They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
-- Speaker (Line 1)

Importance: This line is one of the best-known opening lines in English poetry. Especially when considered in juxtaposition to the poem’s formality-drenched title, the candid, vulgar language of the opening lines shocks readers with its expression of a simple truth. After the shock has worn off, they will likely find that they agree in some way with Larkin’s maxim. Though shocking, the language is ambiguous enough to apply to a wide set of circumstances. The use of the regionalism “mum” marks the poem as a distinctly English work, though readers of all backgrounds can connect with Larkin’s opening assertion.

They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.”
-- Speaker (Lines 2 – 4)

Importance: These lines from the first quatrain demonstrate the inevitability of being “fucked up” by one’s parents, in...