1. FAITH HEALING- PHILIP
LARKIN

2. Contents of the Poem
• ‘Faith Healing’ is a poem which explores the absence of
love, and the way in which some people try to make up for
this through religion. Larkin provides a narrative which
depicts the flaws of religion, and he also portrays his
personal opinion that both love and religion are untruths. He
tells of how for many people, faith healing – a form of
religious healing – is just like love; they wish it could
solve and fix everything but this is an unreality, and the
fact is (from Larkin’s point of view) ‘That nothing
cures’.
• Within the poem, Larkin describes faith healing as something
to be mocked; his tone is sarcastic, showing that he does not
believe in the religious activity, just as he does not
believe in the healing powers of love. The healer is faced
with ailments about ‘this eye, that knee’ – Larkin adds
insignificance to the activity in a patronising tone. He also
portrays the people who believe in love and faith healing as
‘dumb and idiot[ic]’, showing clearly his disapproval of
the movement. Both love and faith healing are shown as things
that other people believe in, but Larkin does not – yet again
he creates an external persona which is viewing the poem’s

3. • The contents of ‘Faith Healing’ could be seen as misogynistic
at times. He describes those who are partaking in the faith
healing process as ‘women’; it could be argued that he is
saying women are more naïve, ‘dumb’ and ‘stupid’ than
men, and that the male population would not get caught up in such
an activity. He also describes these women as being ‘Moustached
in flowered frocks’, which is offensive and rude.
• The overall message of the poem is that love is seen as something
powerful enough to solve every issue within a person’s life –
this is a romantic view. However, the reality is that love is
disappointing, even untrue, and faith healing is just another
untruth which is relied upon by the human population to fix their
problems, when in fact it can do no such thing. Although this
strong message is carried through the poem, the final line
depicts a slither of doubt from Larkin; he comes to talk about
proof, which contrasts with faith (believing without proof). The
voice saying ‘Dear Child’ could be interpreted as God or the
healer – Larkin leaves the last line down to personal
interpretation.

4. Poem techniques by Larkin
• Larkin has included several alliterative sentences, examples include; “lift and lighten,”
“sheepishly stray,” and “thick tongues.” He uses them to speed up the flow of the
poem, when read aloud it allows for the reader to speak freely.
• “Within whose warm spring rain of loving care.” This is a metaphor and it is describing the
comfort the women can find in the priests voice. He has used it to show how woman can be easily
manipulated into thinking everything is ok, as long as they feel safe.
• He has also used repetition of the words; “what’s wrong,” however, in one stanza it is in
italic, but the other it is not. This could be because before it was being spoken, and perhaps
in the other it is being thought, as if Larkin is scoffing and sort of laughing at their
stupidity.
• Anthropomorphism has been used when describing the scenery; “the rigid landscape weeps.” This
is giving nature a human emotion, and he does this because perhaps he is referring to how solid
fact is offended at how people are believing in such ridiculous theories; as if nature is
offended by people’s question of it.
• The word he uses in the second stanza; “blort,” is not a real word, and is therefore
neologism. Larkin uses this because it represents how much he doesn’t believe in the idea of
being healed by faith, that he feels he has to create a new word just to get rid of his
emotions.
• Pathos has been used when he says; “their eyes squeeze grief.” This shows his slight pity on
women, as if they keep bottling up their emotions and then their eyes are the give away, as if
they open up the lid.

5. • Larkin has used a cliché phrase in this poem; “dear child,” it is commonly used by priests
and despite this it is still extremely stereotypical of him. It also sounds sarcastic because
you would read it with a Texan accent.
• Another technique would be empiricist because he has used an old, grey haired priest, it makes
him innocent and therefore the audience (the women) more gullible.
• Larkin is a humanist, he doesn’t believe in the supernatural, and therefore the idea of being
healed by faith.
• Imagery has been used to describe the reaction of the audience; “some stay stiff, twitching
and loud.” This is used to allow the reader to imagine how they all look, almost deranged and
laughable.
• He has used a parody when he says; “moustached in flowered frocks they shake.” It is a
comical description of what the crowd of women look like, and it also sexist because he is
making a fool of them.
• And finally, antithesis has been used in the last stanza, using two contrasting ideas in one
sentence. “To some it means the difference they could make by loving others, but across most
it sweeps as all they might have done had they been loved. He has used this because it shows
how different people are from one another, and by being loved allows for the faith to be
restored in it.

6. Context of the poem
• Description of Faith Healing: It is founded on the
belief that certain people or places have the
ability to cure and heal that someone or something
can eliminate disease or heal injuries through a
close connection to a higher power. This can
involve prayer, visit to a religious shrine or
simply a strong belief in a supreme being.

7. • Overview: Available scientific evidence does not
support claims that faith healing can cure cancer
or any other disease.
• -Many religious sects claim healing can cure
blindness, deafness, cancer, AIDS, developmental
disorders etc.
• A few ‘faith healers’ have been caught using
fraud as a way to get others to believe in their
methods. These people often solicited large
donations or charged money for their healing
sessions.

8. • Larkin fell in love with a school- girl aged 16, Ruth
bowman, when he was a Librarian, aged 21. She was described
as a ‘small town girl, with a Methodist background’. This
may give us some sense of Larkin’s view on love and his
views on religion as his love fizzled out after seven years of
ups and downs.
• ‘Throughout his time at Oxford, Larkin had been snubbed by
girls, He wrote a letter to his friend saying: ‘'I
personally think that going out with women is not worth it. I
don't want to start a serious argument exactly, but the
amount of time one has to lay out in tedious and expensive
and embarrassing pursuits seems to me too much for what
sketchy and problematic gains may accrue. If there were a
straightforward social code that copulation could be indulged
in after a couple of drinks (one of which the woman stood)
then I should be more enthusiastic’
• ‘The whole business of sex annoys me. As far as I can
see, all women are stupid beings. What is more, marriage is a