Ignorance

Ignorance
By Philip Larkin


Ignorance - Lacking knowledge or sophistication, (state of being) unaware, not understanding, lack of knowledge and information

In poem: Do not understand why "they" are doing something
- Acting on a lack of... knowledge, understanding, sophistication


See:
- 3 five line stanzas
- Use of enjambment - sure, flesh, die
- Use of rhyme - first line has no rhyme, ABBCC
- Consonance - Lots of S sounds, R sounds,
- Pronoun change
- Lots of commas
- Repetition of the word strange
- Contrast of knowledge/ignorance
- Italics in stanza 1
- Hyphen stanza 3
- First and second stanza starts with strange second, ends with strange, no strange in last stanza
- Second stanza - third line longer --> right in the middle of


For the oral commentary you need to talk about context

Stuff that we know about Larkin
-Use of puncuntation
-Repetition of consentience sounds
-emjament


What is the relationship between form and meaning?
The rhyming in every line except the first one gives the meaning a more light hearted feel even though of the strong meaning saying that we really don’t know anything.

Meaning of this poem.
-beliefs v. knowledge
-layers of ignorance
-sex and virginity
-death
-primal instincts
-both this and the mower have the I sound
-futile focus on the wrong elements.
-negative view on the action and habits of…


What is the form

There is a pronoun shift between the stanzas.
There is a rhyme
Enjambment-sure, flesh, die
Longer middle line
-Consonance-s, -r, -n, -ng words
Stanzas of equl number of lines


Connections between the meaning and form.

Death to enjambment (sure, flesh, die)—because it’s a new beginning. Enjambment kind of breaks

Sex+virginity-longer middle line- second stanza is about sex. (death and sex)