Theme of Belief
Ignorance by Philip Larkin
The title 'Ignorance' suggest that the individual has a lack of knowledge and doubtfulness about the future. 'Strange to know nothing, never to be sure Of what is true or right or real' implies
that we never know what unexpected events will unfold in our lifetime and we sometimes get confused with reality and our visions. This also suggests that we are unable to predict our emotions and feelings towards a certain situation/person because our feelings can automatically change.
In the second stanza, Larkin continues to be unsure by saying 'strange
to be ignorant of the way things work' which indicates that Larkin is unsure about life. Also, many others are unsure of life and what they need to know in order to be happy and successful. The poet repeats 'strange' in the last line which emphasises his lack of certainty.
The last stanza presents the idea that we 'wear such knowledge' which implies that we pretend we know things on the outside, however the knowledge is not deep enough for us to understand so we put on a front to convince others. The poem ends with the theme of death as Larkin states 'That when we start to die Have no idea why' which suggests that death creeps up on you when you're not expecting it and initially not ready. The idea of ignorance is conveyed here, we could be ignorant for not knowing if we had an illness or not being responsible enough to get it sorted, yet we still have 'no idea why.'
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