Summary Of Poetry Of Departures By Philip Larkin

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“Poetry of Departures” by Philip Larkin explores the meaning of breaking free from a confined environment and the speakers admirations for the ones that are able to leave. While one man takes off from the home he has always known, the speaker stays put even though he knows that he too must one day go despite the fear he feels. Larkin uses diction as a means to show his contrasting feelings towards the bravery of man who left and his decision to stay put. In lines 6 through 8 the author wrote, “Certain you approve this audacious, purifying, elemental move” in reference to watching the man leaving everything behind. Larkin is using very positive words in effort to show his approval of what the man has done. The speaker admires what this man has accomplished with leaving, that is very evident from those final 3 words he uses. His use of the word ‘purifying’ shows that he views the actions of this person as freeing and removing his from the constraints that Larkin feels home life has placed on him. The last word, ‘elemental’, shows the power that the speaker places on these actions. Something that is elemental is …show more content…

Lines 10 through 15 in the second stanza sum up the speaker’s feelings of hatred the best. He writes,“We all hate home… I detest my room, it’s specially chosen junk, The good books, the good bed, and my life, in perfect order” which uses many different versions of diction to convey his emotions. The first line, ‘We all hate home” shows that he assumes that what he feels is universal and that everyone must feel that way, when really it is the opposite, most people are very comfortable in the home they live in. The phrase “the good books, the good beds” uses satire to show that ‘good’ is not what he wants. He also refers to his things as ‘junk’, which diminishes his need for them. While these things may seem perfect to others, these material possessions are of no importance to

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