'Quests' - Dannie Abse

Part one.

Who are the figures in the poem?

Some of the Greek figures/legends that are portrayed in Abse's poem is important to take into account as readers. Why? well because t gives us more of a clear idea of what the poem is about. These Greek figures are sometimes used as metaphors to what Abse might be trying to say. How? well all of these Greek legends/figures are known as deities, or they are known to have sacrificed or achieved something through their heroic actions.

Homer - the author of the Lliad and the Odyssey, Homer, is revered as the greatest poets of ancient Greek. These epic poems by Homer stem from the beginning of the Western canon of Literature, and have had an enormous and significant influence on the history of Literature.

Satyr - half-man, half-goat/a man displaying inappropriate sexual behaviour. In Greek mythology the satyrs are deities of the woods and mountains. They are half human and half beast; they usually have a goat's tail, flanks and hooves. While the upper part of the body is that of a human.

Proteus - is an early sea-god from Greek mythology, one of several deities whom Homer called the "Old Man of the Sea". Some who ascribe to him a specific domain call him the God of the "elusive sea change," which suggests the constantly changing nature of the sea or the liquid quality of the water in general spheres - from Dante's paradise, an allegory telling of Dante's journey through Heaven.


Here are also some links to websites that might give you more of a background about the figures mentioned in this Abse poem:

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1641-apion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus

'Imitations' by Dannie Abse.

Summary.

This Abse poem is simply about a relationship between a father and son. It describes the familial love between the two and it compares the growth of their love to the way nature grows, develops and stays. The fact that Abse presents their relationship as being similar to nature shows that. This father and son relationship could be Abse's relationship with his father when he was just a little boy, but it could also be a poem that describes his relationship with his son.

Key themes and ideas.

Reflection.

Abse describes the father seeing his son as his own reflection when he was young. He describes the 16 year old son being an "approximate man" and says "He is my chameleon". Now, a chameleon blends in to the things around it by changing colour and the fact the son is described as the chameleon says a few things about the relationship between the father and son. One of the things metaphor portrays about them is that the son is a spitting image of the father  when he was a 16 year old as well, but it also shows his son's true colours only come out when he is with his father and that there is a part of him in his son. The son being an "approximate man" shows that his father is proud of him, it portrays his son as an ambitious and young boy that knows what he wants in life. Abse also describes the son as a "soft diamond" which shows that the son was very precious to the father, despite already being grown up. It also suggests that his son is the only thing in his life that stands out to him the most and it portrays his son as his rock and the only person in his life that keeps him strong emotionally.

Nature.

Abse also depicts two white butterflies which could be seen as the embodiment of their relationship: "two white butterflies stumble, held each to each, as if by elastic, and pass."

This embodiment presents the father and son to be each other's companion in life and the colour white symbolizes the purity of their relationship and the sincerity within that relationship. This depiction of the two white butterflies brings light to the poem because Abse is portraying the beauty of nature and butterflies are usually seen as a symbol of development and growth and it is also seen as one of the most emblematic totem animals that symbolizes personal transformation. So this could maybe be a symbol of his son developing into a more mature age and the older he gets the more he begins to be like his father. The fact that the two butterflies are attached to each other by elastic symbolizes how close the father and son will always be how strong their familial love is. 

Abse also depicts nature through the colours that nature, he uses words such as "evergreen", "white blossom", "grass", "half blue" and "springtime" which all convey the idea of the beginning of something in life waiting to happen or even blossom. These descriptive words also paint a picture that is incipient, bright and vivid which shows that it is spring - the beginning of new life and so this could be symbolic of the son making a transition from childhood to the adolescent stage of life where he too is going to have his own problems in life. This of course is just part of life and it is something that we al go through and so it is also human nature and as well the nature in our surroundings.

Love.
Of course, one of the key themes explored in this poem is love because it is about the strong and unbreakable bond between a father and son. In the last stanza of the poem we see the father wanting to live in that moment with his son forever: "oh immortal springtime", this could also suggest that the love that the father and son have for each other is ever lasting and will never decay. Also, the tone in which it is said is almost as if the father is begging for that love between the two to never fade away which shows how significant their relationship is to him.

