‘In Betjeman’s poems, the vivid depiction of particular places is always linked to the strong feelings they provoke.’Do you agree?

The three poems that I have chosen to answer this question are ‘Slough‘, ‘Ireland with Emily’ and ‘Westgate-On-Sea.’ ‘Slough’ is about Betjeman’s dislike of the town and the people in it. ‘Ireland with Emily’ is about the beautiful country and its serenity throughout the community. ‘Westgate-On-Sea’ is based on the town and its natural surroundings and also contains negative perceptions of modernity creeping into society.

First, after studying the poem ‘Slough‘, I do agree that the place provokes some strong feelings from Betjeman, which are clearly expressed in his poem through his use of detail and language. The opening line of the poem is an oxymoron, ‘Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough.’ This indicates a great dislike for the place and perhaps that Betjeman feels that the place needs to be destroyed, as in his opinion, ‘it isn’t fit for humans now.’ A similar line is repeated in the second stanza, ‘Come, bombs, and blow to smither...