The F Word

To many people, poetry should be a series of rhyming lines about either love or nature. Anything else, they do not label as poetry. But really what is the difference between Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese and Philip Larkin's This Be The Verse or Sad Steps? Both are written forms of expressed emotions, while one is done in what most would consider a "tasteful" way and the other the complete opposite. Both use strong language to express ideas, one is just a bit stronger than the other. While it may be hard for some to read This Be The Verse or Sad Steps and overlook the language used to find the meaning behind the poem itself, it's not such a big deal for others. I think most students in my generation can read it without a second glance, but I would obviously never show it to my mother expecting the same reaction.

In a way, these poems are a more modern example of what Wordsworth was constantly trying to convince poets of his age, that poetry should be accessible to everyone, even the common man. In all honesty, most people today are going to better relate to the common language used in Larkin's poetry than the language used in some of the other poems we've read in this class. So while some might be shocked at the choice of language present, others welcome it.