Could The Suicide be The Executive after a life of failure? :: English Literature

Could The Suicide be The Executive after a life of failure? Although The Suicide might not be The Executive after a life of failure, there is strong evidence that he is. The Suicide might not be the Executive for an obvious reason and that is that the poets are different. Louis McNeice might not have read John Betjeman’s poem ‘The Executive’ and this could just be a coincidence but I strongly believe the poets are talking about the same person. There is good evidence that ‘The Suicide’ is ‘The Executive’. One good point is that they are both set in the late 60’s. ‘The Executive’ is because it says ‘I do some mild developing. The sort of place I need is a quiet country market town ’, he is saying he needs a small town so it is easier to get away with. ‘That’s rather run to seed’, this is a metaphor that the town has got past it’s prime and not spending money anymore like the flower – all its efforts go into making seeds then after that it has gone past its prime and its pretty much useless. This is the 60’s because there was not a licence of housing until after this period of time. No one could just knock down buildings then. Another aspect of the poem, which makes you consider it is in the 60’s, is that Betjeman has written in his poem ‘I have a Slimline briefcase’, which were only used around that time because they are like the equivalent of modern palmtops. Therefore, if the Executive was so rich he would have the best up to date technology to show off for work. In ‘The Suicide’ it indicates that it is set in the 60’s because McNeice writes in his poem ‘Through which he had wandered deliciously till he stumbled’, which is a 60’s song. ‘The executive’ was so high flying, so cocky and arrogant. Betjeman is satirising The Executive. He was so insecure about his life he had to go talk himself up to strangers who probably don’t even care. ‘I am a young executive’ this line shows he was talking to an older person and it was not a woman because they were not any businesswomen then. You can tell immediately that he is trying to sell himself to this other person just from two lines ‘No cuffs than mine are cleaner; I have a slimline briefcase and I use the firms Cortina’. He’s trying to say he is so successful and rich he can afford all these expensive, modern items like by saying ‘I’ve got a scarlet Aston Martin-and does she go?