Self’s the man
Structure- Simple rhyme scheme of AABB and a simple
structure, 4-line stanzas. Monotonous nature of marriage or the
change of opinion that occurs throughout the poem as the
speaker considers whether bachelor life or marriage is more
selfish. Reflects simplicity of idea he is putting across- 'Arnold is
less selfish than I'- portrayal of married life as monotonous and
repetitive. BAB- Constant rhyme scheme that doesn't change,
hints at the monotony of a domestic life within the 1950s-
claustrophobic entrapment of gender roles. Most nursery
rhymes have an AABB rhyme scheme, speaker said to have
"kiddies clobber" so he has perhaps been consumed by looking
after his child(ren). Dramatic monologue. Monosyllabic, jaunty
rhyme scheme- Amateurish almost comedic, mocking simplicity
and mundanity of marriage, perhaps a comedic front to
underlying fears and commitments of marriage. Unreliable
narrator- assumes Arnold’s feelings. From a feminist
perspective, the poem’s arrangement of rhyming couplets into
eight quatrains creates a sense of empathy for Arnold’s
unnamed wife as the tightly controlled structure perhaps
resembles her entrapment in marriage with Arnold who
‘married a woman to stop her getting away’.
A03 context- From early in life he felt that marriage would
inhibit his creative process. Writing to his friend, Jim Sutton, in
1964 he said: 'Before I write anything else...I must sit down to
contemplate loneliness. Marriage is impossible to do this. This
selfish desire can be seen throughout the poem. Much of his
fear stemmed from the expectation that marriage meant not
only a wife, but children too, and that marriage would increase
his financial commitments.
Larkin is also known for using his poetry to challenge rigid old-
fashioned ideas of what British society from the 1950s onwards
considered ordinary. - Therefore, Larkin perhaps uses 'Self's the
Man' to critique society's tendency to pressure people into
getting married by presenting it as the 'ordinary' thing to do.
The man in the poem was based off a colleague Larkin had
worked with as a librarian at Hull library (Arthur Wood). The
poem explores how Arthur, a married man, is seen as someone
who is strongly devoted to his family, and selflessly earns
money to feed and provide for his children. But Larkin, who
, never married, may be considered selfish as he is only living for
himself. It is believed that it was Larkin's mother who caused
his fear of commitment due to her unhappy marriage. It is
shown through the persona's scepticism of marriage.
“Oh, no one can deny that Arnold is less selfish than I”- sets up
a sarcastic, cynical and flippant speaker. Conversational tone
fits in with L’s continuous use of colloquialisms that link to his
theme of universality. Colloquial "oh" coupled with the
monosyllabic, superficially simplistic and almost nursery rhyme
gives a sense of the speakers mocking tone and reveals how he
seems to be boastful of his selfishness. Critical argumentative
certainty. The caesura after 'oh' breaks up the sentence,
putting more emphasis on 'no one' and making Larkin sound
rather bitter. Determiner “less”. The narrator’s tone of harsh
irony and bluster is immediately conveyed the by the
exclamative ‘Oh’ which, in addition to the poem’s structure of
rhyming couplets, may be used as a romantic cliché to mock
the institution of marriage as being dull and tedious.
“He married a woman to stop her getting away/now she’s there
all day”- Arnold's wife being called "woman" seems distant,
rather than called by her name, perhaps suggesting the
speaker thinks the situation would be the same with Arnold and
any woman, generalising woman implying they're no different
to one another. Not given an identity- sacrificed it to get
married. This is the attitude of the cynical person rather than
the reality. The clumsy rhyme scheme heightens the mockery of
thwarted desire- in the sense that he got more than he
bargained for. The use of adverb in 'away' highlights the irony
of him trapping his wife, causing him to become trapped in a
life with her rather than out of love. Fear if he doesn't marry
her, he will lose her and be alone. The wife is never given an
identity, suggesting she has sacrificed her identity when she
married-suggesting all marriages, woman lose their identity.
