Everything Dies

In order to fully interpret and analyze Philip Larkin's poem, it is very necessary to understand the meaning of the words. Some words that I do not know the meanings of, are: dispels, brocade, specious, and anesthetic. Without the understanding of these words in the context, one can not truly appreciate the writing. Therefore I was forced to look them up in the dictionary. Dispels means, to rid ones mind of. Brocade means, a fabric woven with an overall pattern. Specious means, pleasing to the eye yet deceptive. And furthermore anesthetic means, something that causes something to not feel pain.  Knowing these words helps me better comprehend the poem.

I believe the poem is about death, and no matter how hard some people may try, you will not live forever. When he says, "No Trick dispels", I believe he means that no trick can rid someone of death, as in it is inevitable. This is also apparent in his next line, "Religion used to try". This is true because with many religions there are after lives. Whether your after life be good or bad, you will continue to live for eternity. This thought is further proven by Larkin's line, "That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade, created to pretend we never die". The "vast, moth-eaten musical brocade" is the religion, and Larkins believes it was invented to give the belief that you can live on after death. 

The second half of the poem is rhetorically explaining to the audience that you should not fear death. It does this be stating that fearing death is like fearing something you can not see, touch, smell, hear, taste, smell, love or link with. As in why fear something that you will never encounter until it has all ready happened, and by then it is too late to fear.

The person speaking in this poem is the author, Philip Larkins. His attitude is nonchalant about dyeing. He is posing it as not a big deal, and that society should accept its existence. The intended audience could be anyone reading it. More specifically I think that the audience is the people who are afraid of death, or those that have lost a loved one and are having a difficult time coping with it. 

The main point of this poem is to not fear death. Even if you are very religious and believe you will live on, in the back of your mind you know that someday you WILL die. Whether it be painfully or swiftly, it will happen. Therefore Larkins is saying accept the fact that death is inevitable and you will live much happier during the present.