Youth.

It is also interesting how Abse bases this poem on the spring season where new things grow and so this could suggest a new beginning for his son as he makes that transition in to a mature age. I also got the got the idea that Abse juxtaposes between the present and past as we see the father figure reminisce back to when he was his son age. So this father figure that we have been seeing from the very beginning of the poem becomes a child for just a second and he even describes himself as a duplicate of his own father as well:

"the age my cool son is, my father alive again (I, his duplicate) his high breath, my low breath, sticking to the glass".

The fact that the father in this poem reminisces back to a time when his own father was alive suggests that he is now of old age. It also shows that he has managed to move on and progress in life as a son and father himself as times have changed.  

Links to Larkin poems.

'Dockery and Son' is the closest poem that I think can be illuminated by 'Immitations'. Although Larkin is looking at the father and son relationship from the outside and Abse being more in touch, we see both poems describing how time is precious and how quickly we progress in life before even realising how much has happened in our own lives. Realisation that we are also living the life that we are happy with is also another key element that both poems share. 

In 'Dockery and Son' by Larkin we see him being critical of the path that his friend Dockery has decided to take in life which was the path of being a father during his younger years: "Why did he think adding meant increase? To me it was dilution." Here Larkin is saying that having children and a wife makes you weaker as you will begin to put all your energy and love into your family. Larkin also sees having a family as a burden in life that can make you feel trapped and stop you from doing the things in life you might have a passion for. However, we do see Larkin realizing "how much had gone of life" and now that he is middle-aged man, he has realized that he has no wife or son to possibly fulfil that emptiness that Larkin might feel from being lonely at this age.  

'Blond Boys' - Dannie Abse.

Summary.

This is one the the Abse poems that I think also has simple story that it is telling that almost anyone can relate to, even today. So 'Blond Boys' is about Abse's youth and being supposedly in love with Eva Jones who he had claimed was his first love. We see Abse trying to prove himself to Eva by going out of his way to do so, but of course, we soon find out that Abse is rejected by Eva as his seems to prefer boys with blond hair or could is it hinting at some prejudice?

Themes explored.

Young Love -  So we see Abse reminiscing back to when he first had his true love - Eva Jones. This seems to bring back other memories in which involves Eva Jones and when Abse makes this shift into the past, we see Abse's character also change back into a young and naive teenage boy who was in love. These memories are triggered when he saw Eva Jones in Stockholm and he even describes her as his "first shy love". 

We then get the impression that during his youth, Abse was naive, vulnerable and stupid in love as Abse goes out of his way to impress Eva Jones. Abse feels as if he has to prove himself to Eva t show that he is everything that Eva looked for in a boyfriend. Abse goes back to when Eva dared him to steal Mrs Humphrey's summer apples and so here, we see how willing Abse is to do anything just so that Abse can have Eva. Abse describes his "heroic intensity of a 15 year old" which tells us that Abse was trying to come across to Eva as someone who was brave and rebellious. The fact that Abse was dared to act on what Eva told him to do shows that Eva was taking advantage of Abse's naivety and it also shows that she was in control of the whole situation.

Youth -   In Abse's memories, both of them are teenagers are were both still learning about life and searching for who they really were. As a youth, people fantasise about the things that they could make of their lives and the people in their lives as well. In 'Blond Boys' we see Abse fantasising about Eva Jones and what could possibly happen with the two. First we see Abse fantasising about Eva when she rode past him on her bike: "your skirt high, I held my breath". This shows that Abse was looking at Eva in a way that cannot be expressed by words and the sight of Eva leaves Abse speechless because of how beautiful and eloquent she looked riding her "important Raleigh bike". Their youth is also highlighted when Abse draws attention to their facial features: "Eva Jones, remember me? My acne. Your dimples". This also shows that they were going through physical changes as well as emotionally and mentally. 