Imagery of a predator v prey dynamic. “All”- predeterminer- no
escape, portrays marriage as a burden. The anonymity created
by the narrator’s reference to ‘a woman’ allows Arnold’s
domestic situation to be widely applied to other marriages in
the 1950s which may also entail a dull and unsatisfactory
domestic life. Bitter irony- reminiscent of a very
Structure- Simple rhyme scheme of AABB and a simple
structure, 4-line stanzas. Monotonous nature of marriage or the
change of opinion that occurs throughout the poem as the
speaker considers whether bachelor life or marriage is more
selfish. Reflects simplicity of idea he is putting across- 'Arnold is
less selfish than I'- portrayal of married life as monotonous and
repetitive. BAB- Constant rhyme scheme that doesn't change,
hints at the monotony of a domestic life within the 1950s-
claustrophobic entrapment of gender roles. Most nursery
rhymes have an AABB rhyme scheme, speaker said to have
"kiddies clobber" so he has perhaps been consumed by looking
after his child(ren). Dramatic monologue. Monosyllabic, jaunty
rhyme scheme- Amateurish almost comedic, mocking simplicity
and mundanity of marriage, perhaps a comedic front to
underlying fears and commitments of marriage. Unreliable
narrator- assumes Arnold’s feelings. From a feminist
perspective, the poem’s arrangement of rhyming couplets into
eight quatrains creates a sense of empathy for Arnold’s
unnamed wife as the tightly controlled structure perhaps
resembles her entrapment in marriage with Arnold who
‘married a woman to stop her getting away’.
A03 context- From early in life he felt that marriage would
inhibit his creative process. Writing to his friend, Jim Sutton, in
1964 he said: 'Before I write anything else...I must sit down to
contemplate loneliness. Marriage is impossible to do this. This
selfish desire can be seen throughout the poem. Much of his
fear stemmed from the expectation that marriage meant not
only a wife, but children too, and that marriage would increase
his financial commitments.
Larkin is also known for using his poetry to challenge rigid old-
fashioned ideas of what British society from the 1950s onwards
considered ordinary. - Therefore, Larkin perhaps uses 'Self's the
Man' to critique society's tendency to pressure people into
getting married by presenting it as the 'ordinary' thing to do.
The man in the poem was based off a colleague Larkin had
worked with as a librarian at Hull library (Arthur Wood). The
poem explores how Arthur, a married man, is seen as someone
who is strongly devoted to his family, and selflessly earns
money to feed and provide for his children. But Larkin, who
, never married, may be considered selfish as he is only living for
himself. It is believed that it was Larkin's mother who caused
his fear of commitment due to her unhappy marriage. It is
shown through the persona's scepticism of marriage.
“Oh, no one can deny that Arnold is less selfish than I”- sets up
a sarcastic, cynical and flippant speaker. Conversational tone
fits in with L’s continuous use of colloquialisms that link to his
theme of universality. Colloquial "oh" coupled with the
monosyllabic, superficially simplistic and almost nursery rhyme
gives a sense of the speakers mocking tone and reveals how he
seems to be boastful of his selfishness. Critical argumentative
certainty. The caesura after 'oh' breaks up the sentence,
putting more emphasis on 'no one' and making Larkin sound
rather bitter. Determiner “less”. The narrator’s tone of harsh
irony and bluster is immediately conveyed the by the
exclamative ‘Oh’ which, in addition to the poem’s structure of
rhyming couplets, may be used as a romantic cliché to mock
the institution of marriage as being dull and tedious.
“He married a woman to stop her getting away/now she’s there
all day”- Arnold's wife being called "woman" seems distant,
rather than called by her name, perhaps suggesting the
speaker thinks the situation would be the same with Arnold and
any woman, generalising woman implying they're no different
to one another. Not given an identity- sacrificed it to get
married. This is the attitude of the cynical person rather than
the reality. The clumsy rhyme scheme heightens the mockery of
thwarted desire- in the sense that he got more than he
bargained for. The use of adverb in 'away' highlights the irony
of him trapping his wife, causing him to become trapped in a
life with her rather than out of love. Fear if he doesn't marry
her, he will lose her and be alone. The wife is never given an
identity, suggesting she has sacrificed her identity when she
married-suggesting all marriages, woman lose their identity.
Imagery of a predator v prey dynamic. “All”- predeterminer- no
escape, portrays marriage as a burden. The anonymity created
by the narrator’s reference to ‘a woman’ allows Arnold’s
domestic situation to be widely applied to other marriages in
the 1950s which may also entail a dull and unsatisfactory
domestic life. Bitter irony- reminiscent of a very
