Compare and contrast Church Going John Betjeman and Philip Larkin were contemporaries, although Larkin was an atheist and John Betjeman an Anglican. Although both contemporary poets Philip Larkin and John Betjeman differ in their religious beliefs, this is reflected in the two poems, Church Going and Christmas. In their respective works both poets portray their religious beliefs to some extent through the chosen topics of their works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Larkin's poem literally describes the speaker entering a church without a specific reason for doing so, yet it is not the first time he has done so thus suggesting that he feels an underlying obligation towards them. At the same time that he explains this scenario in his poem, Larkin also uses this setback as an opportunity to convey a deeper meaning in the words of his poem. Betjeman's poem Christmas describes in a literal sense the poet's interpretation of what Christmas means to him and what happens at Christmas. But, similar to Larkin, Betjeman uses his poetry to convey a message to the reader through the deeper meaning of his poetry. Both poems contain biblical imagery and encompass the religious beliefs of their authors. The poems are very similar in that both authors express doubts about whether the religion, or in Larkin's case, lack of religion, with which they have chosen to live their lives is correct or not. In the first two lines of Larkin's poem we are shown that the speaker is nervous and uncomfortable about entering a church, this is demonstrated when he writes, "Once I'm sure nothing's happening / I go in." Larkins' lexical choice of the word "thud" immediately following this confession is a further indication of the individual's lack of religious fervor. He does not close the door reverently as a way to preserve the peace that exists with the church walls, but we let "the door slam shut" betraying its displacement. The additional onomatopoeia of the word "thud" places greater emphasis on the speaker's tone of belonging, as well as creating an aural sense of the poem for the reader, the leaden, lifeless sound created by the word also portrays the lack of emotion felt by the person who speaks when he enters the church. The speaker's casual and casual tone when he refers to the church as simply "another church" also conveys a sense of disrespect for his surroundings, as well as conveying to the reader that this is not the first time he has felt obligated to enter a church. The speaker shows his belief that all churches lack individuality through the use of a list of what they all contain within them, “mats, seats, and stones,/And little books; expanses of flowers, cut for Sunday, now brownish; some brass and stuff.” His reference to the flowers as sprawling plants rather than objects that have been placed to adorn the surroundings out of devotion and respect for the building's purpose once again betrays how the speaker is taking what he sees at face value without respect for the institution of the Church as a whole. This sense of irreverence is again represented through his description of the contents of the church as “stuff” and his reference to the flowers as “brown” which seems to propose a sense of decay. This reference may be symbolic of Larkin's recognition or opinion that religion is dying, an opinion which is supported by his line later in the poem, "When churches fall intodisuse", which shows his belief that religion will disappear. On the other hand Larkin admits that religion has a place in society through his choice of the phrase "God knows how long" this shows that although he does not believe in God, the nature of religion is so ingrained in society, it has such a degree of longevity, that he cannot help but use a reference to it in his everyday speech. In contrast, Betjeman's poem Christmas presents a much more positive view of religion and of churches description of the stained glass windows as casting a “shine” on the outside world presents the image of the church as giving off light or as being a light in the darkness This is a biblical visual image that encourages and suggests a positive view of religion since light is often used symbolically to signify goodness. Betjeman references objects in nature to remind the reader of God's creation and also to introduce a festive context into his poetry. as the objects he lists as “holly” and “yew” are traditionally associated with Christmas. They also serve as visual images for the reader. Betjeman follows this reference with a list of objects associated with a church, "The altar, the font, the arch and the pew", which serves as a reminder of the religious element of Christmas, revealing the significance of religion as part of the poet's Christmas experience. He then goes on to describe the commercial aspect of Christmas. His use of alliteration on the phrase "provincial public houses" places emphasis on the global commercial aspect of Christmas, pubs everywhere "burning". His description of London's shops further conveys a sense of commercialism and the busy nature of the city at Christmas. time with his “hurried employees”. Greater emphasis is placed on the capitalist nature of Christmas through the mention of the figurehead of capitalism, the “Dorchester Hotel,” where the “shining” can “dwell.” This image contrasts with the image of a child in an “ox stable”. presented later in the poem suggesting the idea that capitalism and commercialism have been allowed to obscure what the poet sees as the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. Both poets express a feeling of doubt in their works. This is shown at Christmas where Betjeman uses the rhetorical question, "And is it true?" This use of the rhetorical question coupled with the repetition of the question in both the same stanza and the next stanza serves as an emphasis on the fact that no one can be completely sure whether or not believing in the nativity story and its accompanying belief system is the right thing and real thing to do. Similarly doubt is expressed by Larkin in his poem Church Going; however his doubt is of a different kind and he asks: "What remains when disbelief disappears?" Larkin's lexical choice here of the word "unbelief" is used to refer to those people who choose to pass off religion as stupid and a waste of time, so this rhetorical question posed by speaker Larkin makes a direct confession of believing in power of religion, this thought is reiterated earlier in the poem where he writes, "Power of one kind or another will go on" revealing that in the speaker's eyes religion currently occupies a position of power within society. The fact that Larkin believes in the power of religion combined with his inexplicable attraction to joining a Church creates a sense of doubt within the poem as to whether or not believing in something is a good or bad thing. Both poems also have a regular form and meter. In his poem Church Going Larkin uses a lot of iambic pentameter throughout the poem despite still maintaining an informal conversational tone. Larkin also has..