Reflection: "This Be The Verse"

[belinda111]

 1)  "This Be The Verse" by Philip Larkin is a poem that has endured the test of time in which many may describe as a classic. The poem depicts the possible or perhaps inevitable ugliness relationships between parents and their children can render. Larkin deals with a universal theme in this particular writing in a sense that each generation feels

Comments

[poppyxlemon]

I agree with you on the universal theme on how each generation feel s they can repair or stop the mistakes from how they were taught. I think it's more like "learning from other's mistakes." I liked how you pointed out the way siblings absorb differently from the parents because thats what it is like in reality; different personalities will respond differently. Good analysis!

[jpatten]

The repair or perhaps stopping the repeating of mistakes our parents make is a possible theme that I can see in the poem. This is a more optimistic interpretation of what Larkin is trying to say. I also find your interpretation of Thein's work relating to siblings following there parents teachings or rejecting them an interesting take as well.

[russtenning]

Your last point about how one child may reject their parents teachings while another may absorb was very valuable. This Be the Verse suggests that all children see their parents teachings as hopeless. Whereas in Simple Recipes it is not so black and white - the daughter wanted to learn from her father, i.e. from the way he made the rice, or tried to teach language whereas the son rejected his parents teachings. This suggests that not everyone in the family will have the same response to the parenting they receive.

[krobb15]

I like what you have written about larkin's poem. How parents can learn from their mistakes they make with their children and hopefully not make them again. Or that possibly children won't repeat mistakes that their parents have make in the past. I agree that larkin's poem has many key components to being a piece of great literature.

[debbie_g]

These are satisfactory comments, but watch clarity and try to develop your more general points with specific examples from the text(s).