definition.
believing that the worst will happen
being distrustful of people's intentions
to restrict or restrain something
to make something weaker
to uncover or reveal the truth about something
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of time, family, and pessimism in Larkin's 'Afternoons', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of time, family, and pessimism in Larkin's 'Afternoons', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Poetry anthology (Assessment until summer 2026) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.