Abstract
In his anthology, 'The Whitsun Weddings', Larkin develops several themes, such as the concepts of identity, belonging etc. He expresses his opinions on these themes with the use of certain language features that help set a mood for the poem. In 'A Study of Reading Habits and Afternoons', Larkin explains how growing up inevitably provokes a change of identity. In the first poem, the writer only focuses on one person. The use of the first narrative persona 'I' may suggest that this is an autobiographical writing, and it goes through the different stages of life and how growing up affects his opinion on reading as well as his interest and personality. Each stanza presents a different episode of the narrator's life.
