Essential Beauty is a poem which reflects the idea of advertising VS reality. The title alone shows that beauty is believed to be 'essential' and without beauty your nothing.
Larkin describes them as "slums with praise" showing negative things can be covered with high expectations and become out of reach. Larkin uses words such as "shine" and "golden" as a paradox for beauty. The description of "youth" showing how young they are and the way its described is more a fantasy rather than a reality but in real life nothing is like the advertisements.
The second stanza as a repeat of "pure" showing perfection but is then contrasted by "imperfect eyes." The relation to classes is also seen by "tennis-clubs" and "gents" symbolising the upper class but also shows the naïve of them as a "boy puking up" is the true aspect of advertising and being imperfect, this could show people feel they can't achieve from outside their certain class in society. The last two lines "Who now stands newly clear, Smiling, and recognising, and going dark" the words underlined are a contrast perhaps showing heaven and death. The idea that perfection is clear but the way people get the attention isn't always the right way and therefore damaging.
Sunny Prestatyn:
This poem is about posters advertising holidays to the seaside. He shows how the posters show a better life of "white" and "palms" give a tropical feel and the "hunk of the coast" show its attractive and offers an escape. However Larkin describes the women as "too good for this life" showing he valued the women and again the ages is shown by the "laughed the girl" showing optimism.
Though the poster offer an escape from reality over time the posters become defaced- the graffiti is very negative with sexual references and that the girl is now "snaggle-toothed." The graffiti is seen as an attack "knife" "stab" and "scrawls" all have an aspect of violence to them, also he describes the poster as being "slapped up" being the way the brush is sticking the poster up, but also the word "slapped up" could be used to show that the women are treated badly and again offers an violent attack.
Very soon, a great transverse tear
Left only a hand and some blue.
Now Fight Cancer is there. these last lines in the poem sum up Larkin's view- the "transverse tear" could show her sadness and 'tears' but reality shows a tear in the poster. The last line about cancer shows the poster being covered up perhaps showing beauty being replaced with the harsh truth. But it also shows that the violence towards women is ignored as people wont deface a 'cancer' poster showing that people act differently towards certain issues in life.
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