How is death and remembrance presented in Larkin's 'An Arundel tomb' and WB Yeats 'easter, 1916'

Whilst Yeats' poems dutifully remembers the signataries of the proclamation, Larkin highlights the loss of self and anonymity granted by death and the passage of times. The speaker of 'easter, 1916' claims that we must remember those executed, we must 'murmur name upon name/ as a mother names her child" and writes out the names of four (possibly five) of the signitories. These names are written at the end of the poem, with the earlier verses exploring the Pearse's "sensitive nature" and Macbride as a "vainglorius lout", allowing the signatories to exist as more than just a name in the poem. The couple in 'An Arundel Tomb', however, is not named at all. Compared to the 'vivid faces' of easter 1916, the entombed couple have had their 'faces blurred' by erosion and time. Further more, they are not named and remain anonymous throughout the poem.

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Answered by Niamh D. English Literature tutor

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