Comparing Digging And Follower By Seamus Heaney Essays

Comparing Digging and Follower by Seamus Heaney Essays
Examine two poems, Digging and Follower by Seamus Heaney and then compare the poems, explaining both their differences and similarities.
The first poem I am going to examine is "digging" by Seamus Heaney. I will first comment on the title of the poem. "Digging" has both a metaphorical
and literal meaning to it. The literal meaning is that his father and his grandfather are farmers. The poem talks about the men "Digging" and working,
so this explains the literal meaning of the poem. The metaphorical meaning is that Seamus Heaney is "Digging" into his past and back round, which is
farming. So, the title is rather effective. Now I will examine the rest of the poem.
Firstly, I will look at, and comment on, the first stanza. In ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This makes his father sound very professional. It sounds as if he wants us to admire his father. Once again, the word "digging" is repeated in the literal
sense.
The first line of the fourth stanza also implies that his father was very professional by using technical words such as "lug" and "shaft" and then again
in the second line; "levered firmly". In the last line of this stanza, tactile imagery is used. It reads "loving their cool hardness in our hands"
The fifth stanza is only two lines long, and is said in a rather conversational tone; as if Seamus Heaney is speaking it in a general conversation. It
isn't like a poem at all. It says "By god the old man could handle a spade". He is boasting here, like a child in a playground. It conveys a boastful,
bragging tone. "Just like his old man" sets in motion the chain of memory.
The sixth stanza starts of in the same boastful tone as the fifth stanza was. "My grandfather cut more turf in a day, than any other man on Toner's
bog". This is also said in a conversational tone. He seems very proud of his grandfather, just like he does his father. His grandfather must have been
good at his job. He then contrasts his grandfather's work, by explaining of how he carried in a bottle of milk to his grandfather once, "corked
sloppily with paper". It seems as if he doesn't feel that he is as good as if father and grandfather were. Once again, in the seventh stanza, the word
"digging"
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Seamus Heaney Research Paper
Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland, 1939 and spent a large portion of his life in Dublin ("Seamus Heaney"). Internationally critically
acclaimed as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century his works serve to aspire a rediscovery of natural beauty. The beginning of Heaney's
career took off in Ireland where he was first recognized for his poetry collections Death of a Naturalist and Door into the Dark ("Seamus Heaney").
Even though Heaney's literature if very influenced by his life in Ireland and contains great depth, the general themes remain painless and relatable.
Heaney reflects simplicity through his short phrases, straightforward but philosophical diction and syntax, and reference to place, to reveal his
perspective on the underappreciated beauty of the most basic ideas. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But, it is Heaney's explication of the everyday actions that create the complex beauty of his works. The act of the rotting flax–dam in and the bountiful
frogspawn harvests for the children with "dragonflies, spotted butterflies, (line 7)" in "Death of a Naturalist", Heaney sets up the rich and fertile hills
of Ireland. This visualization adds depth and a sense of ethos to his work. The children rushing through the woods to pick the bounty of blackberries
before the plenty of animals do in "Blackberry–Picking" is another example of the beauty of Ireland. Irelands fertility is a common theme within
Heaney's poetry, which is probably due to his connection with it himself. Most Irish people rely on this fertility of the land to survive and it is very
important in Ireland as a whole. One of his more famous poems "Digging" expands on this beauty by comparing farming in soil with a spade to the
writing on paper with

Mid-Term Break
Mid–Term Break – Seamus Heaney On my first Sonne – Ben Jonson Which poem expresses the experience of grief best?
On my first Sonne is a very direct way of expressing the grief that occurs when a child in the family dies. It is about the feelings that
Ben Jonson goes through, and the poem describes his emotions and thoughts in detail. On the other hand, Mid–Term Break uses indirect ways to
portray grief, by describing events that happen after the death. "Farewell, thou child". On my first Sonne openly addresses the deceased boy in the
poem. The poem is to him, and about him. Ben
Jonson uses faith to help him through the bereavement. Biblical phrases ("child of my right hand", "my sinne was" and "all his vowes")
are ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Mid term break is overall more subtle in its approaches to express grief. It describes the events surrounding the death, not the emotions the poet went
through. Grief is also brought out through the choice of words; for example "knelling". "Knell" is a word used to describe the ringing of death bells,
but not school bells.
The narrative in the first stanza takes a detached and spaced–out rhythm. This shows the shock that has hit the poet, and how he has distanced himself
from the tragic event. Through the whole poem, the rhythm remains slow, revealing how the poet feels unsure and isolated.
"as my mother held my hand / in hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs" These lines show the grief, that Seams Heaney cannot express alone, being
expressed by his mother for him.
He mentions his father crying in the fourth line because it is so out of the ordinary that he has to mention it. This in itself shows some of the shock of
the event, and how he is frightened by the change. "It was a hard blow" has overtones of a heavy impact, as in the accident and as the emotions that
follow.
"The corpse" is such in line 15 that it is unrecognisable; it is no longer his brother, but a corpse. So great is the disorientation surrounding being
plucked suddenly from school into a surreal environment, he does not have time to contemplate his brother, and so the corpse remains as an unnamed,
"staunched" body.
In this poem, the

What Is The Theme Of The Forge By Seamus Heaney
The Man Behind The Door Into The Dark Seamus Heaney uniquely constructed his poem "The Forge" to tell a story of an inspired outcast
scrutinizing a man while he conducts true art. This poem is not only about an outsider fantasizing about the unknown, but also about a blacksmith's
every move and more. The audience is left questioning "who is this mysterious blacksmith?" and "who even is this being of inspiration?" After
profound research was done, it was uncovered that the narrator is actually Heaney, and the blacksmith is his dexterous neighbor, Barney Devlin.
Heaney's definitive word choice was significantly influenced by his young, budding mindset as a child, leading him to speak so strongly about
someone that he hardly even knew. As the inspiration behind multiple works of Heaney, Barney Devlin was a local blacksmith and neighbor to the
narrator. It is said by Vincent Hanley that... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In "The Forge," Heaney expounds Devlin, "recalls a clatter / Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows;" (Lines 11–12). Even supposing Heaney knows
nothing true about the blacksmith's past, he uses his fanciful mentality to approach the audience with a realistic explanation of changes that have come
with time. At this point, the world has changed dramatically, subsequent to the beginning of the blacksmith's career. There is not much reasoning for
the blacksmith's work anymore, considering that the backbone of his business was the horseshoe. Now that time has brought upon cars, the red light
outside his house is a daily reminder of what used to be. He recalls a time when the sound of hoofs could be heard from the forge. Heaney had not
ever spoken to Devlin, yet knowing the facts of the past and the grunting sounds coming from the inside, Heaney was able to conceive some possible
meaning for it

The Song Of Wandering Aengus, By William Yeats And Seamus...
William Yeats and Seamus Heaney are both considered as the best Irish poets. Although, they are both Irish, however, they did not always agree on
the same topics. In the poem " The song of wandering Aengus" written by W.B Yeats which was a one of a kind poem that shared the same theme as
the poem"Digging" which was written by Heaney. Regardless of the common theme, these two poems are different for the reason that Yeats's poem
refers more to cultural identity whereas Heaney's poem talks more about family identity, mostly about his father.
The Song of Wandering Aengus poem gives the reader a great introduction to one of the famous myths ofIreland: the mythology of love and beauty,
and his infatuation with a beautiful girl. "I went to blow the fire a flame, / But something rustled on the floor, / And someone called me by my name:
/It had become a glimmering girl" (lines 10–13). In these lines, Yeats mentioned the word "fire" which represents enlightenment and inspiration in the
Irish culture. In addition to, it also represents Yeats desire to breath life into Ireland's literary and cultural identity as he is the enlightened one. Where
he transitioned the trout into life which shows the reflection of his desire. However, Heaney's poem "Digging" does not related in anyway to the Irish
mythology or culture that was referred to in the few lines in "The Song Of Wandering Aengus".Seamus Heaney prefered to cover the idea of "family"
in his poem and avoided the cultural identity

