Ambulances
Philip
Larkin
Philip Larkin’s poetry is a reaction against the
Neo-Romanticism and the surrealistic abstractions of poets like Dylan Thomas.
Larkin belonged to the poetic movement called “angry young man”. Other famous poets in the movement are Thom
Gunn, Donald Davie and Elizabeth Jennings. They wrote bitter and realistic
poems. “Ambulances” is one among them. Through this poem Philip Larkin tells us
that the sight of ambulance brings to us the true value of life. Ambulance
brings to mind a sense of mortality (death) The sight tells us that we are
always moving towards death, the ultimate reality of life. For a second it
brings to mind the futility of life. Life with all its joys and achievements
has no value at all and it is only an illusion.
Ambulances are compared to a cabin where the priest
sits to hear confessions. Ambulances run along the busy streets making a loud
noise. Sometimes they take rest at a
footpath. People look at ambulances with
fear and curiosity. But they don’t mind the staring of the people. Ambulances
will certainly visit every street and every home, because death is inevitable
in life.
An accident may lead to the death of many people
including men, women and children. They are carried on stretchers to the
ambulances. Food packets are thrown with the dead bodies on the road. When we
see a dead boy with red blankets in the ambulance, we sympathize with the dead
saying “poor soul”. But it reminds us of our own death that will happen
tomorrow or day after tomorrow. And for a second we know that we are always
moving towards death, which is the ultimate reality of life. The Ambulance
takes away the dead man and his loving relationship with the family members is
cut off forever, because he belongs to another world- the world of dead.
The Pylons
Stephen
Spender
The installation of modern technological world and
their consequences on the silent, sleepy
village is the theme of the poem “The Pylons”. Pylons are very tall metal structures which
hold electric cables high above the
countryside, so that electricity can be transmitted over long distances.
Looking at the pylons, Stephen Spender is amazed by the destruction they cause
to the peaceful village. All the houses and roads in the village are made of
the stones of the hills in the village. Till the arrival of the pylons, the
village was beautiful, peaceful and silent. But now the poet is afraid that
modern science and technology will destroy the soul and spirit of the village.
The beautiful hills of the village are now filled with pylons that carry
electric wires. Their black colour seems to show their gloomy nature.
The poet compares the pylons to naked gigantic girls
who have lost their modesty and have nothing to hide. Modern science and
technology are based on proved facts and they have nothing to hide anything. On
the other hand the beautiful countryside has an unattainable charm hidden in
it. The valley is bathed in golden colours at sunset and the green chestnut
trees add more beauty to the village. But now the gigantic pillars laugh at the
beauty of the village, because the pylons bring progress and prosperity to the
village.
The poem presents a conflict
between the poet’s appreciation of scientific development and his love for the
beauty of the village unspoiled by human hand.
The poet’s ambivalent attitude takes us by surprise. The Pylons stand
far above him like “whips of anger”. Yet
they are symbols of a bright future for the coming generations. The village
will be converted into a great city with all modern comforts for people.
Good
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