Money
Money
By Philip Larkin
Quarterly, is it, money
reproaches me:
‘Why do you let me lie
here wastefully?
I am all you never had of
goods and sex.
You could get them still by writing a few
cheques.’
So I look at others ,
what they do with theirs:
They certainly don’t keep
it upstairs.
By now they’ve a second house and car and wife
Clearly
money has something to do with life
In fact, they’ve a lot in
common, if you enquire:
You can’t put off being
young until you retire,
And however you bank your
screw, the money you save
Won’t in the end buy you
more than a shave.
I listen to money singing .
It’s like looking down
From long french windows at
a provincial town,
The slums , the canal, the churches ornate and
mad
In the evening sun. It is
intensely sad.
Philip Larkin
He
was born on 9th August 1922.
He was an English poet and a great novelist. His first work “The North Ship” was published
in 1945, “Jill in 1946 and A Girl in winter in 1947. He refused to accept the position of Poet
Laureate. After graduation in English
Language and Literature Philip Larkin became a librarian. His relationship with his colleague Maeve
Brennan became romantic. From 1973 to
1974 Larkin became an honorable Fellow of St. Johns College, Oxford. Larkin suffered from esophageal cancer and on
2nd December 1985 at the age of 63 he died four days after his
operation. He was buried at Cottingham
municipal cemetery.
Summary of the poem
The
poem Money is written by the poet to express the after effects of the oil shock
in 1973. The poet has compares the money
to a human. Money must be spent to lead
a good life. The poet indirectly
satirizes the value of money which is spent on the materialistic
pleasures. Modern culture is only money
and the worldly pleasures. Ironically he
says saving money is waste and doesn’t not prove anything so it has to be spent
on all entertainments and enjoyments. The poem describes the influence of money
our lives.
Detail analysis of the poem
Stanza 1
Quarterly, is it, money reproaches me:
“Why do you let me lie here wastefully?
I am all you never had of goods and sex.
You could get them still by writing a few cheques.’
The poet compares the money
to a human and questions why does he lie there wastefully. He says once in
every four months the money has to be spent to lead a good life. Money is one of the most essential wants of
man to get all things under his thumb.
He wants all comforts which he prefer to buy with money. The poet satirizes the modern value of money
which buys them all comfort and worldly pleasures. One can get all the pleasures of the world by
just writing a few cheques.
Stanza 2
So I look at others , what they do with
theirs:
They certainly don’t keep it upstairs.
By now they’ve a second house and
car and wife
Clearly money has something to do
with life
The poet in the second
stands points at those who enjoy their lives with the money. No doubt they won’t keep it upstairs. They would enjoy with luxury houses and cars
and wives. The money they have has many
works to do for them. Life become more
comfortable for those who have money.
The wealth has the power to bring them all they want. The poet ironically tell how the money could
influence the life.
Stanza 3
In fact, they’ve a lot in common, if you enquire:
You can’t put off being young until
you retire,
And however you bank your screw, the money you save
Won’t in the end buy you more than a shave.
In the third stanza the
poet makes a comparison of money and the life.
He thinks of the old age life and the money one saves. The money you saves will not come till the
end of one’s life. The money one saves
in the bank will not be useful after the death. The poet brings out the short
time life and impermanence of money.
Stanza 4
I listen to money singing . It’s like looking down
From long french windows at a provincial town,
The slums , the canal, the churches ornate and mad
In the evening sun. It is intensely sad.
It is the final stanza,
Larking points out how money could control the lives of the people. He says that he could hear the song of money
and the dancing of the people according to its tune.
Money could influence all,
irrespective of the social upper class or the status. The money knows no difference between a
provincial town, the slums, the canal, and the churches as all are under its
influence. The poet is sad to see the
slavery of the society to the Money, they are trapped and could not be saved.
Literary Devices
The theme is about the influence of money on people, a message to the
society about greediness of money, material importance, impermanence of money
and the importance of modern life and the relationship between money and
happiness.
Personification is used by the poet to compare the money to a living person. An inanimate object to living object. “Money
reproaches me, “Why do you let me lie here wastefully” the poet gives human
qualities to the money as he personifies money to a person.
“I
listen to money singing . It’s like looking down” money
tunes the people and they dance according to its tune. It is an interesting personification which brings out the reality of life.
“Goods and sex, symbolizes worldly pleasures. “From long french windows at a provincial town.” Symbolizing
the status of the upper class.
The Metaphor
also used to give a great message to the ruined society such as, “Screw, the money you save, won’t in the end
buy you more than a shave.” The money which is the reward of your hard
work has little worth like a final shave of the dead body. One cannot be young till he or she retires. Everyone has to go through their final
stages. Money could not stop the final
destination. One cannot buy everlasting
life on earth with money.
The title
is could be seen as a very common one.
But a deep study or analysis of the poem would give a very power message
and the reality of life. The power of money is well described with pain.
A Rhyming scheme if followed AA BB a simple but powerful to give a good message.
First person narration, the poem is structured as a conversation.
The poet starts the poem using ironical questions and by using
personifications and metaphors gives a message to realise the values of modern
life styles. He is sadly ends the poem by
highlighting the final destination of every man who fails to accept and respect
the reality of life.
thank you
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