In The Loop And Mid-Term Break By Seamus Heaney
"In the Loop" by Bob Hicok and "Mid–Term Break" by Seamus Heaney are comparable in terms of their symbolic titles, speaker's perspective, and
tragic themes. These two poems diverge only in their physical structure, as neither has rhyme nor meter.
Both Hicok's and Heaney's poems have seemingly misleading titles that hold significant symbolic meaning upon closer inspection. Taking Hicok's "In
the Loop" into consideration: the phrase 'in the loop' pertains to the idea of being kept up–to–date on various information while within a social circle.
Hicok completely reworks this phrase in his poem by altering the idea of what it means to be informed, as well as adding a foreboding undertone
to the familiar phrase. After the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, citizens of the United States were 'in the loop' once news of the
massacre flooded various forms of the media; this informed people directly connected to the incident, including students and faculty, as well as other
civilians. Hicok also uses the expression 'in the loop' to describe the vicious cycle of grieving that occurs to those connected to a tragedy. He recounts
the feelings of emptiness that are experienced by those who grieve a recent misfortune: I answered these messages: there's nothing to say back except
of course there's nothing to say, thank you for your willingness to say it. Because this was about nothing. A boy who felt that he was nothing, who
erased and entered that erasure (8–13)
In these six lines, Hicok describes how he responded to those that reached out to him after the massacre at Virginia Tech; he appreciated the shared
understanding that sometimes nothing can besaid in the face of such catastrophe. He then articulates the void felt by those that had any connection to
the tragedy. Finally, Hicok conveys that the perpetrator of this heinous act,Seung–Hui Cho, ended the lives of 32 students and faculty members because
he was a "boy who felt that he was nothing" (12).
The title of Heaney's "Mid–Term Break" also misguides the reader in a similar fashion. The phrase 'mid–term break' prompts the reader to imagine
time spent with family, away from the pressure of academic stress

Seamus Heaney
You have been asked to read a collection of Seamus Heaney's poems to a 5th year class. Select 4 poems you would read and explain why.
Seamus Heaney is widely recognised as one of the major poets of the twentieth century. Heaney 's Poems are based on real life experiences, which
can be related to in only so many ways, because of the differences in the likes of lifestyle and culture. Heaney's poetry appeals to students as much of it
deals with issues of childhood in a manner that is mature and accessible. The poems I have chosen to read to a fifth year class are 'The Forge', 'The
Underground', "Mossbawn: Sunlight" and 'A Call'. The three themes that seem to be recurring throughout Heaney's work are, Love, Time and Isolation
and I ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We live in a world that moves very quickly and where nothing is permanent and in this poem I would put emphasis on how quickly their relationship
changes when it goes from "we" in the opening line–showing they are together to "you" and "me" in line three, showing how fast Heaney's wife is
growing away from him. I would also stress that in the final two stanzas it is "I" that occurs three times, I would make sure the listeners are aware that
the "I" is "all attention"–an "I" that is nervous and expectant. I should speak in an exciting tone with energy in my voice at the beginning of this poem
as the movement in stanzas one and two is full of frantic, frenetic. For stanza three, I would change my tone to one of darkness as the panic is gone
and Heaney is "mooning around", in no hurry to go home. When reading this poem, I would put emphasis on the present participles throughout. These
intensify the poem and they give the experience more immediacy. I would stress the dynamic verbs, "running", "speeding" and "gaining" when reading
the first stanza. The tense from the second to third stanza changes to the present, "...and now I come...".At this part of the poem, it is slowly becoming
evident that Heaney is reminiscing and that remembering these experiences are painful to him so I would read the line quite slowly with

Blackberry Picking Seamus Heaney Analysis
In Blackberry–Picking, Seamus Heaney isn't just retelling an experience. He masterfully weaves in a hidden lesson that becomes clear as the reader
nears the end of the poem. His description of picking blackberries is in itself a metaphor of one's childhood memories and their perception at the
time. He utilizes literary devices such as imagery, allusions and narrative point of view to set the mood, change the tone and draw in his readers. Mr.
Heaney also structures his poem into two different sections, with each telling the story in a different tone with a different purpose behind it. However,
what's more impressive is his use of intense diction to layer the poem with emotion and imagery that services his hidden message.
Seamus Heaney begins the poem by placing a time stamp on it. It begins in "Late August" a time for harvest which lays the groundwork for the
harvesting that will ensue in terms of setting. That description places the reader in the right mood and mindset that Mr. Heaney builds on with his ...
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For example, the way he describes his hands as being "peppered with thorn pricks" (15–16) and with his description of the spoiled berries being like
"A rat–grey fungus"(18–19). He uses an intense description to fully realize the image or to some degree the memory he wants the reader to picture.
While his language is intense it's never forceful, it's filled with passion but in a violent manner. He conveys his experience in a romanticized manner
like when he mentioned the blackberry's "flesh was sweet like thickened wine"(5–6). However, he slowly moves away from the romanticized language
and into a more natural language. While his intense language doesn't fade, it changes along with the tone as the poem transitions into the moral section.
It changes in terms of its purpose. In the beginning, it sets an image that would guide the reader along while in the end it more used to invoke

Blackberry Picking- Seamus Heaney Analysis
Blackberry Picking– Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet who was born in Mossbawn farmhouse and spent fourteen years of his
childhood there. Many of his poems are based on personal experience; 'Mid–term Break', for example, was based on the death of his younger brother;
and are laid out in settings akin to those he is familiar to. His poem, 'Blackberry Picking', is set on a farm and explores the simple luxury of picking
fresh, ripe blackberries, his inspiration quite possibly being his own childhood. Thematically, the poem explores the idealistic nature of childhood, and
the importance of waking up to reality as one grows older. The beginning of the poem is filled with a vivid passionate recollection of the seasonal
picking of... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The line, 'I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair' ties up both, the childish reaction of crying when hit by the realisation that something good will
not last, and the adult resignation to the fact that although it is never fair, such is life. On a more implicit note, the poem deals with the theme of
greed and the dissatisfaction often involved in attempting to gain an object of desire. The attempt to acquire great amounts of this object by
removing it from its natural setting and 'hoarding' it leads to its destruction and to the hoarder's disappointment. However, it is also implied that
lessons on greed are seldom learned, 'Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.' Even with the knowledge that his efforts would be in
vain, Heaney writes about how he was compelled to try and store the blackberries each year, thus bringing out a recurrent greed for the same
object. The structure and language of the poem aid the reader in better understanding and connecting with it. The first part is merely a recollection
that provides information; what time of the year it is, how the blackberries were collected. There is a lot of enjambment here, and this allows for a
free flow of thoughts for the poet, as well as a better level of connection for the reader. This flow better creates the feelings and emotions of the poem,
and allows the ideas in each line to flow into each other and create one

