A LEISURE CENTRE IS ALSO A TEMPLE OF LEARNING – SUE BOYLE

The poem ‘A Leisure Centre Is Also a Temple of Learning’ focuses around a woman who although on
the exterior seems to be ‘beautiful’ and loved by the people around her, in reality she is alone and
craves the affection others expect her to be getting.
Themes
Beauty – this girl is ‘absorbed in making her body more beautiful’, the media portray what they
believe beauty is and women feel pressured to fit into those ideals. This girl buys commercial
products such as ‘an aromatic scrub and a gentle exfoliant’ in an attempt to make herself more
beautiful. The media controls her, and she has become obsessed with trying to achieve unrealistic
beauty ideals.
Youth – this girl is being watched and admired because ‘she is so much younger than the rest’ of
them. The idea is that although she is ‘perfect’ and youthful now, youth does fade with time and
these older women know ‘what happens next’. I get the impression from the way that all of the
women marvel at her that they are envious of her beauty and youth, they have grown older and
hence lost that girlhood.
Sexualisation – the girl in this poem is referred to as ‘perfect’ with her ‘cleft’ showing similarities to a
‘charlatans moustache’, a ‘charlatan’ is a fraud/scammer. This highlights that although the girls
beauty makes her seem as if she is sexually experienced, in reality that is a scam and mask that she
shows to the world. Her cleft is ‘secret’ and all she wants is to be loved and embraced in a romantic
rather than sexual way, with the imagery of the ‘little kisspoints below her ears’ being appreciated,
thus showing the love and romance that she desires.
Tone of the poem
There is a lonely tone underlying in the poem, the girl wants to be loved hence she buys into these
commercial products to make herself ‘beautiful’, but in reality she is isolated as signified by the
single lines at the end of the poem (‘she should look around’).
Structure
The last three lines at the end are alone and separate from the rest of the poem. I think this a
reflection of the loneliness that the girl feels, at the beginning of the poem the stanzas are quite
packed with lines of around 5-6, which could be a representation of how everyone else sees this girl
as someone with many people in her life. She is thought of as someone who is ‘perfect’ and loved,
but in reality she feels alone and craves to be loved.
There is also a noticeably larger gap between the last two lines, which could be a representation of
the age gap between the girl and these women who are admiring her beauty.
Techniques
Boyle uses a metaphor with the description of the girls ‘secret cleft […] shaved as neatly as a
charlatans moustache’. LOOK AT SEXUALISATION THEME FOR EXPLAINATION.
We also see mythological, goddess like descriptions used for the girl. Lines such as ‘she brushes her
hair so clean it looks like a waterfall’, gives the imagery of a mermaid like creature full of beauty and
entrancement.
 ‘A Leisure Centre Is Also a Temple of Learning’ by Sue Boyle explores the ideas of
the youth of women and how they the female form changes with ages and the
challenges this brings. It is descriptive and has a lot of dream/mythological
imagery that aids the picture of this beautiful woman. It uses the contrast of the
modern setting of a leisure centre and this shows how outer beauty does not
last forever, it is superficial perhaps. The title of the poem encapsulates the lively
dynamic of tying together the secular and religious, the modern and the ancient,
by describing a leisure centre as a ‘temple’ which is unusual and instantly
intriguing.

STRUCTURE

The poem has a very loose structure and gradually breaks down from stanzas
and couplets into single lines made up of broken syntax.

