As Bad As A Mile

Theme:

This poem is about life and the failures within life, the poem a metaphor for this.

Content:

Larkin describes the moment when you've finished an apple and throw it into the bin but miss.

Structure:

The poem is only 6 lines, split into two stanzas, showing how short the moment was and how short life and opportunities are in general. The rhyme scheme is AAA BBB.

Analysis:

• An apple can be linked to Adam and Eve, the symbol of temptation, if its unbitten it shows the innocence, perfection, idealistic paradise that is surrounding it but if bitten suffering and bad happenings emerge.
• Larkin suggests that everything is doomed for failure, like a reversal of time, that it's a failure before its begun, the 'unraised hand calm, the apple unbitten in the palm' placed at the end of the poem.
• The event in the poem is relatable, the 'shied core', 'striking the basket and 'skidding across the floor'. This simple failure can set people into a bad mood, and disappointment.
• 'Failure' is emphasised by the enjambment, appearing at the beginning of the second stanza.