Seamus Heaney Digging
&#8220;Digging'; is about a person looking out of a window at their Father digging, describing what he/she sees and then the poem goes on to
describe what he/she feels.
I believe that the narrative voice in the poem is in fact that of Seamus Heaney. There are a number of clues that lead me to this conclusion. The first
and most obvious one is in the first line,
&#8216;Between my finger and my thumb.&#8217;
The poet writes in the first person throughout the poem. He writes about his Father and his Grandfather and he seems to move from describing his
Father to describing his Grandfather. He does this so smoothly that the reader harldy notices the transition that took place. The second clue is slightly
more hidden. The poet ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
That line also paints an image in the readers mind of the spade sinking in and the scratching/rasping sound it makes. An example of how the author does
the same thing only with the sense touch is, &#8216;The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered
firmly.&#8217; In this case the second line emphasizes the first. It does this by using the words levered and firmly they make the whole phrase
seem more realistic.
However the best possible example of this is when the poet uses two senses to emphasize sight &#8216;The cold smell of potatoe mould, the
squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge.&#8217;
These two lines not only include two senses but one of the senses uses two onomatopoeic words; squelch and slap. These two words suggest someone
moving through thick soggy mud for some reason it also suggests to me that it was on a cold day.
In my opinion that line is also quite interesting to read because it paints a clear picture in my mind&#8217;s eye of someone toiling and sloshing
around in the mud. I think this is because the poet uses words like; soggy, curt, cuts and edge. Since those words are sharp words they make the
phrase clearer and sharper in my mind&#8217;s eye.
I think the poet&#8217;s attitute to work is that of a perfectionist. I get this impression because of how picky he is about describing the way his
Father and

Literary Analysis Of Blackberry Picking, By Seamus Heaney
In life, people experience loss. Loss of a friend, a family member, or a significant other. Even though we don't always recognize it, death is inevitable.
The loss that people experience may influence how they remember things and see the world. Seamus Heaney uses the speaker in the poem to show
one way of dealing with death is to accept it. The nostalgic views of the speaker in the poem shows the speakers' remembrance of picking the
blackberries and even though the berries would rot too soon, the good memories of picking the berries would always outweigh the bad of them rotting.
In "Blackberry–Picking", Seamus Heaney utilizes colorfully yet contrasting imagery, diction and structure to suggest that death is inevitable and loss
isn't always the easiest thing to accept, but sometimes, that is the best way to handle it.
First, The contrasting imagery of the poem represents life and death. "At first, just one, a glossy purple clot among others, red, green, hard as a knot."
the speaker uses the ripeness of a berry to represent a life. The red and green berries description of the bessies suggest they are not ready yet. I
interpreted the berries to also represent the end of a pregnancy, where the mother is almost ready to give birth, but not quite yet. The glossy purple
clot represents the berry finally being ready to be picked. This could also represent the actual birth of the baby. Later in the poem Heaney describes the
berries having "A rat–grey fungus" (19) and later describes the berries saying that "The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." (21) I
interpreted this imagery as representing death. As people get older, their hair often turns gray. Also, the fruit fermenting may represent the actual
final death as the fruit rots and no longer lives. The contrasting imagery of the beginning and end of the very may very well represent the life and
death of a person. As we go through life we begin as new, small, and tiny. When we age, we often become wrinkled and the aging shows not only
with skin, but as well as the hair as stated before. As we grow older our interpretation of the world goes from pretty bright colors to dull, boring ones.
Heaney's use of the imagery shows the audience that good things

Examples Of Digging By Seamus Heaney
"Death of a Naturalist" was concerned with the notion of growing up and loss of innocence. Seamus Heaney describes the childhood experience
differently as the child grows and changes perception of 'nature' from love to fear. Similarly, in "Digging", Heaney presents himself as a child who
studies through writing, in contrast to his father and his grandfather who dig into the ground. Heaney's father and grandfather use their shovels to
work with the land, while Heaney uses his pen to write poetries. It is clear that Heaney is not going to follow his father's legacy, 'digging', he is going
to have a different profession.
Seamus Heaney explores the amusement and happiness of a child discovering nature: "There were dragonflies, spotted butterflies," ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, "By God, the old man can handle a spade, just like his old man." This line is metaphor and Heaney is complimenting his father and
grandfather that they are the best 'diggers', as the language it uses is colloquial because this line strongly suggest about Heaney's family and it sounds
like Heaney is trying to impress his father and grandfather's 'digging' skills. Also, "By God", this implies Heaney's amazement and it grabs readers
attention and shows how much admiration Heaney has for his father and grandfather's 'digging' skill. This makes the reader feel empathetic because
just working does not simply mean it is important, but tradition too – to work as part of the family tradition and carry father's

Analysis Of Digging By Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney, one of the most world renowned poets in Ireland, takes pride in his past memories as a kid, implementing literacy strategies in
majority of his poems to share his background. Memories ultimately builds the foundation of an individual, developmenting both negative and
positive experiences that define a person. Heaney expresses these experiences by utilizing numerous devices, such as diction, imagery, and tone, to
highlight the sensation of physical interactions that he feels. In one of his poems, "Digging", Heaney starts the first stanza with a rhyme scheme,
"The squat pen rests; snug as a gun." (Heaney 2) This quote provides a description of the shovel and pinpoints as certain burden that Heaney feels
about the shovel. The words "snug as a gun" conveys that the shovel gives a sense of violence and force. However, Heaney must accept the fact that
digging is a tradition inherited from his father and doesn't want to disappoint him. As a result, this thought sets a respectful tone towards his father in
the first stanza and continues on with imagery, describing the action of digging, "Under my window, a clean rasping sound, When the spade sinks
into gravelly ground." (Heaney 3) This reference is defined through Heaney's perspective of his father digging outside. This childhood memory sparks
deep descriptions of actions held within the poem, concentrating on sound, smell, and sight to feature the response that digging has on Heaney. The
hearing of the digging outside the window proposes that Heaney is writing exactly what he remembers, connecting to the thematic theme of memories
and how it shapes the understanding of an individual. The memory signifies an important experience in Heaney's life, exemplifying the control that
comes in digging and connects this to the control he has over his life. In addition, in stanzas 8 to 12, Heaney's focal point rests on his "rustic Irish
past" and the introduction of Heaney's family tradition. This past memory frames the roots and basis in which he grew up on and expands his
perception of digging through the linkage of his father and grandfather, "By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man." (Heaney
15) From this sentiment, digging

Mid Term Break By Seamus Heaney Analysis
Callie Chang
Death brings numerous types of emotions: fear, grief, sorrow, shock, and confusion– the list goes on. All of which of course depend on each person.
The reactions to the death of a close relative may differ from person to person depending on various factors such as the relationship that the two
people shared or the prior experiences each person has had with the deaths of loved ones– some may simply be used to it or on the other hand be
completely naГЇve, which would be a hard blow. It also differs with the age of the person experiencing it because a small child for instance would not
be old enough to completely grasp the concept of death. In the poem "Mid Term Break" by Seamus Heaney, Heaney writes about the death of a very
young ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In the third stanza, he mentions the baby "cooing and laughing," which almost gives the impression that all is well and nothing is wrong. At this part
of the poem, readers may feel relief, but Heaney does an impressionable job playing with the readers' emotions with lines in which he writes that the
corpse was "stanched and bandaged by the nurses" and in a state where he suffered critical injuries and was treated at the hospital. It is easily inferable
that Heaney made the decision to include all these misleading clues to also portray his own confusion with what was happening at the time; these clues
give the reader the same kind of confusion with the general atmosphere and subject of death. However, as much as Heaney deliberately– or
unintentionally– misleads the audience, there are parts of the poem where he gives clear

