Compare the Ways in Which Larkin and Abse Write About Place. You Must Include Discussion of at Least 2 Poems by Larkin in Your Response

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Compare the ways in which Larkin and Abse write about place. You must include discussion of at least 2 poems by Larkin in your response Critics have highlighted the reinforcement of place throughout Larkin’s work of ‘Here’ and ‘Mr Bleaney’. This reinforcement of place highlight’s many aspects to the reader such as impact, relations and attitude. The poem ‘here’ is an extended theme of movement; which is ironic as the title is ‘here’ but yet the reader is never informed of where ‘here’ is. This theme of movement is linked with-in place as the reader ‘swerves’ to the countryside observing ‘skies and scarecrow’s, haystacks, hares and pheasants’ then towards town which is ‘traffic all night north’. The attitude which is adopted about place in here is contradicted from positive to negative dependent of where ‘here’ is. An aggressive attitude is foreshown towards human creations such as towns as ‘here gathers to the surprise of a large town, here domes and statues, spires and cranes cluster’. The negative attitude is explored through the use of rule of three, by creating a negative list. In contrast a positive attitude is adapted to the natural world as the ‘widening river’s slow presence’. Larkin highlights freedom with-in places. In the same way Larkin explores attitude with-in place in ‘Mr Bleaney’ as the reader is clearly shown the positive attitude adopted by the narrator towards ‘Mr Bleaney ‘as ‘Mr Bleaney took my bit of garden properly in hand’. This use of imagery highlights to the audience how the narrator has created a positive attitude and proudly speaks of ‘Mr Bleaney’ through the use of place, as the garden is ‘took...properly in hand’. Critics have argued there is no positive attitude towards ‘Mr Bleaney’ but in contrast a negative attitude as Larkin’s layout with sharp short sentences could reinforce anger and regret. ‘This was Mr Bleaney’s room’ the
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