The Poems in 'The Whitsun Weddings' show an interest in the Lives of Ordinary People. Discuss What Larkin has to say about them in at least three poems. (philip larkin - the whitsun weddings)

In many of Larkin's poems, he talks about the lives of ordinary people. He talks of the ways they live their lives and the ways in which their lives are failing or have in fact already failed. A poem which most certainly talks of the lives of ordinary people is 'Talking in Bed'. This poem talks about the isolation and disappointment in relationships and talks of the problematic values of human life in general. The …

…is shown by words such as, 'flounce in clusters' and words in French such as, 'modes'. The 'synthetic' material shown in the last stanza is suggesting how women too are synthetic and aren't genuine. The complicated syntax of the sentences shows how Larkin does not understand about women. Also, the use of the words, 'they' and 'our' in the third and fourth stanzas shows how Larkin doesn't see any common ground between men and women.