I find Sunny Prestatyn a very interesting person in terms of its recentness in relation to modern society. I do find feminism extremely interesting and believe women should have equality with men and therefore see this poem as quite negative. My first impression from this poem was that Larkin was slating and expressing his distaste for the modern world by means of objectifying women and using sexist vandalism to weaken a woman's character and label her as something one can 'own'. The main theme for Sunny Prestatyn is Advertising. Through Larkin's use of idyllic personification by making expensive, luxury, appealing things personified such as "A hunk of Coast" and "a Hotel with Palms" i feel he completely depreciates and overlooks the value of a person and it became obvious to me that Larkin highlights this with his use of childlike language such as "Huge Tits" which i view as Larkins innate reflection on society which helps to re-establish the type of people who are stupid enough to become deceived by advertising and buy into it although it is a completely unrealistic way to live in some cases.
In the first stanza the emphasis is put upon the "girl on the poster" who remains nameless throughout the poem which makes me question why she is not given an identity? I feel that this question can have duplicate answers such as maybe Larkin here was trying to portray that people - especially women - are beginning to lose their identity within society because of what is portrayed as being 'perfect' by the media and advertising industry. Following on from this idea the women could also be being portrayed as being weak and in need of support "Behind her, a hunk of coast". The word 'hunk' reminds me of a muscly strong man which suggests she is being supported and cannot stand on her own two feet. This reminded me of Daisy from the Great Gatsby - a representation of somebody who needs somebody else as a foundation to structure their life, and to lean on, because they are inept of making their own decisions or pursuing their own desires. Another negative point that Larkin makes in this poem is the way that women's bodies are exploited because they 'sell well' "a Hotel with palms seemed to expand from her thighs" The hotel expanding from her thighs could be a connotation of money being made from the exploitation of a women's body which completely goes against gender equality.
When i first read this poem i found the descriptions were so degrading that i wanted to believe it was the persona sneering at the advertisement because of the sheer amount of lack of respect towards women but once we read an article about Larkin in class that talked about his previous lack of respect towards women it is debatable for me whether Larkin was only expressing the misogynistic side to his personality rather than making us aware of a problem that comes from other people in society. I still haven't quite decided on that one.
I can support my views in this way because i feel Larkin expresses the way women are viewed almost as a terminal illness that everybody possesses and can't avoid. Especially in the last stanza. "Autographed by Titch Thomas" suggests to me a proud and almost ignorant persona who could be representing society in terms of being proud to promote sexism and having a repugnant view on how women are talked about. Even talking about them in violent ways "stab right through".
Finally, I think the final two lines of the poem really sum up how advertising corrupts society's views on individuals. Although back when Larkin wrote the poem sexism was much more of a noted problem is still exists in today's society and can be even more destructive in some ways. "a great transverse tear Left only a hand and some blue. Now Fight Cancer is there." This created the image of an ideal world being ripped apart and devastated by the advertising industry. Because Photoshop and magazines etc promote such unhealthy images to the young generations today which can result in eating disorders such as Anorexia or Bulimia; you are left with the lasting impression that advertising is eating away at a healthy mind and leaving in its place a cancerous parasitic illness that people are buying in to because it seems socially acceptable. What i think Larkin is saying is that he doesn't want to be part of that society, because it is unhealthy, degrading and fake. Just like the image painted of Sunny Prestatyn.
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