A Comparison of Death of a Naturalist and Digging by...
A Comparison of Death of a Naturalist and Digging by Seamus Heaney
The poems 'Death of a Naturalist' and 'Digging' have many similarities, and contrasts. Some of the reoccurring themes in the two poems include
memories of childhood and changes in the life of the writer. There are contrasts too, in 'Death of a Naturalist'; the writer is concentrating on himself
and his own experiences in life, rather than the experiences of others. In 'Digging', the opposite is true, as the writer concentrates mainly on the events
in other people's lives, namely his father and grandfather. The endings of both the poems have a different feel to them. 'Digging' finishes in a much
more positive tone than 'Death of a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
'Death of Naturalist' is about a young boy, his love for nature and how he relishes every aspect of the countryside. A part of this passion is being
aware of a host of small things that many people would find insignificant; animals, frogspawn and all the noises of life around him. This changes in the
second stanza. The poet has a change of heart and he seems to retreat from the nature he previously loved. He writes:
'I sickened, turned and ran'
So we can see he doesn't feel the same passion about nature any more, it was a "death" of the naturalist.
'Digging' is about a young man who feels that he is not worthy to follow in his father's footsteps. He tells the reader about how great his father and
grandfather were, but throughout the poem he says very little about himself. Towards the end his mind is changed. Although his ancestors were hard
working men who earned their living through digging, he feels that his writing is a worthy path to follow. He will "dig" with his pen.
Toward the end of both these poems the feelings change. In each poem the writer feels one thing at the beginning, but toward the conclusion his mind
is changed, either for the better, in 'Digging', or for the worse, in 'Death of a Naturalist'. It could be said that he had a change in perspective.
Even so, both poems have a deeper

Essay on Analysis of Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney
Analysis of Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney
Once the reader can passes up the surface meaning of the poem Blackberry–Picking, by Seamus Heaney, past the emotional switch from sheer joy to
utter disappointment, past the childhood memories, the underlying meaning can be quite disturbing. Hidden deep within the happy–go–lucky rifts of
childhood is a disturbing tale of greed and murder. Seamus Heaney, through clever diction, ghastly imagery, misguided metaphors and abruptly
changing forms, ingeniously tells the tale that is understood and rarely spoken aloud. Seamus Heaney refers to Bluebeard at the end of stanza one.
Bluebeard, according to the footnote, is a character in a fairy tale who murders his wives. Why on earth would ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Realizing unconsciously seems like an oxymoron, but the speaker does not consciously realize the horrors of his actions, while deep down understands
what he has done. The speaker's extreme joy from hording all the delicious blackberries turns into horror upon witnessing their fermentation (2nd
stanza). The speaker realizes that all good things must come to an end. He knows that, out of his greed, he has murdered these blackberries, made then
ferment and caused them to loose their succulent appeal.
At first glance this poem seems a happy tale of childhood. These are memories that make the heart smile. Images of heavy summer storms full of rain,
alternating with bright, joyous sunshine, full bushels of blackberries waiting to be picked; these are images most can relate with. The reader can taste
the bitter–sweetness of the summer's first blackberry, feel the scratch of briars against their own skin, sense the excitement and butterflies in their
own stomachs as they race to gather all the wondrous blackberries they can, followed by the anger and the disappointment when the blackberries rot
and ferment before the readers' eyes. However, if the reader were to take the diction and imagery quite literally, a somewhat different picture is
aroused. "...a glossy purple clot..." (line 3) describing the first ripened blackberry, brings to mind the picture of a nasty blood clot in someone's veins,
why would Heaney compare blackberries to blood clots?

Summary Of Digging By Seamus Heaney
The free verse poem called 'Digging' by Seamus Heaney is about a boy who admires his father's work, but wants to be different from him. The
poem takes place at a farm in Toner's Bog; we know this because during the time when he flashes back, the father and grandfather are working on
digging, and also because they are harvesting potatoes it must be on a farm. The poem is about the speaker who is a boy, and who wants to be
someone different from his father. He looks out the window when he hears a rasping sound of his father putting the spade into the ground, and then
he flashes back 20 years before. Although he admires the work his father does, he himself does not have it in him to follow in his footsteps. "But I've
no spade to follow men like... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He flashbacks 20 years behind and remembers seeing his grandfather and father dig and work. The poems atmosphere has multiple moods some of
which include, loving, proudness, respect, and nostalgia some of which are similar or the same as the attitude of the speaker. Heaney uses similes,
metaphors, alliteration, and imagery to enhance the readers view and description of the poem. The poem was written as a free verse but contains one
stanza that has a rhyme scheme. Heaney has multiple ways of conveying his message of 'follow your dreams' or 'do what you want in life, and don't
let others control it' his use of some figurative language are quite exceptional in adding meaning to the poem and enhancing the readers view of the

Seamus Heaney & Tony Curtis Essay
Seamus Heaney & Tony Curtis
On initial reading both the Follower and Strongman are simply about a son's relationship with their father. Whilst this relationship is a central theme of
both poems, the poems also explore a range of issues including cultural identity, guilt and social class. This essay will attempt to analyse both poems
individually and to also identify areas of conflict and similarity between the poems.
The first two words of Follower by Seamus Heaney are "My father" which immediately establishes the poet's emotionally involved relationship with the
subject of the poem. In contrast the poet of Strongman writes in the third person for the majority of the poem and it is only really in the last two lines
that the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The father in
"Follower", however, is viewed by Seamus Heaney as an "expert" and this is reinforced by the poets use of precise technical language "set the wing
And fit the bright steel–pointed sock" and "Mapping the furrow exactly". It is implied to the reader that Seamus Heaney, since childhood, has studied
his father's work, which therefore introduces a nostalgic theme to the poem. In contrast whilst there is still a strong sense of admiration present in
Strongman, the focus of the narrator's attentions is directed more on to the physical strength of his father rather than any skilful aspect to the work.
Tony Curtis uses hyperbole to highlight his father's physical strength "Chest like a barrel with a neck that was like holding onto a tree".
(deracinate / deracination) = rootlessness
The first half of the Follower can be described as memories of the poet's father. The second half of the poem shifts a gear to become a haunting
collection of personal reflections. Whilst admiration of his father is the dominant emotion in the first half of Follower, it morphs (?) into guilt in the
second half. Guilt is a prevailing theme in Seamus Heaney's work. The poem Digging is a particularly relevant example of how the poet contrasts the
intellectual and middle–class nature of his work as a poet with the working–class labours of his family. In Digging, Seamus Heaney directly compares
his work tool of the pen with the

Digging Seamus Heaney Tone
Seamus Heaney grew up with hard physical labor running through his veins. Both his father and his grandfather made a living working jobs that
were physically demanding. Heaney's family really shaped his work ethic and contributed greatly to his success as a writer. However, Heaney's
family isn't the only contributing factor to his hard work and popularity as a poet. Growing up, Heaney was immersed in violent, political warfare
between leading religious sects. That upbringing significantly contributed to his style as a writer as well. Heaney soon realized that warfare does not
only come in the form of physical battle, it also comes in the form of language and writing. The poem, Digging by Heaney shows how he finally comes
to understand the necessity... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
More importantly, how good of a job his father and grandfather do at such taxing, physical jobs. Heaney says, "My grandfather cut more bricks of
peat in a day/ Than any other man on Toner's bog." (17–18) In these lines, Heaney is trying to build a connection between what his father and
grandfather do, to what he does as a writer. That even though Seamus Heaney's job as a writer is much different than what his family does, he will
work harder than anyone else at it because that's how he was raised. Seamus believes he is going to be better than any other man in his field of
work. He believes this because that's what was exampled to him, he wants to make his family proud, even if his line of work is different than theirs.
This thought process leads Heaney into his last words of the poem, in them he states, "Between my finger and my thumb/ The squat pen rests./ I'll dig
with it." (29–31) Heaney reiterates what he previously said in his first two lines. Which ends his poem with the same connotative language, that holds
the same tone and tactile imagery. However in these last lines, Heaney replaces "snug as a gun" with "I'll dig with it." This slight change in syntax,
goes from a tone setting simile, to a much deeper, thought provoking metaphor. Heaney chooses to do this because its connotative writing is almost
empowering to read. It oozes the same sort of confidence you would hear from a

