How Does Larkin Show Loss in His Poem Mcmxiv?

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Larkin presents the themes of loss and decline in his poem MCMXIV; he highlights the tragic loss of soldiers during the World War One through poetic devices and langue devices. In paragraph one Larkin uses similes to reinforce the innocence and naivety of the young soldiers regarding the forthcoming horrors of war with the quote “As if they were stretched outside”, “An August Bank Holiday lark”. The use of the metaphor “crowns” establishes a heroic, biblical portrayal of the young men enlisting for war. The use of adjectives and lack of enjambment in stanza two, create a funeral tone creating the tone for the war contrasting the light, upbeat tone of the opening stanza, symbolic of the soldiers terrible journey ahead. This is highlighted with "shut", "bleached" and "dark-clothed". The cleaver use of "shut shops", "sun blinds", "sovereigns", "kings and queens" compounds a critisasation of authority, Larkin does this through sibilance. Larkin then presents the loss in the next stanza with the repetition of the theme of innocence this is highlighted with the quotation "dresses", "never such innocence", "little" and "never such innocence again". This created a sense of destruction and how the war has taken the innocence of so many young people. Also the use off an oxymoron "restless silence" foreshadows the tragedy that is to come. Larkin presents loss off time with the adverbs "never", "all day", "domesday", "past", "lasting" and "leaving" these adverbs represent the negative impact of war and how time passed so fast. Larkin places capitals at the beginning off line, this reinforces authorities power at he beginning of the war, and how they had such a massive impact on people's loss of lives. Larkin uses both poetic devices and language devices technically through out his poem, all of these devices highlight the impact off war and the extreme losses people had
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