Coming by Philip Larkin

Coming by Philip Larkin

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM 

1. What does the bird in the poem announce? How is this related to the title, ‘Coming’?

The bird in the poem announces that spring is coming soon. This is related to the title "Coming" which suggests the imminent arrival of spring.
2. Why is the speaker’s childhood described as ‘a forgotten boredom’? 
The speaker's childhood is described as a "forgotten boredom" because the passage of time has made the experiences of their childhood seem dull and unimportant in retrospect.
3. What causes the element of surprise when the child comes on the scene of ‘adult reconciling’?
The element of surprise when the child comes upon the "scene of adult reconciling" is that the child cannot understand the deeper emotional and psychological processes of the adults, and can only perceive the unusual laughter, which then starts to make the child happy.
4. What two things are compared in the poem?
The two things compared in the poem are the speaker's present experience of the coming of spring, and the speaker's remembered experience of their childhood.
5. How do you respond to these lines? 
Light, chill and yellow, 
Bathes the serene
 Foreheads of houses
The lines "Light, chill and yellow, / Bathes the serene / Foreheads of houses" create a vivid, evocative image of the changing light at the onset of spring, with the yellow light gently illuminating the houses.
6. Comment on the use of the phrase ‘fresh-peeled voice’.

The phrase "fresh-peeled voice" is a striking and original metaphor that suggests the purity, clarity and newness of the thrush's song, as if its voice has just emerged fresh and unencumbered.