Seamus Heaney life through writing
Seamus Heaney once said, "even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained" (Heaney). In his poems he writes about a
sense of hope, he never let go of even through all the low moments of his life are constantly present. In all of his work there is an aspect of idealism
he inputs to express his ideas clearly. He used his influential platform to transform the lives of Irish youth and give them a purpose. Poet Seamus Heaney
used his real life experiences as inspiration for his poetry about war, personal recollection, and his express is ideology on religion.
Seamus Heaney born April 13, 1939, son of Patrick Heaney and Margaret Kathleen McCann. Seamus was the first born on his family... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Those who have read him consider Heaney to be the most influential Irish poet, and that his talent is unparalleled with any other poet of his
generation. One critic writes, " Heaney was never challenged to excel beyond his great achievements, when he clearly had phenomenal talent"
(Catholic Herald). Through his poems you can see his life story and how he was shaped as a writer. In every poem there's a window to his life you can
open and peer into his life. He leaves a vivid tale through his work all you have to do is venture into his writing. Seamus Heaney helped influence the
lives of everyone who has ever read his

Blackberry Picking Seamus Heaney
'Blackberry Picking' by Seamus Heany is a poem which explores many different meanings about greed, growing up, how we struggle in life and how
pleasure can be taken away from us very quickly. He would attempt to hold onto the sensations by hoarding large amounts of the fruit, but each time it
would inevitably rot. This reflects how it is impossible to hold onto the best experiences forever. Heaney writes retrospectively about his life, with
hindsight, about the times he as a child, would go blackberry picking at a particular time every year. It contrasts pleasure and disappointment when
talking about the beauty of nature at the beginning of the poem, then goes on to show how in the end, each and every single one of the marvellous
berries ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"Late August given heavy rain and sun" tells us that this isn't a one off event, the 'rain' and 'sun' is a perfect envirnomental condition for the
blackberries to ripen. "At first just one, a glossy purple clot." The 'glossy' berries carry a richness in tase, 'clot' highlights a soft juiciness of sensual
pleasure for young, excited hope. "Hard as a knot" compares with the first berry, 'clot' and 'knot' is one of the two rhymes, this emphasises the
difference of the berries. "And that hunger" tells us that they had a desire to pick every berry in sight. "Milk cans, pea tins, jam jars." This
indicates that the children were so eager to collect berries that they just grabbed whatever they could. Along with their eagerness, it also suggests a
rural environment, the milk would have came from cows and the jam would be home made. "Briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots,"
even such harsh conditions wouldn't stop the children going out berry hunting. "Round hayfields, cornfields, potato drills" listing all of the places
they have been helps emphasise their desire. 'Peppered' suggests that they are getting pricked by the berries but even that doesn't bother them. "We
hoarded the fresh berries" indicates a hope to keep them young and beautiful, as if it's a precious item. The word 'stinking' reinforces how disgusting
it is, especially since it was referred to as wine. "Sweet flesh would turn sour" tells us that evil is taking over good as the berries turn replusive. This
relates to the theme of nature, reinforcing how all good things must come to an

Follower and Digging by Seamus Heaney Essay
Follower and Digging by Seamus Heaney In his poems 'Follower and Digging' Heaney is thinking about his father. How do these two poems give you
different ideas about his relationship with his father?
In the two poems, 'Digging' and 'Follower', Seamus Heaney writes about growing up on his father's farm, in County Derry, in Ireland. I am going to
compare and contrast, remembered and present day, feelings Heaney has about his relationship with his father. The poem 'Follower' tells us about
Heaney's admiration for his father and how he wants to grow up to plough just like him. He observes how his father tends to the farm, but how ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Another example of Heaney's admiration for his father is how he is in control, 'the horses strained at his clicking tongue.' This tells the reader how the
big horses worked harder at the father's command, and did what he wanted. 'With a single pluck,' this tells the reader that even though the father used
minimum effort to direct the horses, he was always in control. This also expresses that Heaney views his father as, 'an expert.' The emphasis of this
short sentence simply shows how much the poet admires his father's competence as a farmer. The way the father skilfully cuts the bottom of the furrow
and turns the soil, 'set the wing, and fit the bright steel –pointed sock.' This tells the reader how he ploughs in exactly the right position as if it should
fit there. Also the use of the technical terms for the plough shows that the father was a specialist.
The metaphor 'mapping the furrow exactly,' describes the father as a perfectionist. This tells the reader how he plans and lines up the plough
precisely, and knows how to plough a furrow correctly. He is not actually mapping out the furrows but the metaphor describes how perfectly the father
ploughs. This is also shown by, at the headrig, with a single pluck,' which tells the reader how the father knows how to position the plough exactly so

Digging Seamus Heaney
Eye color, height, even most of your personality is inherited from your parents, and those same traits from their parents, and so on. Every offspring
inherits traits from their parents, but Seamus Heaney discusses the trait of hard work ethic. A work ethic so strong it is passed down through the
generations of a family. It is a hard work that over time has provided a way of life and means of supporting a family. Through use of flashbacks and
vivid imagery, we get a glimpse at this amazing way of life. One of the most important pieces of "Digging" is how the speaker begins about to write
something and how he/she ends that way. As the writer sits down and is about to start writing, they hear a rasping sound outside the window. As they
look down, they see their father under the window, digging. The speaker's father is described to be straining and working hard. "Against the inside
knee was levered firmly" (11), describes his strong grip and the massive amount of effort he is putting into his digging. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Just like his old man." (15–16). These two lines are where we first see the inheritance of the hard work of digging. The speaker's father's skill of
digging is compared to his father before him. The words the speaker uses in these lines indicates that his father and grandfather are of equal skill.
The speaker goes on to describe his grandfathers skill with a spade. He says that, "My grandfather cut more turf in a day than any other man on
Toner's bog" (17–18); Further enforcing the idea that the family has a strong skill for wielding a spade. The author uses the repetition of the word
"Digging" in lines 9 and 24 to reinforce the comparison between the speaker's father and

Out-Out by Robert Frost and Mid Term Break by Seamus...
Analyse the two poems Out–Out by Robert Frost and Mid Term Break by Seamus Heaney by paying particular attention to the similarities between the
two poems
'Out–Out' was written by Robert Frost who was an American poet born in
1874. He moved to the New Englandfarm country, where most of his poems were inspired. 'Mid Term Break' was written bySeamus Heaney, who was
born on a farm in county Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
The two poems are very similar and are both about the deaths of a young child, one about a boy who loses his hand whilst using a buzz saw;
unfortunately, he also loses his life. In Mid Term Break the boy loses his life in a car accident. He was only left with
"A poppy bruise on his left temple"
There ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Both could be relevant to the poem.
The poem is based on the story of a young boy who died whilst doing a man's job which he couldn't cope with.
"Big boy doing a man's job"
He was working in the garden when he cut his hand with the buzz saw he was working with. The injury was so bad he had to go to hospital for it to be
amputated due to the extent of the injury. Unfortunately during the operation, inevitably the young child died.
The title of the poem is significant because it refers to the play
Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, when Macbeth hears about the heath of his wife.
"Out, Out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerГўв‚¬В¦"

this is saying that life can end very quickly. As the young boys life did in the poem.
The poet sets the scenery of the poem by describing
"Sweet–scented stuff"
He describes the scenery of beautiful mountains and sunset. When he describes this, it seems as though everything is perfect in the poem and that
nothing could go wrong.
There is a quick shift in the poem as Robert Frost introduces the rattling and the snarling. There is a lot of repetition of 'rattled and 'snarled' in the
poem, which in my opinion is creating the image of an evil snake ready to attack , as a snake rattles and snarls.
Another thing that relates to a snake is the way the saw leaped out at the boy.
"Leaped out at the boys hand"
In a snake like manner.
"And nothing happened: day was all

