The Poem
“The Mower” by Philip Larkin is short, biting, and profound. In it, the speaker accidentally kills a hedgehog while mowing his lawn. The resulting guilt and grief feed this brief poem as it speaks to our shared responsibility to look out for one another. As Larkin writes in his final lines, “We should be careful / of each other, we should be kind / while there is still time.”
We can’t help but take Larkin’s quiet, mournful reminder and hold it close for days or weeks after another read of his poem. Perhaps you and your students will do the same.
Its Colors
With each poem we share, we ask Claude 3.5 (Sonnet) to generate a palette of five colors that embody the poem’s content and mood. Claude shares its color choices with us via hexadecimal codes, and we share them with you via the palette below:
#8C6057 (Faded Terracotta): This muted, earthy tone represents the stalled mower and the violence of the accident. It's reminiscent of rust and dried blood, symbolizing the harsh reality of death.
#39603D (Deep Moss Green): This color evokes the long grass where the hedgehog lived, symbolizing its "unobtrusive world." It's a rich, natural green that feels both nurturing and concealing.
#DAD7CD (Pale Sage): A light, desaturated green represents the "new absence" and the quiet that follows loss. It's the color of early morning light, when the poet "got up and it did not."
#A3B18A (Muted Sage): This soft, middling green bridges the deep moss and pale sage, suggesting the continuity of life despite individual losses. It also hints at the idea that we're all connected in the cycle of life and death.
#588B8B (Subdued Teal): A color that's neither fully green (life) nor blue (sadness), this teal represents the poem's call for empathy. It's a soothing, introspective hue that encourages us to be "careful of each other" and "kind while there is still time."
This palette moves from the harshness of the incident (terracotta) through the lushness of life (deep moss green) to the starkness of absence (pale sage). It then transitions into colors that evoke thoughtfulness and care (muted sage and subdued teal). The overall effect is modern, subdued, and contemplative, much like the poem itself.
Things to Notice
The technique in Larkin’s poem is subtle but worth paying attention to. Here’s where we’d start:
Metaphor: The hedgehog in the poem is very real. A literal hedgehog dies in the poem. However, it still operates as a metaphor within Larkin’s framing. (This is an important dynamic we like to point out to students: most metaphors are simultaneously literal and figurative.) Although the hedgehog can stand in for a variety of ideas, we tend to think of it as representing others’ emotions, friendships, or even shared trust.
Juxtaposition: In the second stanza, Larkin writes, “I had seen it before, and even fed it, once. / Now I had mauled its unobtrusive world / unmendably.” By contrasting the image of the speaker caring for the small creature against the brutal reality of its death, Larkin uses stark juxtaposition within the stanza to emphasize his message: “We should be kind / while there is still time.”
Enjambment: Throughout the poem, phrases are divided across multiple lines. At multiple points in the poem, Larkin leaves the final word in a phrase (generally the word loaded with the most emotional weight) dangling on the following line. For instance, in the first stanza, he writes, “I found / a hedgehog jammed up against the blades, / killed.” Here, “killed” resides on a line separate from the rest of its sentence, allowing the reader to experience a dark, if brief, moment of suspense between “blades” and the line’s consequence. This technique also connects the negative connotation of Larkin’s word choice—along with the speaker’s palpable grief—to the following line in the poem, creating a somber tone from beginning to end.
Questions to Ask
One of our favorite characteristics of poetry is its ability to spark interesting questions. To that end, here are two that came to mind while we read:
In the section above, we discussed what the hedgehog in the poem might represent. We’re equally interested, though, in the metaphor behind the mower. (It is the poem’s namesake after all.) What might the mower represent, and how might that metaphor interact with the other metaphors in the poem?
In the first stanza, Larkin writes, “It had been in the long grass.” The line is important because it emphasizes the accidental nature of the speaker’s crime. However, the line also creates important depth for the hedgehog and mower metaphors. How might that line deepen our understanding of the metaphors within the poem?
Classroom Context
Because Eclectic & Electric is written first and foremost as a resource for teachers, here are a few ideas you might consider should you choose to incorporate Larkin’s poem into your classroom:
Spark a Conversation about School or Classroom Norms: We recommend using this poem to talk about the consequences of how we treat each other. Because of its shock value, “The Mower” can be a quick way to open a conversation about the responsibilities we have to one another when learning, working, or living in a shared community.
Explore the Use of Enjambment: As noted above, Larkin uses enjambment in a way that’s palpable for most students. Because the use of enjambment is a technique most students are less familiar with, “The Mower” can be an easy way to begin exploring how enjambment can deepen the meaning in a poem. In this case, we’d recommend asking students to analyze the effect of Larkin leaving “killed” and “unmendably” on their own lines. As they analyze Larkin’s enjambment lines, you may need to support some students with a bit of guidance. However, most students will generate a number of ideas quickly, and “The Mower” might lead you to even richer conversations when you and your students begin chewing on other poems featuring the technique.
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