Poem:

Church Going
By Philip Larkin
By:
Amjad Gul
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction of About the poem &

01 the poet 02 Summary

Stanza
03 Explanation 04 Themes
ABOUT THE POET:
Philip Larkin: (1922-1985)

1. Philip Larkin was born on 9th August 1922 in Coventry, England.  He

was the only son in his family. His father was City Treasurer during
the years 1922 to 1944.   From 1930 to 1940, Philip Larkin attended
the City’s King Henry VIII School. He would regularly contribute to
the school magazine, and he edited the magazine in the last year of
his school.
2. He went to St. John College, Oxford, after graduating from school.
Though the war was going on, he continued to complete his degree
without any interruption. Due to poor eyesight, he had failed his
army medical test.
3.  In November 1943, he got a job at Wellington, as a librarian.
ABOUT THE POET:
Philip Larkin: (1922-1985)
 He was associated with the movement school of
poetry.
 Poetry characterized by a pessimistic strain.
 Tone is never ecstatic.
 Shy and reclusive nature reflected in his works.
 Early poetry reflects the influence of Yeats and
Thomas Hardy.
ABOUT THE POET:
Philip Larkin's Style:
 The poetic style of Philip Larkin is characterized by the
combination of an ordinary language, clarity, and
colloquial style.
Movement Poetry:
 It is the term that was coined by Jay D.Scott.
 The poets are included in this movement poetry such
as Philip Larkin, Kingsley Amis, Thom Gunn,
Elizabeth Jennings, Robert Conquest, John Wain,
Donald Davie and D. J. Enright.
 
“ABOUT THE POEM”
 This poem is published in Philip Larkin’s collection named
“The Less Deceived” in 1954.
 
 A medium length lyrical poem
 
 Firstly published on 24th April 1954, the edited version of
“Church Going” was published in July, 1954.
 
 There are seven stanzas, each having 9 lines.

 This poem is having rhyming scheme.

SUMMARY: CHURCH GOING BY PHILIP
LARKEN
The poem starts when the poet enters in a Church and
there is no any activity going on…… When he enters in the
Church the door closes he saw the books are available on
the shelf and seats are arranged properly. The garden of
the Church is full with beautiful flowers and the
preparations are going in full swing for “The Sunday
Service.” The poet tells that; some articles of brass were
kept at the holy end. A small neat organ was placed there.
Tense, musty and un-ignorable silence prevailed there. He
took off his hat and cycle clips as a token of revenge.
SUMMARY: CHURCH GOING BY PHILIP
LARKEN
He stood there and looked at the roof which was either
cleaned or restored. He mounted the lectern, perused a
few verses and pronounced “here endeth” much more
loudly than he had actually meant. The echoes of his
pronouncement sniggered there briefly. Then he signed
the book and donated an Irish sixpence. Later on he
reflected that the place was not worth visiting. In fact he
often visited the church and after the visit he always
reacted like this. He did not know what to look for in the
church.
SUMMARY: CHURCH GOING BY PHILIP
LARKEN
Then the poet began to muse what will happen when the churches fall
into disuse. The parchment, plate and pyx will be kept in locked cases.
The churches will become deserted places. Then people may avoid them
as unlucky. Then the women of doubtful characters will enter the
churches and make their children touch a particular stone. They will
pick simples for caner or on some advised night, they will see walking a
dead person. But the poet asserts that superstition, like belief, must be
eliminated. If he disbelief is gone, only grass, weedy pavement brambles
and brick structure will remain. Then the shape of the church will not be
recognized. Then nobody will regard it as a church. Only that person who
taps, jots and knows about the rood-lofts will be able to recognize it or
that person who is a ruin-bibber and randy for antique will recognize it
or a Christmas addict counting on a whiff or gown-and –bands and organ
pipes and myrrh, will be able to recognize the church or only that person
who is the poet’s representative will be able to recognize it.
SUMMARY: CHURCH GOING BY PHILIP
LARKEN
The poet’s representative will be bored and uninformed. But
since he knows the ghostly silt he will be able to recognize it.
He will know that this place was built for ceremonies
concerning marriage, birth and death. He will be able to tell
the categories of persons for whom the church was built. I
have no idea about the worth of this frowsty barn but it
pleases me to stand there in the church in silence.
It is a sacred place on earth. And all our compulsions are
met here. They are recognized and rolled as destinies. And
that much can never become obsolete because someone or
the other will always, have the yearning to be serious. He
will, then, visit the church because he had heard that this is
the only place which can help man grow wise. 
Stanza: 01
Once I am sure there's nothing going
on
I step inside, letting the door thud
shut.
Another church: matting, seats, and
stone,
And little books; sprawling of
flowers, cut
For Sunday, brownish now; some
brass and stuff
Up at the holy end; the small neat
organ;
And a tense, musty, unignorable
silence,
Brewed God knows how long.
Hatless, I take off
My cycle-clips in awkward reverence,
it begins with the speaker describing the scenario, through
the initial action phrases, his entering into a place.
He mentions that the doors close with a “thud” behind
him.
Another Church refers that he visits church frequently.
Later on, He glances around and notices all the items that
are consistent throughout all the churches.
‘Unignorable silence’ that is overwhelming in the space. It
seems that the church has been absent of people for quite a
long time.
Stanza: 02
Move forward, run my hand around
the font.
From where I stand, the roof looks
almost new-
Cleaned or restored? Someone would
know: I don't.
Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few
Hectoring large-scale verses, and
pronounce
"Here endeth" much more loudly
than I'd meant.
The echoes snigger briefly. Back at the
door
I sign the book, donate an Irish
sixpence,
Reflect the place was not worth
stopping for.
Explanation:
The speaker moves “forward” to the front of the church and runs his
hand over the pews. He looks around and notices what seems to be
complete repair and restorations done to the roof.
He reads some long verses from the bible that produce an echo of his
voice.
He departs after leaving an “Irish Sixpence” an incredibly small
amount of money, in the donation box. He concludes that this place is
not worth visiting.
Stanza: 03
Yet stop I did: in fact I often do,
And always end much at a loss like this,
Wondering what to look for; wondering,
too,
When churches fall completely out of
use
What we shall turn them into, if we shall
keep
A few cathedrals chronically on show,
Their parchment, plate, and pyx in
locked cases,
And let the rest rent-free to rain and
sheep.
Shall we avoid them as unlucky places?
Explanation:
In the above lines, the poet has some kind of inner conflict about his
attraction to churches. But, he disappoints by seeing the hollowness
and emptiness of the church.
He is curious about what the church will be like, or what the human
race will utilize all the churches for when the last believer is gone.
The Poet says that the church will be the resting place for sheep, and
for those who are in search of shelter in the rainy season, in the
upcoming time.
 