Memories - Like in 'Two Photographs', Abse comes across someone from his past that bring back memories and make them come to life in the poem. Last time Abse had seen Eva was when she rejected him and made it very clear to him that she preferred blond boys. Now, Abse had happened to bump into her again, but this time she is different as she "hand in hand with her blond grandson". This shows although Eva has aged, she still prefers blond boys and probably still finds Abse "physically unattractive". Clearly, the way Eva thinks hasn't changed but what who she has become on the outside has.

Hope - Abse feels hopeful in the sense that he hopes that Eva's feelings towards Abse are mutual to his feelings towards her. We see Abse trying his hardest to connect his feelings with Eva's when he writes "I searched your searching eyes" as if he was hoping to find something in her eyes that may show that she feels as strongly as Abse does. However, the fact that Eva's eyes are also 'searching' for something suggests that she isn't clear of what exactly she wants from life and so this creates a sense of emptiness within her and being lost. The description of Eva's "searching eyes" really does contrast the way she is portrayed at the beginning of the poem because at the beginning of the poem she is presented as quite a character that makes Abse go out of his way just to impress - maybe to make her feel like she is worth taking the risk for.

However this hope of having a chance with Eva is quickly shattered as Abse is rejected by Eva. In the last stanza of the poem Eva is portrayed as a shallow and superficial character when Eva bluntly says "you have a beautiful classy mind but I find you physically unattractive". Not only is Eva portrayed as a superficial character but this also shows that she was taking advantage of the fact that Abse was so naive and willing to impress her. Eventually Abse had to have realised that Eva was only using him to satisfy her personal needs and this therefore shows that maybe Eva Jones was a lonely girl who just needed company for some time. 

'Two Photographs' Dannie Abse.

Summary.

So this Abse poem is about his two grandmothers who are called Annabella and Doris. Through out the poem Abse maintains a distinctive difference between these two characters as they are opposites to the way they are, the way they dress, talk etc. This whole poem is triggered by two different photographs that Abse comes across, of Annabella and Doris and this brings back to life the memories that Abse has of them. In the first three stanzas, we see Abse going to detail when he describes the women's characteristics and in the last two stanzas the mood of the poem seems to become more serious for me as I got the impression that maybe, in a way, Abse is still deeply hurt and therefore yearning for the existence of his grandmothers. 

Themes, ideas and quotes.

Celebration of women.

In this poem Abse celebrates the existence of these two women in his life, but he also celebrates women in general. As some have us have probably seen in other Abse poems, we can see that he loves women and seems to embrace the fact that they exist instead of being dismissive and patronising which I think Larkin is towards women in some of his poems.

Abse writes about his grandmother Annabella and "how slim she appears, how vulnerable. Pretty." Grandmother Annabella represents femininity and the elegance that women had. Also we see Abse observing this photograph of her with admiration because of the type she women she portrayed herself as and put herself out to be. The fact that Annabella is describes as being "vulnerable" highlights how young she must have been in the photograph and this probably contrasts to how invulnerable she as becomes by growing older over the years. I think this concept of Annabella being vulnerable in her younger years is significant because it shows that the older we grow, the more intolerant we become to certain things in life as we look back at some things in life that we let take advantage of us.

In contrast to grandmother Annabella, Doris is portrayed as a women of independence, words and discipline. "How portly she looks, formidable. Handsome." This description of Dories implies that maybe Doris was not the typical domesticated housewife and she was a women who preferred to live her life by her own rules. "formidable" means powerful and so not only do we understand that Doris was an independent women, but he she also power which could suggest that maybe she was educated, ambitious and had a strong personality. Abse then goes onto reinforcing this contrast between the two ladies as he writes "indecorous Doris devishly laughed" whereas "Annabella fasted - pious, passive, enjoyed small talk."

Abse contrasts Annabella to Doris to show the different types of women that there were and still are in the world as so we see Abse celebrating the diversity of women. Annabella and Doris are described by Abse with respect and admiration and it shows that Abse was closer to the female members of his family than the males and so therefore he felt more connected with the women in his family, but also the women outside of his family.


