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
The poem ‘Mr. Bleaney’ deals with the portrayal of his_________
Correct Answer :
Ordinariness
Solution :
The correct answer is Ordinariness.
The poem "Mr. Bleaney" by Philip Larkin is a classic example of Movement poetry, which focuses on the mundane, everyday realities of post-war English life. The entire description of Mr. Bleaney's life and room emphasizes his utter ordinariness, lack of ambition, and minimal lifestyle rather than richness, extravagance, or luxuriousness.
Larkin highlights this through several details in the text:
1. The Room: The room has "thin and frayed" curtains, a "sixty-watt bulb," and "no room for books or bags." It is a small, rented room ("one hired box") with minimal comforts.
2. His Habits: Mr. Bleaney's habits are mundane, such as "stub[bing] fags" (cigarettes) on a cheap "saucer-souvenir," preferring "sauce to gravy," and playing low-stakes football pools ("plugging at the four aways").
3. His Routine: His social life is limited to a repetitive yearly framework, visiting the "Frinton folk" for summer holidays and his sister in "Stoke" for Christmas.
All of these details paint a portrait of a simple, monotonous, and average existence, directly corresponding to his ordinariness.
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