On the Coast Road - Dannie Abse

Within the first stanza the audience is able to see that there is a great deal of personification within the weather of On the Coast Road. From this we are able to see this from the words "grumpy" and "bossy" and we get the interpretation of an old man that would be either a school teacher or an older sibling. This then begins to bring in memories of childhood and youth towards the persona. This provides us with a symbol of age with stating, "too short for life" and presents to us a cold winters afternoon. This links into Larkins poem of Talking in Bed where the weather is there to mirror the atmostphere and gives the sense of a pathetic falacy occuring. With the musical metaphor of, "like a conductor" we also get the link towards larkins poems of Broadcast and Sydney Bechet for they are both poems that have the theme of music in them. We then finally see the word "ghosts" portray a sense of past reoccuring and has the haunting memories creep back in once more.
Within the second stanza we see from the phrase, "bullied off course" that it is a memory from childhood of having to be bullied and gives us a semantic field of childhood. From the word "squeals" we see that the sound effect portrays this onamatopoeia and informs us that there is alliteration also with the use of the "S" sound coming through occasionally which is also shown through the phrase, "sheep scrum". We then finally see within this stanza the phrase, "in the wrong weather" which informs the readers that the persona should not be out and is in the wrong weather to be walking. There is a positive towards this however for the walk is enabled him to go out and clear his mind and time to reflect on matters. There is then the notion of isolation and loneliness occuring once more and a poem that links towards this by Larkin is Here.
From the third and forth stanza we see that there is a great deal of dramatic exaggeration occuring in this from phrases such as, "Tons of air!" and "thrashes". We also see that within the third stanza that there is a hyperbole and gives the sense of a childlike perception being given off. From the repitition of "And nobody on" we see that he emphasises his loneliness and states that he is truly alone in life, reflecting back to the poem Here, by Larkin. We then see the use of imagery being used that shows to us a religious side within the poem. From, "on that rock's pulpit" we are told of this christian imagery to be a link to the disciples were fishermen and that the persona's father was his inspiration, protector and God-like figure towards him. We also see the use of a metaphor which portrays a journey of life from the phrase, "this road leads to the Past". From the last line within this stanza, we are told the the wind is implied but it also has another meaning to it, which is that it holds a painful memory. There is the feeling of loss now that he has lost his parent through time which links to the poem Home Is So Sad. Throughout stanza five we are continuously remembered of all this hints of the persona trying to piece together memories and thinking whether they are truly things he can remember from that time back.
Within the two final stanzas we are shown the irony from the graffiti the persona had placed on the wall of a barn when he was younger. From the words he wrote we see this desire to grow up faster and holds this irony for we can see that when you are younger you wish for it to come quickly but when you have reached that age you wish for the clocks to change back. There is the link between Larkins poems of Here, The Whitsun Weddings, Dockery and Son and also Self's the Man. From all these poems we also get the theme of wanting to make decisions and to having to be stuck on the cross roads of life but also with the wanting to escape and achieve something far greater.
Within the final stanza we see "a tin can" reflects on the personas life. He is now empty and unused. His life is ended whilst before when he was younger, he was needed and full and useful to others. Age has taken this away from him and represents a metaphor of how he feels. The last line shows to us readers the contrast of age and youth and how quickly things are able to go past us. The difference between Abse and Larkin that I have discovered from their poems so far is that Larkin observes and critisises whilst Abse is able to allow us to feel more connected and give us more emotions within his pieces.