Poetry of Departures
Sometimes you hear, fifth-hand,
As epitaph:
He chucked up everything
And just cleared off,
And always the voice will sound
Certain you approve
This audacious, purifying,
Elemental move.And they are right, I think.
We all hate home
And having to be there:
I detest my room,
It’s specially-chosen junk,
The good books, the good bed,
And my life, in perfect order:
So to hear it saidHe walked out on the whole crowd
Leaves me flushed and stirred,
Like Then she undid her dress
Or Take that you bastard;
Surely I can, if he did?
And that helps me to stay
Sober and industrious.
But I’d go today,Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads,
Crouch in the fo’c’sle
Stubbly with goodness, if
It weren’t so artificial,
Such a deliberate step backwards
To create an object:
Books; china; a life
Reprehensibly perfect.
Summary of Poetry of Departures
- Popularity of “Poetry of Departures”: Written by Philip Larkin, a great English poet and writer, “Poetry of Departures” is a descriptive poetic piece. It alludes to the desire for escape and the appeal of leaving one’s life behind. The speaker reflects on the idea of someone leaving everything behind and starting a new life. He finds it appealing because it represents a chance to break free from the constraints and obligations of home and daily life. The poem, however, has won popularity because it addresses the phenomenon of escape and freedom.
- “Poetry of Departures” As a Representative of Sadness: This poem is about the allure of leaving everything behind and starting anew. The speaker hears about someone who has “chucked up everything” and “cleared off,” and feels excited and inspired by this decision. Like many others, the speaker recognizes that he often hates being at home and the monotony of his everyday life. The idea of simply walking away from the boredom of life appeals to the speaker, who feels that it would be a “purifying” and “elemental” move. However, he also acknowledges that leaving everything behind is a “deliberate step backward,” and he ultimately decides against it. He feels that leaving everything behind and starting anew is an artificial and contrived way of creating a new life and object. In the end, the speaker decides to stay “sober and industrious” and ignores his temptation to leave everything behind.
- Major Themes in “Poetry of Departures”: The human desire for change, escape, and seeking comfort are the major themes of the poem. The speaker hears about someone who decides to make a move in life. He seems envious of this person’s bold and purifying move. The speaker admits his hatred for home and desire to leave their own life behind but ultimately decides not to because it feels too artificial and contrived. The theme of escape is further developed through the imagery of walking away from home. Also, the metaphor of undressing suggests a desire to shed the constraints of society and expectations. Moreover, the poem explores the theme of the allure of the unknown as the speaker is drawn to the idea of starting anew and embracing the freedom and adventure of leaving everything behind. Thus, the poem highlights the pain of those who want to liberate themselves from the clutches of painful situations but fail to do so.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Poetry of Departures
literary devices are used to bring depth, richness, and variety to a seemingly simple poem. Philip Larkin added some literary devices to this poem to make it a worthwhile read. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Sometimes you hear, fifth-hand,” and the sound of /o/ in “The good books, the good bed.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Philip repeated the word “and” in the first stanza of the poem to emphasize the point, such as;
“And just cleared off,
And always the voice will sound.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /h/ in “He walked out on the whole crowd” and the sound of /s/ in “Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads,.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads,
Crouch in the fo’c’sle
Stubbly with goodness, if
It weren’t so artificial,
Such a deliberate step backwards
To create an object:”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Philip Larkin used imagery in this poem, such as; “He walked out on the whole crowd”, “Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads,” and “Leaves me flushed and stirred.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used to escape as an extended metaphor in the poem to show how sometimes people wish to leave the painful life but cannot do so.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as desire, escape, a lure for the unknown, and comfort.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Poetry of Departures
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Octave: An octave is an eight-lined stanza borrowed from Italian poetry. Here, each stanza is an octave.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprised of eight lines.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows uses a cynical and realistic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful while talking about the situations that move people to make bold decisions in life.
Sometimes you hear, fifth-hand,
As epitaph:
He chucked up everything
And just cleared off,
And always the voice will sound
Certain you approve
This audacious, purifying,
Elemental move.
