Ti tl e i s i r o ni c & parado x i cal .
Ti tl e refl ects w hat the po em i s abo ut
The po em co ntai ns di s tanci ng &
& the po em al s o begi ns wi th the
co l d wo r ds : “far ”, “s i l entl y ”,
repeti ti o n o f the ti tl e.
“unr es t”, etc.
Talking in Bed
Symbo l o f cl o s enes s , Philip Larkin
co mmi tment, mar ri age
(rel ati o ns hi p). (1922-1985)
Image: A co upl e Two -fo l d meani ng: ex ampl e o f
l yi ng s i de-by-s i de
location What should be is not l ex i cal po l ys emy: 1) co upl e co ul d
tal ki ng i n bed.
Talking in bed ought to be easiest, have been marr i ed fo r year s o r 2)
co ul d have been tel l i ng untruths
Two -fo l d meani ng: “t” alliteration
fo r year s (o l d tr adi ti o n).
ex ampl e o f l ex i cal Lying together there goes back so far,
po l ys emy: 1) marr i ed Sign, symbol
co upl e l yi ng s i de-by s i de, An emblem* of two people being honest. Tercet 1: Image o f l anguage.
“s l eepi ng” i n bed o r 2)
tel l i ng untr uths .
“m” alliteration C o ntr as ti ng the mari tal s i l ence.
C o nj uncti o n –
co ntr as t w i th 1 s t
Yet more and more time passes silently.
s tanz a Double negative Ter cet 2: Image o f nature
Outside, the wind's incomplete unrest 5 – natural o bj ects .
Dark and threatening, ablity to obscure
Builds and disperses clouds about the sky,
Metapho r fo r thei r mar ri age.
Metapho r fo r thei r future.
Symbolise impediments, arguments, problems, pain, etc.
C o nj uncti o n And dark towns heap up on the horizon.
Tercet 3: Image o f l o ve
– man-made as pects o f
None of this cares for us. Nothing shows why nature.
Enjambment
C an be di s tanced fr o m At this unique distance from isolation
i s o l ati o n and i r o ni cal l y
ver y cl o s e at the s ame
Enjambment
ti me.
It becomes still more difficult to find 10
Enjambment
Words at once true and kind,
Double negative Fi nal tr i pl et
“No t” + “un” l eaves Or not untrue and not unkind.
the reader wi th an
ambi guo us feel i ng o f
unful fi l l ed des i r e.
*emblem – sign, symbol
Enjambment: The running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a
syntactical break/punctuated pause.
Lexical polysemy: The coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.
Paradox: a contradiction in terms; words with an implication that is opposite to their meaning.
Ti tl e refl ects w hat the po em i s abo ut
The po em co ntai ns di s tanci ng &
& the po em al s o begi ns wi th the
co l d wo r ds : “far ”, “s i l entl y ”,
repeti ti o n o f the ti tl e.
“unr es t”, etc.
Talking in Bed
Symbo l o f cl o s enes s , Philip Larkin
co mmi tment, mar ri age
(rel ati o ns hi p). (1922-1985)
Image: A co upl e Two -fo l d meani ng: ex ampl e o f
l yi ng s i de-by-s i de
location What should be is not l ex i cal po l ys emy: 1) co upl e co ul d
tal ki ng i n bed.
Talking in bed ought to be easiest, have been marr i ed fo r year s o r 2)
co ul d have been tel l i ng untruths
Two -fo l d meani ng: “t” alliteration
fo r year s (o l d tr adi ti o n).
ex ampl e o f l ex i cal Lying together there goes back so far,
po l ys emy: 1) marr i ed Sign, symbol
co upl e l yi ng s i de-by s i de, An emblem* of two people being honest. Tercet 1: Image o f l anguage.
“s l eepi ng” i n bed o r 2)
tel l i ng untr uths .
“m” alliteration C o ntr as ti ng the mari tal s i l ence.
C o nj uncti o n –
co ntr as t w i th 1 s t
Yet more and more time passes silently.
s tanz a Double negative Ter cet 2: Image o f nature
Outside, the wind's incomplete unrest 5 – natural o bj ects .
Dark and threatening, ablity to obscure
Builds and disperses clouds about the sky,
Metapho r fo r thei r mar ri age.
Metapho r fo r thei r future.
Symbolise impediments, arguments, problems, pain, etc.
C o nj uncti o n And dark towns heap up on the horizon.
Tercet 3: Image o f l o ve
– man-made as pects o f
None of this cares for us. Nothing shows why nature.
Enjambment
C an be di s tanced fr o m At this unique distance from isolation
i s o l ati o n and i r o ni cal l y
ver y cl o s e at the s ame
Enjambment
ti me.
It becomes still more difficult to find 10
Enjambment
Words at once true and kind,
Double negative Fi nal tr i pl et
“No t” + “un” l eaves Or not untrue and not unkind.
the reader wi th an
ambi guo us feel i ng o f
unful fi l l ed des i r e.
*emblem – sign, symbol
Enjambment: The running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a
syntactical break/punctuated pause.
Lexical polysemy: The coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.
Paradox: a contradiction in terms; words with an implication that is opposite to their meaning.