Youth and old age.
Abse also makes contrasts between the grandmother's youth and their old age. This is done by describing certain characteristics of theirs which we see slowly fade as they quickly progress to old age in the poem. One of the things that I also found interesting in this poem is that Abse draws our attention to this amber brooch and a string of pearls. The two pieces of jewellery are seen as something that reminds him of his grandmothers and it seems to be the only thing that has survived of them and the only things that haven't changed through time.

The way in which the two ladies dress also portrays how youthful they once were: "Doris, a lacy black gown with a string of pearls and Annabella wears a demure black frock with an amber brooch". However, this image fades later in the poem as Abse describes their "buns of grey hair" which highlights their 'unsatisfactory' ageing which is also explored in 'Reference Back' by Larkin.

Loss.
Loss is also another theme that is explored in this poem by Abse as he reminisces a lot about his two grandmothers. Abse's feeling of loss is shown when he mentions how he dreamt about his grandmothers the night before and so this shows that his grandmothers had been on his mind all day which causes him to dream about them.

Links to Larkin poems.

'Home is So Sad'
'Reference Back'

'Musical Moments 2.Outside a Graveyard' - Dannie Abse.

'Musical Moments 2. Outside a Graveyard'.

This poem by Abse is about the death of Miss Crouch, Abse's piano teacher. Through out the whole poem I got the impression that he is nostalgic when he reminisces about certain memories of Miss crouch and when he juxtaposes about observing her at a "romantic Moiseiwitsch concert".

Quotes and meanings.

Quote 1: "Many nearer than you have gone, too many, so your going does not touch me deeply".

Abse writes about how much of impact Miss Crouch's departure has had on him and how he feels about it. Quite frankly, Abse does not seem to be struck by her death as it is indicated that Abse has already experienced losses before of the ones he loved.

Quote 2: "yet I want to say, 'Sorry, Miss Crouch,' now that you are dismissed forever."

Here Abse is sympathetic and there also is irony. In 'Musical Moments 1' we see Abse being overjoyed when he says "O joy, Miss dismissed!". The fact that Abse now feels like apologising for the death of Miss crouch in 'Musical Moments 2' shows that he feels bad about having said that and he's looking back at the time he said it with "sounding regret". Also the tone in which Abse first said it is charismatic whereas in this poem, we see that tone fade and Abse realises that Miss Crouch has now been "dismissed forever" and so he begins to focus his attention on Miss Crouch in this poem and becomes more descriptive of every little detail.

Quote 3: "You were so unassuming and gentle. If there's a heaven, that's your address."

Abse paints an angelic picture of Miss Crouch. She is also described as being "blessed and sedate in evening dress" which creates an uplifting atmosphere even though the poem is about such a sad topic. 

Quote 4: "as if that music was making love to you".

This clearly shows that Miss Crouch was a woman with a very strong passion for music. The fact that Miss Crouch is also not married could imply that her only true love was music and that it was something in her life that could take her to another world where she could escape and show her true colours. Abse personifies the music to highlight the effect that the music had on her and the way it seemed to control her movements as she "sat thrilled in the stalls, eyes raptly shut", trying to embrace every note of the music. This shows that music also made her feel at ease. In the same stanza, Abse also juxtaposes between the past and present and he writes about how he "Once, after the war, observed you" and "Now I stare..." which shows Abse looking back at the time when Miss Crouch was alive with admiration of her music and talent.

Quote 5: "blessed and sedate in evening dress".

Again, this paints an angelic picture of Miss Crouch and she seems to be portrayed as a saint till the very end of the poem. The fact that she is in an evening dress shows that Abse is picturing her from his imagination, being dressed for a special occasion which may well be another romantic concert in Abse's mind. With the way that Abse describes Miss Crouch here, makes me also imagine how she looks and the way in which she is playing the piano. 

Quote 6: "yes, you and the piano triumphantly rising between the clouds, higher and higher".