Seamus Heaney once said: "The fact of the matter is that the most unexpected and miraculous thing in my life was the arrival in it of poetry itself – as
a vocation and an elevation almost." Heaney is known and praised for his works and love of poetry, which was shaped by his family and experiences.
Heaney's poems reveal his close relationship with nature, but they're also unique in the sense that he manages to convey a universal message while
focusing on an individual idea. Shaped by his quaint life on his childhood farm, family, famous poets, education, and the numerous teaching jobs he had
over the years, Seamus Heaney used this influence to create poetry that balances a sense of natural speech with his commitment to what he described as
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Seamus Heaney attended the local school at Anahorish until 1957, where he said he "had the name for being good at sums" (Cole), contrary to the
belief that he excelled only in essay–writing, when he enrolled at Queen's College, Belfast and took a first in English there in 1961. The next school
year he took a teacher's certificate in English at St. Joseph's College in Belfast. In 1963 he took a position as a lecturer in English at the same
school. While at St. Joseph's he began to write, publishing work in the university magazines under the pseudonym Incertus. During that time,
along with Derek Mahon, Michael Longley, and others, he joined a poetry workshop under the guidance of Philip Hobsbaum. In 1965, in
connection with the Belfast Festival, he published Eleven Poems. (Jones) In 1981 he became a visiting professor at Harvard. In 1982 he won the
Bennett Award, and Queen's University in Belfast conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. He cofounded Field Day Publishing
with Brian Friel and others in 1983. Station Island, his first collection in five years, was published in 1984. During that year he was elected the
Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard, and Open University awarded him an honorary degree. (Jones) The Nobel Prize in Literature
1995 was awarded to Seamus Heaney "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living

The Poetry Of Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is one of the most famous living poets of our age. He was born in April 1939 in Castledawson, Ireland and died on the 30th of
August 2013. He grew up in his family farm house in County Derry being the eldest sibling of 9 in the family. His father, Patrick Heaney focused on a
cattle–dealers way of life, whereas his mother, Margaret McCann obtained connections with the modern world. The poet believed he grasped
significant tension and contrast through his parentage between speech and silence, convinced that opposites truly do attract. At the age of 12 Heaney
was awarded a scholarship to St. Columb 's College, followed by years of transfers and then finally moving to the Irish Republic and from 1982 was
regularly teaching in America, which basically proposed his poetry career.
The wordsmith from Ireland he was named was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, with his poetry achieving great critical acclaim and popularity.
The three poems I annotated; 'Mid–Term Break', 'Follower' and 'Twice Shy' are examples of either tradition or events from Northern Ireland. Heaney
was deeply influenced by the country lifestyle which alternatively profound expression within his poetry. Heaney was an observant man who analysed
and understood the time evolving. As well as obtaining a mastery in the English Language had provided his poetry to be an inspiration to present
generations.
BODY what Mid–term break is a poem written as an elegy that is filled with secrecy and emotion

In the two poems, follower and Digging Seamus Heaney...
In the two poems, follower and Digging Seamus Heaney paints vivid, sensuous descriptions of his childhood memories of rural, Irish life.
His language is often onomatopoeic as he describes the
Comparing the poems the Follower and Digging
In the two poems, follower and Digging Seamus Heaney paints vivid, sensuous descriptions of his childhood memories of rural, Irish life.
His language is often onomatopoeic as he describes the "The Horses strained at his clicking tongue" from the Follower and "the squelch and slap of
soggy peat" In the poem Digging. In this essay I will be comparing the two poems Follower and Digging, which are both written by Seamus Heaney,
hopefully this will reveal certain styles of writing the poet ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A sailor's job is to navigate the deep seas, but navigation is needed with the help of a map. The sailor takes a close eye of the map to check if the
boats path is headed in a straight direction. Seamus Heaney's father makes sure that all the furrows will be placed correctly in the right track.
So he represents his father as a sailor on his ship, this is his interpretation/metaphor. Seamus Heaney. However does not interpret his father in Digging.
He simply describes the scene he is seeing through his window inside "Under my window, a clean rasping sound". So in the two poems he has used
different styles of portraying the scene, in
Follower he uses subtle hints of metaphors such as "mapping the furrow exactly", which describes him as a sailor which is referring back to
"his shoulders globed as a full sail strung". Where as in Digging he is mainly concerned with the alienation felt and the need to negotiate the distance
between his family and the present circumstances.
However in the poem digging he does use some metaphors – The poem had opened on the lines, 'Between my finger and my thumb, The squat pen
rests; snug as a gun', and now concludes repeating the lines, except replacing the last section with 'I'll dig with it'. The opening suggests through the
simile of the gun that his writing may venture into the outside problems of the world using his words as a weapon, but the shift

Mid Term Break By Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is a poet born in Northern Ireland, County Derry, in 1939. His birth thus aligned with the beginnings of the second world war and he
was exposed to conflict and sectarian violence, division between Catholics and Protestants, from a young age. Themes of nationalism, patriotism and
British imperialism are often featured in his works. This is the case in Requiem for the Croppies, a poem published on the 50th anniversary of the
Easter uprising of 1916 which alludes to the 1798 Vinegar Hill Rebellion for independence. Through structure, irony, the creation of a persona, rhythm,
iambic pentameter, rhyme and intricate figurative language, this text invites us to experience the lives of the Irish rebels fighting for freedom and...
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Through the use of emotive language and diction to create a binary opposition, Heaney highlights his struggles and the themes of coming of age
and growing up by constructing the persona as uncomfortable and awkward. This is done through the binary opposition of "I was embarrassed by
old men standing up to shake my hand" and "my mother held my hand in hers" where the repetition of the diction of hand creates direct contrast.
While in the first example Heaney is being treated like a man, in the latter he is shown as a boy, vulnerable and in need of support. The diction of
"embarrassed" further implies how he is uncomfortable at the idea of being treated like a grown up. The poem is also narrated from a first person
point of view, thus positioning the reader into Heaney's perspective to showcase the effects of the passing. It not only directly conveys Heaney's
experiences, such as the way people treated him, but also his internal struggles and feelings. In this way, the poem invites us to experience the internal
and external facets of his life. Mid term Break is composed of stanzas consisting of three lines each, the regularity of which is juxtaposed with the large
amounts of caesura and broken iambic pentameter to make commentary on the sudden nature of death and the fragile human experience. The
uniformity of the stanzas' size mirrors the everyday, ordinary life which may seem boring and monotone. The poem's punctuation in terms of caesura
breaks

Digging Seamus Heaney
Within, the poem, "Digging" by Seamus Heaney, he talks about several sensory descriptions throughout the poem. The poem is about a boy who loves
to write and he writes about looking outside his window and describes his father and grandfather's occupation. The poem describes the gardening of the
father and grandfather is vivid description.
Firstly, Heaney brought up a sense of sight by explaining he is about ready to write with his pen in his hand. The author uses sensory description by
expressing where the pen was place within his fingers and the squat (stubby) pen rest. This expression represents sight by utilizing the pen rest and
comparing its coziness to gun. It makes the readers' believe they can actually see him holding the pen and the position he is in.
Another ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The listeners can vision the accurate cuts of the potatoes and how precise and evenly cut they all are. Then, you can see how his grandfather is going
through hard labor and the readers who have vivid descriptions can see sweat coming down his face, he looks exhausted and warned out.
Finally, the author uses smell and sight as a sensory describtion by the smell of the molded potato and squelch (wet) soggy dirt. This description is
very significant because when the audience reads this and if they know what molded food smells like they know that the smell is very harsh and
makes you sick to your stomach. Moreover, with the dirt when he is digging the readers can imagine hearing the squishiness of the sound of the shovel
going into the dirt, by the way can be a disturbing or interesting sound for some people.
In conclusion, Seamus Heaney used multiple sensory descriptions to display graphic representation of the poem. The portrayal of this poem exhibits
what Heaney wrote about with his father and grandfather and how they

