The Death of Aunt Alice

The poem is about the death of Aunt Alice, and how she did many unusual acts in her lifetime. The funeral is described as "orderly" and "decent black" implying Aunt Alice would of approved but then it follows by no one being "berserk with an axe" showing she wasn't everyone's favourite. From the poem it suggest she wasn't as religious as some and her bible was "page one of the newspaper" showing she took more knowledge in what was actually current in her life.
From the poem she seems quite pessimistic about certain topics "typhoid" or "fords on the M4 mangled" showing she has seem many negative issues but to add excitement to a story as she changed some stories with "such disguises and such transformations."

The fourth stanza is set as a list about her friends who each had died, how they died and her reactions. Each one has a witty remark "he never had a head for heights" this could show she covered her true emotions by turning everyday issues into a story to tell and that she lived for excitement as "disasters that lit your eyes." Many events told in this poem are paired with an adjective "pale saints" "tall stories" to give a sense of more depth.

Overall the theme in the poem is death, and perhaps un- expectancy with the idea that everyday events and objects (cars, aeroplanes, factories etc.) can cause death and destruction implying 'Aunt Alice' told the harsh truth whereas others just wanted to pretend and live in a fantasy which may be the reason not everyone was keen to hear her stories as they exposed the truth. This could link to Larkin's 'Sunny Prestatyn' as the harsh truth was hidden but the glorified adverts.