This poem is not included as a taught poem in the scheme of work, nor is it mentioned on the student handout. It could be recommended to more able students for the theme of British culture and society.
References: Several songs from the period are listed: Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Baby Love, Oh Pretty Woman, Come See About Me, A Hard Day’s Night – together with references to artists – the Beatles, the Supremes, Mick (Jagger), Dave Dee Dozy (of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch), Dusty Springfield. There are also lots of references to school-learnt facts and information, e.g. The Nile rises in April and the Latin conjugation dominus domine dominum, some of which are clearly out-of-date when the poem was written, e.g.: Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980 and florins went out with decimalisation in 1971.
A male persona remembers his ‘glory days’ of 1964 when he felt in control because of his knowledge, both academic and general, in contrast to the present when nothing quite measures up.
Links to Plath/Larkin: British culture and society (Larkin)
Lang-Lit points: listing, use of tense to contrast past and present, many proper nouns in semantic fields relating to facts: places, people, song titles.