What Is Regionalism In The Poem By Seamus Heaney
In late 20th century Ireland there was a thirty–year conflict known as "The Troubles" that came about due to the systematic discrimination against
Catholics. During this violent period, a new poet named Seamus Heaney addressed this strife in his poetry. Heaney was born on April 13, 1939, in
Castledawson, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland where he lived in his family farmhouse as a Catholic in a vastly Protestant part of the country
(Pool). He discovered the works of Ted Hughes,Patrick Kavanagh, and Robert Frost while studying English at Queen's University and was inspired to
write works of his own. According to Poetry Foundation in 1995, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical
depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past." Through his use of imagery and regionalism in the poems "Digging" and "The Singer's
House," Heaney creates nostalgic poems that detail his heritage as an Irish American making his voice significant because it illustrates candid and
accurate aspects of identity and life in Ireland. It is because of this that many people around the world still read and appreciate his work.
In his nostalgic poem, "Digging," there are many messages Heaney conveys about how he was exposed to a different environment than his forefathers
and how he did not choose to continue his family's agricultural heritage. According to critic Carolyn Meyer, Heaney was torn between a rural life at
home and the formal life he was exposed

Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney's Background and Poetry Seamus Heaney had a Roman Catholic upbringing in a rural area of Northern Ireland. How does his
poetry reflect his background? Heaney's poetry is able to reflect his background by his use of language and the technique he expresses his
experiences. I will cover his background into three sections: his childhood, the community and his reflections. I will start by looking at his feelings
and experiences in the poem 'Death of a Naturalist'. The poet remembers the time when he was a young child. He saw the reality of what frogs were
really like in the outdoors compared to what was taught in school. In school, the frogs are described like a typical teacher talking to young pupils. It is
very... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The finish illustrated how he feared for what was in the pond. He delivers his message very effectively. He says an unequivocal word in the
sentence; " and I knew that if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it." He knew that it would clutch his hand showing how positive and
definite he was feeling. The experience had so much impact on Heaney altering his emotions before the incident occurred. The title is very striking
and ironic. The definition of a naturalist is someone who is an expert in natural history. Heaney was learning nature from direct observation but this
stopped him from ever becoming a naturalist due to the fact that he found it a nightmare. Hence the word "Death" The poem is done with
unrhymed iambic pentameter lines. The use of onomatopoeia is very frequent such as: "slap and plop", "farting" and "gargled". The continuous,
repulsive words help bring the poem to life and show how terrifying his experience was. E.g. "rotted", "festered", "slobber" and "slime kings". In the
first section, the poet shows that he has a scientific interest. This is shown by the way he uses the technical names to call the frogs e.g. "bullfrog" and
"frogspawn" rather than the patronizing words "daddy" and "mammy" from the teacher. The second section is like vengeance and a punishment in the
eyes of the young poet. Heaney possibly never got past the simple idea that the frogs were not just "mammy" or "daddy" frogs. The

Seamus Heaney
Poetry is often regarded the genre of the elite, but just as often champions are oppressed. Discuss with a detailed reference to two or more poems.
The poems 'Limbo' and 'Bye Child' by Seamus Heaney are poems that evoke the casualties of sexual and emotional repression in Ireland, as well as
and the oppression of both women and un baptized children, in a time where religion was most prominent and people were confined to the guidelines
of the church and it's community, as it was the ruling power. Both poems present this idea through the use of a child, representative of innocence and
vulnerability. Through hispoetry, Heaney gives a voice to those who have been silenced by society. Heaney manages to create this extended voice and
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This poem uses biblical imagery and grotesque association with water to depict a mother drowning her own child through desire to follow the morals
of civilization of that time.
The poem involves many circumstances of biblical imagery because it is very reminiscent of the idea of church being an over ruling power at the
time. 'Illegitimate spawning' this refers to the child being unable to be baptized, which was at the least frowned upon by the Christian church.
Background knowledge of the ideals of the Christian church tells readers that the woman would not have been able to abort the child, but the child
once born would have be considered illegitimate for the entirety of it's life. The reason for this may have been that the child was conceived before
marriage. 'Even Christ's palms, unhealed, Smart and cannot fish here.' Suggesting that even Jesus himself cannot redeem an illegitimate child. This
positions the reader to view the child's helplessness from the beginning of its life, and view that the child has been oppressed due to the conditions that
the child has been conceived under.
A voice is given to the mother in this poem, who is representative of all women who have suffered under the churches morals and values and still hold
a high regard for religion, in this case, Christianity. It is clear from Heaney's depiction of suffering that the mother does share a maternal bond with

Analysis Of Seamus Heaney 's ' The Wind 's On Her Naked...
In lines one, two, and three of "Punishment," Seamus Heaney wrote "I can feel the tug; of the halter at the nape; of the neck." These three lines of
the poem must be read together to understand that Heaney is basically describing how one is handcuffed and took to jail for committing a certain
crime. Heaney then in lines three and four wrote "the wind; on her naked front." These lines portray that after one is in jail, they must then be
ashamed in front of their peers for their action. This humiliation would be in the form of a jury that would be determining if one is guilty or not guilty.
Heaney uses imagery in this stanza to help readers envision these events in a different light. For example, in lines one through three, Heaney is... Show
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Once again, Heaney created this stanza to provide information on the woman's body, but one starts to realize that modern day punishment is just as
harsh as primitive punishment, just in a different form. At the end of the stanza, Heaney uses a period to show the changing of events. Here, he is
describing that once one is humiliated, they are then stripped of their life.
Stanza Three Stanza three starts to show that the crimes one commits also starts to fade them into distant memories along with the others who create
punishable acts. Seamus Heaney wrote in lines one and two, "I can see her drowned; body in the bog." When read together, these lines start to show
that once one is stripped of their life, in jail, they are just another part of a lifeless society, and start to fade into distant memory. Heaney uses
imagery to describe a lifeless body in a bog, and this helps one envision her mixed in with a crowd of prisoners and forgotten. Heaney in line three
states "the weighing stone." From this, one can infer that she was weighed down by the outside world, and that her life has been hampered by her
actions. In line four, Heaney wrote "the floating rods and boughs." The imagery created here helps envision how one would walk around in a jail
among all the other prisoners just wasting their life away. Heaney created this stanza to describe a real body that had been drowned for its crime
(Fawbert, n.d.). This

Symbolism In The Tollund Man By Seamus Heaney
Is there a specific image which can be attributed to the Troubles in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and 1970s? The poet Seamus Heaney
answers that there is one particular image and it is the image of a 'bog'. In this essay, it shall examine as to why Seamus Heaney has used the imagery
of the bog as a symbol so that it can illustrate the political and also the religious troubles of Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and 1970s. In
addition, it shall employ the use of four of Seamus Heaney's poems: "Bogland'; "The Tollund Man"; "Requiem of the Croppies" and The Grauballe
Man" to demonstrate as to how the use of the bog is truly an excellent symbol for the depiction of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles'.
In relation to the Religious conflict which happened in Northern ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Heaney is enlightened to find that there is a certain place in which he is able connect with make physical connections between what transpired in the
past and what events are currently occurring in the future in Northern Ireland during the latter part of the 1960s and 1970s(Foster,1989, pp28).
In accordance with the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), it is described as preventing or stopping something from making
progress. This statement can be used to as to why Heaney has used this particular word in stanza 2, line 4 of "Bogland". Because of the fact the
'sights of the sun" allows the ground to become hardened, in this manner it enables the Earth to prevent and stop the history of Northern Ireland to be
lost. Furthermore, Meredith (1999) testifies that Heaney strongly believes that a great source of discovery of "Ireland's unconscious past" is through
the various types of natural lands such fens and most importantly bogs (King, 1986: Foster, 1989 as cited in Meredith, 1999,

