Homage to a Government
Homage to a Government - meaning Summary
Comfortable Civic Complacency
Larkin presents a bleak, ironic portrait of a society indifferent to its own military withdrawal. The poem describes bringing soldiers home “for lack of money” and the public’s casual acceptance, prioritizing comfort and cash over consequences. Everyday scenes—unchanged statues, tree-muffled squares, children who won’t notice difference—underscore civic complacency and forgetfulness. The speaker suggests that material security replaces moral engagement, leaving only money as a legacy for the next generation.
Read Complete AnalysesNext year we are to bring all the soldiers home For lack of money, and it is all right. Places they guarded, or kept orderly, We want the money for ourselves at home Instead of working. And this is all right. It's hard to say who wanted it to happen, But now it's been decided nobody minds. The places are a long way off, not here, Which is all right, and from what we hear The soldiers there only made trouble happen. Next year we shall be easier in our minds. Next year we shall be living in a country That brought its soldiers home for lack of money. The statues will be standing in the same Tree-muffled squares, and look nearly the same. Our children will not know it's a different country. All we can hope to leave them now is money.
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