Read the following poem, and answer the question that follow (96-100)
‘This was Mr bleaney’s room he stayed
The whole time he was at the bodies, till
They moved him, ‘flowered curtains, thin and frayed,
Fall to within five inches of the sill.
Whose window shows a strip of building land,
Tussocky littered. ‘Mr bleaney’s took
My bit of garden properly in hand.’
Bed, upright chair, sixty-watt bulb, no book
Behind the door, no room for books or bags—
‘I’ll take it. ‘So it happens that I lie
Where Mr bleaney lay, and stub my fags
On the same saucer-souvenir, and try
Stuffing my ears with cotton, wool, to drown
The jabbering set he egged her on yo buy,
I know his habits——what time he came down’
His preference for sauce to gravy, why
He kept on plugging at the four aways__
Likewise their yearly frame: the Frinton folk
Who put him up for summer holidays
And Christmas at his sister’s house in stoke
But if he stood and watched the frigid wind
Tousling the clouds, lay on the fusty bed
Telling himself that this was home, and grinned,
And shivered, without shaking off the dread
That how we live measures our own nature,
And at his age having no more to show
Than one hired box should make him pretty sure
He warranted no better, I don’t know.
Philip Larkin
In the third line ‘They refers to’
Correct Answer :
Employers
Solution :
The correct option is Employers.
Step-by-Step Explanation:
1. Analyze the Context of the Poem: The question asks about the third line of Philip Larkin's poem, Mr Bleaney. The opening lines of the poem are:
"‘This was Mr Bleaney’s room. He stayed
The whole time he was at the bodies, till
They moved him..."
2. Understand the Colloquialism "at the bodies": The phrase "at the bodies" refers to a car-body assembly plant or factory. Working "at the bodies" indicates that Mr Bleaney was employed at this industrial manufacturing plant.
3. Identify the Pronoun Reference: In the phrase "till They moved him," the pronoun "They" refers to the people in control of his work at the factory. These are the bosses, managers, or the organization running the factory—collectively referred to as his employers. They had the authority to transfer, relocate, or dismiss him, which ultimately led to him leaving the rented room.
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