They Fuck You Up By Philip Larkin Analysis

The literary features in this poem, such as the tone, theme, and simile, contribute to a better understanding of Larkin’s argument. In the first line, “They fuck you up,” Larkin is explaining how your parents mess you up, passing their flaws on to you (Larkin 1). The second word of the first line sets the tone, which is aggressive and then bitter, for the rest of the poem. A word as vulgar as “fuck,” reflects the trauma which parents can, and sometimes do, impose on their children. How else are readers supposed to respond to the cruelty of family than with words like fuck? “This Be the Verse” would have not been successful if Larkin had censored his emotions. Larkin made it his mission to emphasize that if the thought of the pain of the children

Firstly, the use of a popular and familiar rhyme scheme and meter completely contradicts the theme of the poem, and leaves readers wondering as to what Larkin’s motivation behind this was. The plain ABABCDCDEFEF rhyme scheme and use of iambic tetrameter is nostalgic of a nursery rhyme, making it very ironic that such a serious topic is formatted in a manner that usually engages children, the very subject the poet wants to completely dismiss. This is also ironic because our “mums and dads” used to read us nursery rhymes and many of us look back at those times with fondness (Larkin 1). The fact that the rhythm in each line is the same shows to the reader that the endless cycle of the deep burdens and infliction of pain is the same for every generation and that it will never change. The distinction between Larkin’s theme and writing style becomes wider as the poem’s tone gets darker. From the incessant rhyming and rhythm, we can see how Larkin’s clever and strategic style helps to relay his message; in the same way that the constant repetition of humans inheriting their flaws becomes a vicious cycle, Larkin’s verse rhythm and rhyming becomes a pattern from which we are forever confined in. Similarly, the personal engagement involved in the poem is purposeful and clever,

In line 10, “the cycle of poverty” is mentioned (Howlader 10). This is a vicious cycle because the poor blame the rich and the rich blame poor and the gap gets bigger between them. The disparity will exist as long as capitalism exists, since the rich get richer and vice versa. There is no solution that entices both sides and so humanity’s misery deepens over time. Do not have children and just adopt a pet cat. The only way of ending this ceaseless cycle of unintentional cruelty is to just avoid those problems and issues coming from your children and just get yourself an unproblematic cat. The human race will forever have problems, some may be temporary, but we will always have new problems, and there will never be a perfect world, where all is content, so do yourself a favor and overlook