Stanza: 04
Or, after dark, will dubious women
come
To make their children touch a
particular stone;
Pick simples for a cancer; or on some
Advised night see walking a dead one?
Power of some sort or other will go on
In games, in riddles, seemingly at
random;
But superstition, like belief, must die,
And what remains when disbelief has
gone?
Grass, weedy pavement, brambles,
buttress, sky,
Explanation:
In the fourth stanza of ‘Church Going,” the speaker continues his
contemplation of what the churches will become when all the
religiously devoted have passed on.
People are left only with myths or superstitious ideologies, where
mothers might bring their children “to touch a particular stone” for
luck, or perhaps people will come to see the dead “walking”
Stanza 5
A shape less recognisable each week,
A purpose more obscure. I wonder
who
Will be the last, the very last, to seek
This place for what it was; one of the
crew
That tap and jot and know what rood-
lofts were?
Some ruin-bibber, randy for antique,
Or Christmas-addict, counting on a
whiff
Of gown-and-bands and organ-pipes
and myrrh?
Or will he be my representative,
 
Explanation:
The church seems “less recognizable” as the days move forward until
its original purpose is completely unknown.
A new question: who the very last believer or pilgrim, or seeker of
truth will be who enters the building? Will this person even
comprehend where he or she is? What will this man or woman think as
the final remnants of a dead religion?
The last person, he assumes, will be “one of the crew” who knows what
a “rood-loft” is.
Or someone who hungers for anything that is antique: ‘ruin bibber’,
or someone who is a “Christmas-addict?”
Lastly, he considers the option that the seeker will be as is he, someone
who is “uninformed” and unclear on the purpose of religion. 
Stanza 6
Bored, uninformed, knowing the ghostly
silt
Dispersed, yet tending to this cross of
ground
Through suburb scrub because it held
unspilt
So long and equably what since is found
Only in separation – marriage, and
birth,
And death, and thoughts of these – for
which was built
This special shell? For, though I’ve no
idea
What this accoutered frowsty barn is
worth,
Explanation:
This last person might be as the speaker is, curious about the place
because of its long-lasting nature.
It has “held unsplit” for so long, one might wonder what has allowed it
to survive.
The onlooker might think on further in the same vein as he, wondering
what the “frosty barn is worth” and how, without knowing its worth, it
can please one to “stand in silence here.”
Stanza 7
A serious house on serious earth it is,
In whose blent air all our compulsions
meet,
Are recognized, and robed as destinies.
And that much never can be obsolete,
Since someone will forever be surprising
A hunger in himself to be more serious,
And gravitating with it to this ground,
Which, he once heard, was proper to
grow wise in,
If only that so many dead lie round.
Explanation:
Despite the speaker’s lack of interest in religion, he nonetheless
acknowledges that it has given meaning andconsistency to people’s
lives and has treated all equally.
Through the church, human‘compulsions’ are acknowledged as
important and are given the status of destinies.
The church takes people and their paths through life seriously. There is
a part of most people that longs to be treated with such seriousness and
respect.
At the end of the poem, the speaker accepts that we will always need
something like churches togive meaning to our lives. It will draw
people to it, even in its ruined state.
 
THEMES:
Religious Faith In The Modern Age

The Void Of Disappearing Religion

The Desire for Human Connection

Religious Faith In The Modern
Age

This poem explores the theme of religious faith,

questioning the point of Christianity in the
modern age and finding that it still has value.

\
The speaker talks about the meaningless and
purposeless visions of the religion that the
organized form religion of Christianity no
longer serves the motifs of humans.

Modern man is thousand times away from the

traditional religion of Christianity.
The Void Of Disappearing Religion

After exploring the church, he questions

what will become of churches after religion
is no longer useful.

The speaker is not religious, but he does

continue to go to churches (a ritual at a
particular place) with a kind of reverent
curiosity similar to the religious person
who goes to church seeking faith, wisdom
and answers.

humans are compelled to find deeper

meaning and a higher, more spiritual
purpose. As Larkin says, "That much never
can be obsolete."
The Desire for Human Connection

According to the speaker, churchgoing is a

practice to hold connectivity among humans.

The church helps in the union of the different

communities through serious practices.

Speaker thinks that churchgoing appeals to

humans because it bought communities

together .
THANK
YOU