RETURN TO CARDIFF

WHAT THE POEM IS ABOUT

This is a nostalgic poem, in which Abse is looking back at his childhood; what he was like and what he could have been. It shows the changes to his hometown, and how with these changes he no longer recognises his home, and even; he does not consider it his home. The poem is also partially a realisation that he cannot get his childhood back, or go back to being a child.

Features to Analyse

“well, most admit an affection for a city” He should feel an attachment to his childhood home, but he clearly does not.

“faded torments; self indulgent pity” The memories he has of this place are not good, but he can’t seem to forget them.

Stanza One

“the mile-wide Taff now a stream” Everything was bigger when he was younger, and that as he has gotten older, his home has become less impressive, even gotten worse.

“Unfocused voices” Showing how long ago his childhood was, how old he is; he cannot remember anything specifics, his memories are fading.

Stanza Two

Stanza Three

Features to Analyse

“a city of strangers, alien and bleak” His home has changed so much it is unrecognisable, shows how much his home has changed from his childhood.

Stanza Four

“unable to communicate I’m easily betrayed” His home is so different he does not know how to act and react. It is too different from how he remembers.

Stanza Five

“where the boy I was not and the man I am not” He is not sure who he is. Coming back to his home has made him think more carefully about who he is and who he used to be.

“met, hesitated, left double footsteps, then walked on” Shows how coming back to his home has left him ‘face to face’ with his childhood self, and how his home brought back many half-forgotten memories and he felt nostalgic, but in the end he moved on.

Stanza Seven

LINKS TO LARKIN

Home is so Sad: Both of the poems focus on nostalgia, and looking back at when things were better. They also show how specific things can bring back memories. E.g. In home is so Sad, it focuses on things such as piano stools and pictures, and in Return to Cardiff, it focuses on things like the ‚Taff‘, as in the River Taff.

The Importance of Elsewhere: This relates to Return to Cardiff because they both discuss what it is like to feel isolated an different in a place, though with Return to Cardiff, it is more so about feeling isolated because of how much his home has changed.

Reference Back: They both compare the past to current unhappiness. Both Larkin and Abse show within their poems their regret of how things (their lives) have become.