So once again we see Miss Crouch being portrayed as saint that is making the final transition from life to a world after death and the fact that her piano goes with her shows that she was attached to the instrument and it had some sort of sentimental value. It could also show that the music that she played had an exalting effect on her audience that made them feel as if they were being purified through her music. "Rising" is a positive noun that metaphorically brings light to the poem and it glorifies Miss Crouch and her piano. Rising could also suggest the exuberance and freedom in heaven.

Links to Larkin poems.

'Ambulances'.

In this poem by Larkin, he explores the theme of death like Abse and Larkin describes the final transition from life to death also: "fastened doors recede". Similarly, Larkin shows the people's sympathy as they see the body being taken away in an ambulance: "Poor soul, they whisper at their own distress".

'For Sydney Bechet'.

The way in which Miss Crouch is describes by Abse is similar to the way Larkin writes about Sydney Bechet. Both women are full of exuberance when they play their music and it seems to give them the freedom to express themselves. Larkin praises Sydney for the music she plays: "Oh, play that thing! Mute glorious Storyvilles". We also see this being done by Abse when he writes "yes, you and the piano triumphantly rising". Both poets also write about the impact that the women's music has had on them. 

 

'Musical Moments 1. His Last Piano Lesson.' - Dannie Abse

'Musical Moments
1. His Last Piano Lesson.' - Dannie Abse.

Summary and first impressions.

From all the Abse poems I have studied and blogged about so far, this has to be the first one that I have struggled the most with in terms of finding the meanings behind words, phrases and the poem in general.

From what I managed to gather and understand from reading this Abse poem was that it is about his last piano lesson of course, but also about his experience with music coming to an end. I got the impression that Abse was not at all into music, unlike Larkin and it also seems that Abse did not enjoy his piano lessons, although his father wanted him to. I also get the feel that Abse is quite dismissive of the piano lesson because he seems to be more entertained by his surroundings than by the piano which is what he should have been focusing on, really. The fact that Abse seems easily distracted in this poem by his surroundings shows that Abse had no interest in playing the piano and that it was just something that his father wanted him to be able to do. 

Key themes and ideas.

Abse begins his poem by briefly introducing the audience to Miss Crouch, "the upright piano teacher". This first description of Miss Crouch portrays her as a well educated and formal lady like any teacher would be. In stanza one, Abse then goes onto writing about how his 'mates' knock at the back door to indicate him to go out and play with him, instead of sitting indoors in his boring piano lessons. Having said that, I can imagine Abse wanting to escape through the back door and from his piano lessons that he seems to have dread every time. 

One things I did notice on the first four stanzas of the poem, that some of you also may have picked up on as well is that the stanzas seem to describe some sort of noise going on in the background. For example, is stanza one the piano teacher "knocks" on the door and stanza two Abse describes how he heard "pointless cries of children". Stanza three Abse writes about the "backslangs and jabberwocks" and in all honesty I haven't got a clue what they mean, but I am just guessing that it has got something to do with noise which just adds to the background as well. We all something similar in stanza four as Abse depicts the park-keeper "stamping" the gravel path and "blowing" the whistle and the "shaking of umbrellas". Although the noises aren't very obvious when the poem is first read, we kind of get a hint at how loud or quiet the particular sound is. For example, we imagine the "pointless cries of children" to be rather loud and high pitched, whereas when the park-keeper is "blowing" his whistle would be a more gentle sound and the "shaking" of the umbrellas would be even more gentle and quick.  

One the final few stanzas we then see that the background noise fades just when Abse refers back to his home, downstairs where the piano lessons usually take place. Abse on stanza five, writes about how the piano lid is closed and so it looks like a "coffin of music". I think that this metaphor is powerful because it leads on to what happens next in the poem and in 'Musical Moments 2.Outside a Graveyard' where I will go into further detail on my next blog coming up. This metaphor also shows irony because music is seen as something that brings happiness, laughter and life into a room, but not in this case as we see that the music is not being played on the piano and so it is dead. It could also be seen as a metaphor for Abse's last piano lesson and so after his last lesson, the piano will no longer serve purpose in the house and Abse probably didn't intend on playing it ever again. We also see the sounds fade when Abse writes about how there were "no hectoring voices" pushing him to do something he didn't particularly enjoy doing.

