'Broadcast' by Philip Larkin - First impression.

'Broadcast' is one of my favourite poems by Larkin because of the way he uses metaphorical techniques and abstract words to describe the music perfectly to make it seem as if we (as readers) are there ourselves with Larkin experiencing the same "cascades of monumental slithering" and the "snivelling of the violins". I found this poem to have a great and positive impact in the way I see Larkin now compared to what I thought of him at the beginning - at the beginning I saw him as an old, miserable and lonely man but through this poem, I have begun seeing Larkin from a different perspective although I still get the impression that Larkin is lonely here as well as he stayed home and listened to it on the radio by himself.

Having read this poem, I get the impression that the eloquence and beauty of the music being played had Larkin mesmerized as he consciously and beautifully describes the sounds that each instruments creates. One of my favourite lines of 'Broadcast' is when he describes the "cascades of monumental slithering" and strangely, this particular metaphor sends shivers down my back just thinking about what this overwhelming, yet smooth sound would actually sound like in real life as it fluently flows around the room. The way in which Larkin also describes contrasting textures and movements of the music is fascinating and this somehow makes the poem fluent to read just like the music would have been played. I admire how Larkin plays around with the volume of the musical performance to create different moods and atmospheres to symbolize different emotions. "Snivelling of the violins" symbolizes misery, sadness and to soothe someone or something, "it goes quickly dark" shows a state or feeling of being excited or anxious about something that may happen next and the "rabid storms" of the chording which is explosive, loud and sudden.