Starter quiz
- Who wrote the poem 'Afternoons'?
- Wilfred Owen
- Rupert Brooke
- Imtiaz Dharker
- Philip Larkin ✓
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- Which words give us the impression of youth in the first stanza of 'Afternoons'?
- young ✓
- hollows
- new ✓
- assemble
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- Which is the missing season: summer, spring, ______ and winter?
- 'autumn' ✓
- Which is the final word in the poem 'Afternoons'?
- you
- mother
- lives ✓
- children
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- What is 'tone'?
- repetition of words or phrases in the first part of successive clauses
- expressing personal emotions or feelings in a poetic, musical way
- intentionally repeating words, lines, stanzas
- an invented perspective or speaker used by a writer
- how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter ✓
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- Which of the following is not an explanation for the title 'Afternoons'?
- Larkin might be suggesting this loss of autonomy is happening to many people.
- It might be the time of day at which Larkin is observing these families.
- It could be the metaphorical afternoon of a person’s life.
- It could be the time at which the poem is being read. ✓
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Exit quiz
- What is the first word in the poem 'Afternoons'?
- fading
- summer ✓
- wedding
- lives
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- How does Larkin present the domestic duties the mothers have to undertake in the poem 'Afternoons'?
- as entertaining
- as burdensome ✓
- as time-consuming
- as unimportant
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- Starting with the first, put the events of the poem 'Afternoons' in chronological order.
- 1⇔A scene of young mothers taking their children to the park is set.
- 2⇔We are given an insight into the domestic lives of the couples.
- 3⇔We hear how much obligation and responsibility the young mothers have.
- As well as having a child, what else does Larkin suggest threatens a mother's autonomy in 'Afternoons'?
- having a husband
- the passage of time ✓
- modern technology like televisions
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- What might the fact that the wedding album is "lying" next to the TV in 'Afternoons' represent?
- the lack of autonomy of the young mothers
- the emotional distance between the couples ✓
- the transition to using new technology in relationships
- the idea that the couples no longer rely on conversation for entertainment ✓
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- Match the vocabulary up to its definition.
- cynical⇔being distrustful of people ✓
- burdensome⇔undesirably restrictive ✓
- tone⇔how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter ✓
- foreboding⇔giving the sense that something bad is going to happen ✓
- autonomy⇔a person’s freedom and independence ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Larkin presents the young couples as having lost their youthfulness as a result of having children.
- Larkin arguably presents the responsibility of having a child as burdensome in the poem.
- The title could reflect that these couples are in the 'afternoon' of their lives, creating a pitiful tone.
- Larkin uses contrasting tones in the first stanza, perhaps to reflect the expectation vs the reality of having a child.
- Larkin’s ominous and, at times, foreboding tone could represent time creeping up on the young couples.
Common misconception
Students often want to be told the 'right' answer in English and think there is a right answer for every question.
There are no 'right' answers in this lesson - this lesson asks students to consider different possibilities and interpretations and to make up their own minds about the poem.
Keywords
Cynical - being distrustful of people - believing the worst about their intentions and their integrity
Burdensome - undesirably restrictive
Tone - how the writer conveys their attitude towards their subject matter
Foreboding - giving the sense that something bad is going to happen
Autonomy - a person’s freedom and independence
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