Philip Larkin 'Ambulances'.

Philip Larkin - 'Ambulances' first impression and brief analysis.

First impression.

After reading 'Ambulances by Larkin, I was truly shocked at how much of a realist Larkin really is. Although Larkin uses abstract nouns to portray the meanings of things, the meanings are actually simple: we all become exposed to death as soon we are brought into the world and death is something that is inevitable no matter how rich or poor you are or were in society.

Brief analysis.

As well as picking out certain words and phrases from the poem, I thought I would also present some pictures that I think represent the words and phrases, just so you get a clear idea of what Larkin is saying visually looks like.

So, at the very beginning of the poem we all already see Larkin getting into what he does best, which is to think up of some intelligent way to depict certain images in the reader's mind:

"Closed like confessionals, they thread

Loud noons of cities".

]Here, Larkin emphasizes the cacophony within the city as the ambulance urges to its emergency. Not only is it a simile for the ambulance doors being firmly shut, but the fact that he describes the ambulance doors as being like "confessionals" shows that the person suffering in the ambulance is now being exposed to death and the person inside has now realized what death is really about.

"All streets in time are visited".

Now this line is the poem has a double meaning. The first meaning that I noted is the ambulances driving through all of the streets which is very simple. The second meaning is the fact that the ambulance will visit all of the streets because everyone must die eventually and so the ambulance can almost be seen as a motif for the early signs of someone's death, but everyone will experience death at their own pace and so the noun of "time" is key here as well. I guess you could also say that this is almost like a small paradox because being "visited" by something suggests that something good is coming to you or is going to happen, however the fact that it is an ambulance that will eventually visit everyone is not a good thing because it usually means the very first and early signs of death and we all just dread the day that one day where someone we know is taken away from us by an ambulance.

"Then children strewn on steps or road,

Or women coming from the shops

Past smell of different dinners".

In this particular section of the poem, Larkin isolates the people who are dying from the people who are still living. Larkin uses words such as "road" "shops and "dinners and this demotic, everyday vocabulary to portray the casualness of the human existence and their vulnerability to life.  Being a poet and a master of words, I thought that Larkin would have used abstract nouns to portray such a simple image of the everyday of children and women.The fact that women and children are carrying on with their lives as usual shows could possibly show their ignorance or their naivety in life. The use of the demotic vocabulary interestingly causes the topic of death to fade in the background of life.

"wild white face that overtops

Red stretcher-blankets momently

As it is carried in and stowed".

Larkin de-humanizes the people who have are dead, or who are dying as he no longer describes them as if they were humans and instead he describes them as objects. This quote also portrays a vivid image of someone dying as he describes the he describes it as a "wild white face". Larkin then goes onto using verbs such as "carried in and stowed" whch shows the body being put away into darkness until the funeral. Larkin also uses passive words to emphasize that they are no longer human. Once again Larkin uses demotic, everyday vocabulary maintain that casualness of human existence, but it also shows that death is a casual thing that happens in people's lives.

"the solving emptiness

That lies just under all we do".

Here, Larkin is saying that death under-grinds our actions in every day life and it culminates in death. This presents the reader with an image of someone's grave as people walk by it every day. the "solving emptiness" could may as well be the corpses that are lying underneath the ground we walk on. The fact that Larkin calls death the "solving emptiness" implies that Larkin sees death as the end to all of our problems in life.Death is all around is whether we know it or not and as dark as that sounds, that how Larkin seems to think.

"The fastened doors recede".
This is a metaphor for the final transition from life to death.

"At last begin to loosen".

Here Larkin is talking about the ties of life loosening and so the aspects of life begin to fall apart when someone dies, but instead of completely falling apart, these aspects only begin to unravel.

If anyone has any suggestions that they could make about any of the quotes I've picked out, then it would be great. It would also be interesting to see how different/similar your perceptions of the poem might be to compared to mine.

Lara.