Larkin's poetry reflects a certain dark humor, with an often witty delivery of a powerful message. There is certainly control and elegance in Larkin's work; the subject matter is relevant and therefore has an impact on its reader rather than an expression of elegance in the traditional sense. There is elegance in the brutality of his messages in "Ambulances" and "The Building", but to what extent are these comments powerful and relevant enough to be considered "valued", and to what extent can we say that they are structured and controlled? ?Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Much of Larkin's wit lies in the intelligence of his take on his subject. A text is undoubtedly considered to have literary value when the subject matter is considered serious, perhaps dealing with moral and philosophical subjects of recognized importance. Given that the two poems I chose question the purpose of life and the inescapable truth of death, this confirms the seriousness that values ​​them. For example, in "Ambulances", the moral and philosophical approach he takes can be linked to the way Larkin thinks about the dying patient as he experiences "the sudden end of loss around something that touches his END ". At this point he sympathizes with their fear. The symbolic use of the verb “to close” has a cruel sense of finality, metaphorically emphasizing the closure one would literally feel in an ambulance, but also the possible end of life itself. Here he reflects on the loss that death will bring; which “detaches” everything from family and identity – the philosophy behind this is the questioning of “family” and “identity”, is that all that really matters? Comparably, in "The Building" there is an elegant fatalism when he writes "All I know they're going to die." Not yet, maybe not here, but at the end, and somewhere like here. [the hospital]” which elicits an emotional response from the reader. As I mentioned in my introduction, there is necessarily a bluntness to the seemingly factual message, and here the pattern and control are deliberately rigid, reflecting the finality of death. As Larkin presents the inevitability of death, he commands us to recognize that regardless of a person's identity or qualities, we will all die. In another of Larkin's poems, 'Mr Bleaney', the darkness of his subject returns in his reference to 'Bed, straight chair, sixty watt bulb, no hook Behind the door, no room for books or bags ". the play shows his belief that it reflects the emptiness of Mr. Bleaney's life and the absence of character. Likewise, the reference to “books or bags” highlights a lack of desire to advance literature and imagination. In "Mr. Bleaney," Larkin challenges his readers to think about the way we live. A lack of individuality is also reinforced in “The Building,” when he describes the patients as “women, men; old, young; crude facets of the only coin this place accepts.” He suggests here that we are all sorted like “coins” into corresponding categories, dehumanized and instead judged on the basis of medical notes and labels. As with most of Larkin's poems, it draws on a particular experience and finds general truth in it through its witty and gripping language. To be valued, the subject must contain themes that concern everyone. In “Ambulances”, the suffering of the victim becomes the model ofall life lived and all death experienced – thus concerning everyone. However, the theme itself is dark; and to live, according to this, is only an impulse towards death. The phrase “[dying] brings what is yet to come closer” refers to the process of dying; becoming ill and growing old leads to the inevitability and finality of death itself. The last line “And tarnishes from a distance all that we are” suggests that we are isolated by the experience of moving towards death, distanced from everything we associate with “our identity”. The ingenuity that Larkin exhibits in this last line can be compared to the last line of "The Building"; “Nothing contravenes the approaching darkness, although the crowds try each evening with useless, weak, propitiatory flowers.” Larkin's ironic wit is clear in these last two lines in which he expresses the futility of trying to ignore or obscure the truth about death itself. Here, Lark challenges us to question the "coming darkness" and to think once again about the way we have lived. The alliterative phrase condemns the meaningless flowers that are used to protect against the visitors' inability to help the patients. In comparison, in “Ambulances” and “The Building,” there is a contrast between the context of death experienced in both. Given that “Ambulances” was written in 1961, this was at a time when the NHS was just beginning to make its impact on universal medicine felt. In those days, if one was on the road to death, there was no turning back because one's fate was inevitable; before the advent of the NHS, the majority died peacefully at home. The introduction of the new healthcare system provided a sense of hope, overlooked by Larkin in "Ambulances", suggesting that he did not have the same optimism as the others. “The Building” was written in 1972, after a period when the NHS had grown significantly. This contrasts with the description of the hospital in "The Building"; the language like the buildings is layered and complex, representative of the growing NHS. “The building” represents the new religion of medicine, as Larkin writes: “To see how many floors it needs, how high it has grown now. » The use of the verb "need" suggests a sense of urgency, as if "the building" itself is in a race to constantly keep up with the constant development of the new medical world. Larkin uses a metaphorical thread related to religion in both poems. The philosophical nature of his word choices focuses on this central metaphor; that medicine was this time considered by many to be the new religion. This is particularly clear in "The Building", where a sense of hope drives people through illness, allowing them to hope that this particular illness will not be part of their journey toward death. At a time when the NHS was in its infancy, people had a new sense of hope. However, in both poems, Larkin puts an end to the false hopes that have arisen in the new and largely unknown medical world, emphasizing his belief that, regardless of any medical developments, death will always remain an inevitable part of life. He asks his readers to think about death in order to live; he suggests that people must accept "slow death" and the inevitability of death in order to get the most out of each day. Taking a more direct approach in “Ambulances,” there are many literal references to religion itself. For example, the description of the ambulance is “closed like confessionals,” instantly evoking a feeling of secrecy and isolation in the reader. The hope linked to the “new religion” of medicine appears when he says “Poor.