This is a poem by Philip Larkin.

This poem expresses the profound and sincere thoughts of Philip Larkin, who is the persona in this situation. The speaker seems to be attempting to emphasize in the title that the poem makes a clear and significant comment on a specific subject. This may be true given his use of words; for example, the word “shit” is very strong among most people.

Larkin claims that every kind of suffering is handed on from generation to generation. This has been characterized as suffering compounded by need. The reason for this is that the poem depicts misery as an unavoidable vice that humans can do little to avoid. According to it, the only way that people can remedy this is to break a relationship with a prior generation or avoid bearing children completely.

As mentioned above, the poem reveals the author’s hidden feelings. He seems to be masking some disappointments that he has to his parents. However, he does not lay the blame on them. He actually blames the ‘fools in old-style hats and coats.’ (Larkin 2)

Conclusion

This poem depicts the plight not only of the author but also of most ordinary people. Most young people are forced to follow the will of their parents. These parents could impose on their children because their parents also had imposed on them. Therefore it leads to the conclusion that misery is a part of life according to the Larkin’s perspective.

Work Cited

Larkin, Philip. “This be the verse.” High windows 30 (1974).