 Starts with description as if the other women are in awe of her and scrutinizing every
small detail. This allows the reader to form an image in their head of what the woman is
like and from this we get that she is like a deity.
 There is a TURNING POINT “She is so much younger than the rest of us”, this is
where the tone changes as does the form of the poem (see more in the TONE and
CONCLUSION SECTIONS)
 Gaps between the lines at the end suggest an age gap. This rather obvious form choice
by Boyle helps to illustrate the change in tone
LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES

 Adjectives to describe the girl “honey

coloured/Lithe/young/perfect/long/tipped/little/willow/clean/younger”, they paint her as
this picture of perfection, like a goddess of beauty, like Aphrodite
 Simile – “as neatly as a charlatan’s moustache” – an imposter
 “nuzzle” – sexually suggest that someone has been there before
 Cliché – in the form of a simile “brushes her hair so clean it looks like a waterfall”
 Metaphors “A bee could sip her ” – sting. “She is summer cream slipped over
raspberries”, these metaphors have a dangerous and sexual undertone, echoing the rest of
the poem.
IMAGERY

 Body Parts “muscle/cleft/hands/throat/under chin/ears/breasts/thighs/hair”

 Modern nouns “pool chemicals” this may suggest artificialness of the woman’s
description give way to sexual language and that which is similar of the Old Testament’s
Son of Solomon – lavish, exotic and sensual.
 Natural imagery “leopard/bee/willow”. This sense of exotic beauty is matched by her
actions as she performs her elaborate cleansing ritual. In essence the girl is worshipping
her own body and it’s potential for love and sensual pleasure.
TONE
 Can be a slightly uncomfortable tone for the reader in stanza two due to the imagery
used, “her secret cleft is shaved as neatly as a charlatan’s moustache” – very sexual
 The poetic voice comments on the action like a Greek chorus
CONCLUSION

 Bitterness comes about at the end from the repetition “She is”
 “She should look around” – She is focused on herself, she is absorbed with herself
 “We twelve are the chorus” – an archaic feel, like a Greek chorus
 ‘While the theme of youth and ageing might be a serious one, the pleasure the poem
takes in the language used to describe the girl, and the dark humour of its ending, give the
poem a light and enjoyable touch
There is a strong reference to the Song of Solomon from the Bible in this poem.

“the Song of Songs is unique in its celebration of sexual love. It gives “the voices of two
lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy”. The two
are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or
“daughters”) of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose
participation in the lovers’ erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader”
It too uses many natural imagery and has a sensual tone throughout. It can be
graphic also. This religious link could also tie in the mention of a group of 12 at
the end of the poem. They could be the 12 disciples who attend The Last Supper
and due to one of them betraying Jesus, he dies. This idea of betrayal may link to
the woman in the poem being deceitful, her beauty is materialistic.

‘A Leisure Centre is Also a Temple of Learning’

