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
According to the speaker Mr. bleany was
Correct Answer :
A sad and dull person
Solution :
The correct option is A sad and dull person.
Philip Larkin's poem "Mr Bleaney" depicts the life of the former tenant of a small, rented room. The details provided about Mr. Bleaney's habits and possessions convey a picture of a routine-bound, uninspired, and lonely life.
For example, the speaker notes that his room had a "sixty-watt bulb, no book", meaning he lacked intellectual or creative pursuits. His routine consisted of simple, predictable habits, like eating at the same times, preferring "sauce to gravy," and repeatedly betting on "the four aways" (football pools). Furthermore, his yearly schedule was highly predictable and limited, spending summers with the "Frinton folk" and Christmas at his sister's house.
The final stanza reveals the deeper melancholy and lack of fulfillment in his life, describing the "dread / That how we live measures our own nature" and reflecting on the emptiness of having nothing more to show for his life than "one hired box" (the rented room). These details collectively portray Mr. Bleaney as a sad and dull person rather than humorous, social, or particularly hardworking.
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