The Importance Of Elsewhere

Themes
Cultural identity, loneliness, isolation, tradition, the sense of being different and belonging.

Content
Before he came to Hull, Larkin worked in a library in Belfast, which is where the inspiration for this poem comes from. The poem explores how living away from your home country can make you at once feel both "lonely" and "welcome" as people understand it if you cannot fit in.

Analysis

• 'Importance" suggests that something is needed or of significant value. By being "elsewhere", a person understands who they truly are but can also have some required time away from what is expected of them.
• Though Larkin felt "lonely in Ireland" with nothing being familiar to him there, the "strangeness made sense". Through many of his poems, Larkin conveys the idea that he is different in views and life choices than others and by going elsewhere, no one questions these differences.
• The "salt rebuff of speech" is describing the harsh Northern Irish accent and that though it may sound unwelcoming, the difference actually makes a person feel more "welcome". This is because your identity is reinforced and people understand that you won't have their accent or know their customs-sympathetic. For Larkin, it is a relief not be like everyone surrounding him and relationships can be built once the difference is "recognised". Within this first stanza, caesura appears to show the halting nature of life elsewhere and barriers must be dealt with, however, the soft 's' sound is also repeated to show how soothing that life can be.
• Within the next stanza, Larkin goes on to describe Belfast using the various senses-sensory imagery. The "draughty-streets" and "smell of dockland" may not appear to be the most pleasant but perhaps Larkin is commenting on how we always compare our own country more favourably and that we often look on different things as being worse when this is not the case. This is summed up in the last line as the various sights show that Larkin is "separate" but "not unworkable". Difference does not mean exclusion.
• Moving into the final stanza, Larkin describes life in his home country of England. The pronoun usage within the second and third stanzas augments the difference as Larkin describes "their streets" and "my customs". Though England is home, Larkin has no "excuse" for not fitting in as he knows the "establishments" and how he should act, therefore meaning that he cannot claim ignorance. If he were to "refuse" to adhere to custom, it would be much more frowned upon in England, with the end-stopped line showing that there is no alternative.
• The final line is separated from the rest of the stanza by full-stops to emphasise the point Larkin is making. "Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence". In your own country, there is not another culture that governs you and allows you to be different, therefore making "elsewhere" seem sometimes more appealing. "Underwrites" is a legal term meaning to guarantee or confirm, suggesting that Larkin is ironically claiming that only "elsewhere" can he be confirmed of his existence and identity. Therefore, Larkin is implying that there are advantages to travel if a person wants to find themselves.
• The lack of a rhyme scheme may suggest the disunity between the idea of "elsewhere" and home.

Links to other poems
'Here'- how loneliness can clarify a person's life-simpler
'Naturally the Foundation will Bear Your Expenses'-a more positive view of "elsewhere" than home
'Self's the Man'-is wanting to be different selfish?
'Talking in Bed'- how things you are accustomed to become stifling

Academic links:http://enorfaslitnaomilane.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-importance-of-elsewhere.html, http://www.allinfo.org.uk/levelup/importanceelse.htm