The Death of Aunt Alice

In this poem Abse reminisces over his Aunt who has recently died. He begins by talking about how normal and uneventful her death and funeral was, and continues to reminisce over the wat this is not true to her, as she was so dramatic and lively telling lots of gory stories. The poem has quite a depressing tone as it reminds us that we all die, and have little choice in it. 

Stanza 1:

-'orderly''correct''decent' suggests the death was normal and boring and the 'correct' thing isn't always the best. 

-'beserk with an axe' is almost wistful as he reminisces over one of her stories. 

-'Poor Alice, where's your opera ending' suggests she deserved better, would be disappointed but 'opera' is not real life. 

-'you relished high catastrophe' shows she was obsessed with death and although she loved the stories on 'page one of a newspaper' it's not the same when it is happening to her, not so enjoyable. 

-'newspaper' being her 'bible' shows how unusual and individual she was with her own values. 

Stanza 2:

-'talked of typhoid when we sat to eat' shows she was not everyone's cup of tea, and the bad memories of her Abse now relishes. Also she was almost a hypochondriac, always focusing on bad. 

-'you fatigued us' suggests she wasn't appreciated when she was alive, linking to 'reference back'. 

-'boeings bubbling under seas' is a type of plane showing the detail in her stories, alliteration emphasises it is almost fantasy, not real as death isn't so interesting in real life. 

-'vague shapes' shows they didn't know the full story, it wasn't entirely real or could suggest as they don't know the people it happened to the full story they can enjoy it. 

-'fatigue' repeated shows the repetition of their stories. 

Stanza 3:

-'disguises and transformations' shows she wasn't a realist, they were good stories but not true, truth isn't so fun. 

-'trees were but factories' comparing nature negatively to industry links to Larkin. 

-'rose' and other natural things being described as dangerous and painful, suggests death is nature and pain is natural. 

-'bore you by dying naturally' suggests normal deaths aren't worth hearing about but this doesn't fit for him as his aunt is worth hearing about. 

Stanza 4:

-'A' 'C' makes the stories sound unrealistic and not giving names detaches them from dead/pain. Could suggest it has happened so much names are no longer worth remembering. 

-'never had a head for height' shows the dramatic irony in her stories. 

Stanza 5:

-'now, never again' shows death is definitive. 

-'you utter gory admonition a as some do oaths' shows what makes her individual her stories are er religion/way of life. 

-'admonitions' means warnings, she was trying to help. 

-'disasters that lit your eyes' suggests she enjoys disaster linking to Selfs the Man. 

-'pale saints' have to be whiter than white to put up with her, or could connote fear because of stories. 

-'bloody martyrdoms' shows her extremes. 

-'tall stories your identity' suggests her stories will be the thug that lasts in memory, she will live through them. 

Links:

-'days' death is coming for us all

-'reference back' 'love songs in age' looking back at people you love

-'a study of reading habits' reality vs imagination