This is a relatively long title when compared to others within the ‘Poems of the Decade’
collection, however it arguably provides just as little information to a reader as many others
such as ‘Please Hold’ or ‘Chainsaw Versus the Pampass Grass’. That said, a reader is able
to get an overall understanding of a potential subject and setting with “Leisure Centre” and
“Temple of Learning”. Many readers may find it intriguing to liken such a typically mundane
location with learning and knowledge, particularly the juxtaposition with a “Temple” which
would typically be used to describe something ornate or even sacred. As such, a reader
would likely be curious to read the poem to determine how these two ideas are able to be
linked.
Poem Structure
When a reader first sees the poem, they are likely to be struck by the nature of the structure.
Rather than a ‘regular’ structure, or an overall pattern, ‘A Leisure Centre is Also a Temple of
Learning’ appears much more fragmented through the gradual introduction of more line
spaces and shorter sentences. Initially there is a five line stanza, but by the end of the poem
there are single lines spread out, including the final line having two line spaces from the
previous line. This visual change helps to encourage a change in emphasis when reading
the poem, along with helping to extend pauses between the lines, and therefore allowing
more consideration of the statements being made.
End-stopped lines also help to shift the way in which the poem is read, particularly with how
more end-stopped lines are introduced as the poem continues. For example, there are
typically only full stops at the end of stanzas initially, but by the third stanza there are two full
stops at the end of the stanza, and from then on each line is end stopped. As with the
additional spacing in the stanzas, the stopped lines help to emphasise pauses and extend
the length of time between phrases, allowing a reader more time to consider these ideas. It
also helps to shift the tone to be more forceful and blunter, rather than the previous lyrical
and energetic tone at the beginning of the poem.
Various sounds are also repeated in sections of the poem, typically in a way which extends
the key sound from a word over several more words after it. For example, the alliteration of
“body more beautiful” or the ‘w’ in “showered away”. This is very effective at helping to build
the lyrical sound which helps form the overall tone at the beginning of the poem, with these
‘soothing’ sounds helping to complement the typically soft imagery. Some readers may
interpret these sounds as alluding to chants or songs that are traditionally sung in temples or
places of worship, further mixing concepts of settings.
Poetic Techniques
An overarching language technique in ‘A Leisure Centre is Also a Temple of Learning’ is the
way in which there are a variety of contrasts. For instance, the contrast in the title between a
‘leisure centre’ and a ‘temple of learning’, but also the idea of a single young woman and
group of older women, and by extension innocence and experience. This technique is not
one which immediately demands a reader’s attention, however it is still effective because the
poem is built around this concept, and it also helps a reader to gradually consider similar
oppositions and differences, and how they may have experienced something like this in their
own lives.
Another interesting technique is the use of similes and metaphors, in particular the way that
the use of similes transitions into the use of metaphors as the poem continues. In particular,
“lithe as a young leopard” opens the second stanza (with the interesting use of “lithe”
perhaps showing the experience of the older narrator due to it being an uncommonly used
word) and “like a weaver’s at a loom” in the third stanza, while the poem moves to
metaphorical language with “she is summer cream” and “we twelve are the chorus” in the
fragmented end of the poem. This technique is also a contributing factor the shift in tone of
the poem, as there are more forceful answers with the definite metaphorical descriptions
compared to the previous similes.
The introduction of more forceful and assured language at the end of the poem can also be
interpreted as showing the greater experience and knowledge of the older women, with
descriptions such as “she is” and “she should” along with “we know” helping to build a sense
of authority and knowledge. Some readers may feel that there is a sense of warning in these
lines, perhaps becoming apprehensive themselves if they are able to relate to either of the
women.
Important Lines
“The honey coloured girl”
Describing the girl as “honey” is an interesting description because of the various pleasant
connotations that the word has, even to the extent of the pleasant colour links of positive
yellows and rich oranges. Some readers may also link the idea of luxury to this description,
perhaps related to the way in which the younger woman is applying luxuries to herself. The
use of “girl” is useful to consider because of the way it immediately highlights her youth and
inexperience.
“A bee could sip her.”
Links to honey, nectar and bees are continued in this description, once again showing the
‘sweetness’ and pleasant nature of the woman. However, some readers could have more
negative readings of this line, potentially linking the idea of to “sip her” as consumption,
relating to potential negative treatment in the real world by other people, or the small threat
of danger from a “bee” if it were to sting.
“We twelve are the chorus:”
The use of “twelve” is intriguing because some readers may relate this to the Twelve
Disciples, once again showing potential knowledge and experience. In addition, the term
“chorus” can be interpreted as linking to Greek tragedy, with these characters typically telling
the ‘big truth’. For readers that are aware of this, it helps to give additional weight to the
overall message and concept of the poem, making it more effective. That said, readers
unaware of this link are not likely to have any detrimental impact in their understanding due
to the strength of the theme and language in the poem.
‘A Leisure Centre is Also a Temple of Learning’ Key Themes
Identity: The concept of identity is important to this poem because it contrasts the current
perceptions of an individual’s own identity with that of someone else, with age and
appearance used as a key defining factor.
Society and Culture: Similarly, society and cultural expectations can be linked to the poem in
the way that some readers may interpret as expectations to have a “perfect” body that is
carefully looked after. However, others may highlight the free will of an individual to take this
level of care.
Transgression: Readers could also link ‘A Leisure Centre is Also a Temple of Learning’ to
this theme through the way in which the observations of the younger woman take place in a
public leisure centre, perhaps overstepping what is typically deemed acceptable in such an
environment.