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Comment 51 of 51, added on September 30th, 2009 at 5:17 PM.
This poem encapsulates a sense of teenage unrest and disatisfaction which is almost mirrored in a more subtle fashion in the Whitsun Weddings.
While I could spend time from a literary perspective discussing the importance of this poem, Larkin for his part by telling us that this BE the verse is almost daring us to comment upon a universal truth, its a broken down version of what we all feel, presented in a slick syle, displaying the arrogance of youth, almost before we have learned the lessons which time and poems such as an arundel tomb demonstrate. Larkin connects with everyone throught this poem, literary background or not, which is why though cliched it is one of my favourite Larkins. He is one of us.
laura from United Kingdom
Comment 50 of 51, added on June 18th, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
So true, they really do fuck you up. They try to heal their complexes on you and you end up being screwed up and frustrated. Go abroad and study Sara, learn German and be the best student of law, because you dad studied that. But Sara wants to study literature, no no, that is for stupid people, who cares what you think. Now Sara who is 25 wants to live with her boyfriend who is from Pakistan, they want to travel the world and live every drop of life, but her racist parents don't want to hear about it, they want her to have white babies and live a borring life somewhere. And who will take care of them when they are ill, not her Muslim boyfriend, they say who despite their racism respects them. Well Sara decided to tell them to fuck off for once and for all.
sara from Germany
Comment 49 of 51, added on June 15th, 2009 at 7:21 PM.
I think that beginning of the poem is more subtle and rather cheeky. When he refers to parents 'fucking you up', I think he also refers to the end of the age of 'innocence'. In a sense, he is demystifitying the sexual act (we are fucked into being, not brought by the Stork). And, of course, many of our parents didn't mean to have a child, but they did.
Reminds me of 'sex began in 63 a bit too latwe for me'.
Sid from United Kingdom
Comment 48 of 51, added on June 5th, 2009 at 4:45 PM.
As cliched as this is, the English sense of humour is integral to the last stanza. Larkin is being intentionally dry , not pessimistic. The last line is like a friendly warning to the next generation from a middle-aged man.
eldorado from United Kingdom
Comment 47 of 51, added on March 24th, 2009 at 7:52 PM.
I think some of you are missing the intentional irony in this poem. It is meant to be humorous! Yes, we are all f--ed up and doomed to go on to do the same to our own children---but the tone keeps it from being as harsh and negative as some of you seem to take it, adding a sense of acceptance and forgiveness.
Debbie from United States
Comment 46 of 51, added on February 25th, 2009 at 9:56 AM.
First of all, I want you to know, that I really like the poem. The first line is sensational and very good. “This Be the Verse” has a pleasant sound with a kind of aggressive touch. However, I think that the last stanza is too pessimistic. That’s why I don’t agree with it. In my opinion if you want to change the world, you have to convince other people. You won’t have any success if the people don’t follow your advice. After all, children are something special and it could also be an aim to raise them in a completly different way. Finally they are our future. In any case, I appreciate the poem because it always fits with the time.
Martha from Germany
Comment 45 of 51, added on February 23rd, 2009 at 3:02 PM.
I don't really like the poem. Maybe it's true in some parts, like that the parents brought you up like they were. But just because one person thinks that everything your parents have done is bad, it's not true. I think every person should seriously think about whether they want to have kids or not.
Eva-Maria from Germany
Comment 44 of 51, added on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:54 PM.
In my opinion, the poem fits with the 70s but not with our generation because our upbringing has changed. Today we have more liberties and we are multicultural. It may be that the upbringing was 'soppy-stern' in the past and maybe these kind of parents still exist today, but in general we have a better education at school and we think more critically about things. And the biggest difference is that we are allowed or forced to think critically about our world and our opinions aren't supressed like in the 70s. But I also like the poem because you can see how discontented the people were in the 70s and how they tried to change things.
Maria from Germany
Comment 43 of 51, added on February 18th, 2009 at 10:31 AM.
I understand Larkin's way of thinking. In the 1960's the teens were very discontented with their parent's authority so they rebeled with a "Flower Power" revolution. Larkin emphasizes that all the faults of someone are passed to the next generation and because of that he advises the young people not to have children themselves.
I do not really like the poem. It is right that the personality of someone is influenced by his family and friends, but you have to take the challenge and make it better than your parents. The solution is not to stop having kids.
Alena from Germany
Comment 42 of 51, added on February 17th, 2009 at 4:44 AM.
I think there's much truth in this poem because as you grow up with your parents you might immitate their mistakes. I think it's necessary to stop this vicious circle. People need to avoid the mistakes the generations before them did and think up new ideas to make the world be a better place.
Stefan Thomes from Germany
This poem has been commented on more than 10 times. Click below to see the other comments.
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This poem encapsulates a sense of teenage unrest and disatisfaction which is almost mirrored in a more subtle fashion in the Whitsun Weddings.
While I could spend time from a literary perspective discussing the importance of this poem, Larkin for his part by telling us that this BE the verse is almost daring us to comment upon a universal truth, its a broken down version of what we all feel, presented in a slick syle, displaying the arrogance of youth, almost before we have learned the lessons which time and poems such as an arundel tomb demonstrate. Larkin connects with everyone throught this poem, literary background or not, which is why though cliched it is one of my favourite Larkins. He is one of us.
laura from United Kingdom