The Student Room Group

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Compare Larkin and Abse's attitudes to death

Hi all. I have studied 'Ambulances' by Larkin and 'In Llandough Hospital' by Abse. We have been given this topic to discuss on these two poems and I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas?

I've got about how Larkin and Abse both consider death to be inevitable, Larkin on life's brevity and the cycle of life. Both contrast life and death (children and dying adult). Is there anything else I can write about? Please help!
Reply 1
Avatar for leigh_lcs
leigh_lcs
I remember this from last year (but i've lost all my notes so you'll have to find the right quotes etc) :P

These are fairly easy to compare, note how Abse uses desperate adjectives with his father such as "clings" i think? He really does'nt want his father to go. As with abse when the peaople are worried for themselves and "their own distress" it shows how death can make us turn our thoughts to ourselves. He mentions being a child again as it has brought him back to being a child and how he is now an orphan.
It mentions stars? so it suggests he belives in a heaven, whereas larkin says death is permanent.
In ambulances, the closed like confessionals bit uses alliteration and emphasizes how the ambulance is distrupting the town scene. When you die you confess, so this is a nice image and the box of the ambulace could represent a coffin.
I hope this helps, i'll probably remember more later haha :smile:
(edited 13 years ago)

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you