Analysis Of Follower By Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney's poems 'Digging' and 'Follower' focus on family life, tradition and the pride Haney feels towards his family, particularly his father
and grandfather. They also talk of generation, role reversal and the passing of the time. The poems describe his father and grandfather working on the
farm and the admiration Heaney feels towards them. This essay will analyse the techniques Heaney used to convey his deep pride and admiration for his
family.
Throughout 'Follower' Heaney consistently describes the strong sense of pride he feels towards his father.
'All I ever did was follow'
Is an excellent example of this pride. Heaney uses a hyperbole (all I ever did) to show how much he looked up to his father and wanted to be him. This
child–like ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It also shows that despite being a hard worker, Heaney's father always had time for his son.
Heaney speaks frequently about his father's skill.
'Mapping the furrow exactly'
This is a connotation which implies that Heaney's father worked precisely and was experienced in his job. It reflects pride as it suggests he was
extremely intelligent, furthering Heaney's hero complex towards his father.
Another example of Heaney praising his father's skill is show in this quote;
'The sod rolled over without breaking'
It is an example of assonance which helps build on the idea that Heaney's father made his work seem easy. It also shows that Heaney's father was very
technically skilled, once again showing that Heaney saw his father as a hero.
Moving onto the poem 'Digging' which shows the admiration not only for his father but for his grandfather as well.
'By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man'
Heaney's use of emotive language (by God) shows just how strongly he feels about his father and grandfather. It also suggests the ease and comfort of
their

Digging Seamus Heaney was born on April 13, 1939, on a...
Digging Seamus Heaney was born on April 13, 1939, on a farm in
Castledawson, County Derry, Northern
Digging
Seamus Heaney was born on April 13, 1939, on a farm in Castledawson,
County Derry, Northern Ireland, the eldest of eight children. In 1963, he began teaching at St. Joseph's College in Belfast.
The first poem I'll be looking at is 'digging' it was written in
1966.
The poem consists of 9 stanzas that vary between two lines and five lines in length. There is no pattern to the stanzas, perhaps to reflect the idea that
there is no pattern or predictability to our memories. In the poem there is quite a variation in the language e.g. the title is blunt. It is only when we
have read the poem carefully that we ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He was also proud of his grandfather, who was so keen to work that he hardly stopped when Heaney brought him some milk. 'To drink it, and then fell
to right away' this show how hard he worked. His work was precise – 'nicking and slicing neatly' and he was strong 'heaving sods over his shoulder.
Heaney does not explain exactly why he has 'no spade to follow men like them'. Does he think he is not physically strong enough for the work? Or
does he think his father and grandfather may not approve of him cultivating the land.
There is quite a lot of alliteration in digging e.g. 'curd cuts' digging down and down' and 'the squelch and slap of soggy peat' this gives the poem life it
makes it more interesting to read. The opening simile is striking – Heaney's pen is 'snug as a gun'. It shows how perfectly the pen fits his hand, this
shows how well suited Heaney is to write. (In the fourth stanza, Heaney describes how perfectly his father's body is in tune with the spade, showing
how well suited he is to dig.) The gun image also suggests the strength of the pen, it is a weapon for writing.
There is a writing technique called enjambment which means lines in a poem that run on from on to another without a punctuation or pause.
There is an example of this between the second and third stanza. 'My father, digging.'

'I look down Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away,

Identity in the Works of Eavan Boland and Seamus Heaney...
Identity in the Works of Eavan Boland and Seamus Heaney
Many times poetry is reflective of the author's past as well as their personal struggles. One struggle that poets write about is of identity and the
creation, as well as loss, of individual identities. Using a passage from the essay Lava Cameo by Eavan Boland, I will show how two poets use their
craft to describe their struggle with identity. Eavan Boland and Seamus Heaney both write poems which express an internal struggle with roles of
identity and how they recreate their roles to fit their needs. Through retrospection and reflection, both poets come to realize that the roles they led as
well as those they reinvented have created their own personal identities. Boland, in her ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
She states, "...I found my poetry and my sexuality on a collision course." Poetry like any art form is said to either dictate life or life is to dictate it,
which she makes reference to with "...the active lens of poetry." With that understanding she made connections between the traditions of the real world
and those of the fictitious worlds created in poetry. Men created the traditions and customs associated with poetry. These traditions have objectified
women and placed them as the primary focus of much of poetry, often times in a subordinate manner. Boland states that in poetry women were used as
"...metaphors and invocations, similes and muses." Boland's experiences as a woman do not fit into the traditional poems that men had written. Due to
this, she felt an internal struggle when trying to master her craft between her role as a woman and the role of women observed in traditional poetry.
Boland would practice her craft and write line after line expressing her mind as a human being. In the end however, she found it inescapable that her
life as a woman would become the ultimate object of the poetry. She found that as much as she tried to express her perceptions in her poetry she could
not find an identity independent of a man's identity. Poetry as a craft was molded in the perceptions of men. Women lacked an identity, without which
the female perceptions are unidentifiable. The craft of

Beowulf a Poem Translated by Seamus Heaney Essay
In the poem, Beowulf, by an unknown poet, as translated by Seamus Heaney, we see many monstrous behaviors. A few of the examples stand out more
than the rest: wanton destruction, a woman acting as a man, and the act of killing one's kin. Wanton destruction goes against the ideals that governed
the Anglo–Saxon culture. The warrior kings had duties to uphold. We see that they revered kings who would bring protection and give freely to the
young and old and not cause harm. One good illustration of this is the nature in which King Hrothgar dispensed his wealth, he dispensed it to the
needy and he didn't give away "the common land or the people's lives" (71–73). In contrast we see Grendel, a descendent of Cain, depicted as being a
demon, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The lord "vented his rage" on the men he drank with and went as far as to murder his own friends (1713–14).
Another representation of wanton and destruction is seen when Beowulf speaks about Ongentheow's sons and how they , encompassed Hreasnahill with
orchestrated surprise attacks on every given opportunity, savagely crusading ,they were determined not to make peace, going from ever
"wale–road"(10) entrance to the next (2475–78). Monstrous behaviors that are of the nature of wanton destruction are determined by the motives of the
one being violent, although violence alone is not deemed monstrous but violence without a justified cause is, with the exception that it is a man and
not woman. Anglo–Saxon culture accepted violence from a man, but when a woman was violent the behavior was deemed monstrous. Queens had
courtesies that they were expected to observe such as being peace weavers, cup passers (613–15) and "a balm to their battle scarred Swede" (62–63).
They mourned the lost by crying and singing this is seen in the performance by the minstrel who then ordered her own son's body (1118–1119).This
was the formal way for a queen to mourn. If there was a cause of death by violence then the avenging was left to the king and his retainers.
Grendel's mom never paid any mind to their culture's ideas of what a woman's place was in their society. She turned the idea upside down and inside
out. Making every man and woman fear her,

Analysis Of Digging By Seamus Heaney
The Aesthetic Movement, as exemplified by the poem "Digging," by Seamus Heaney ", seems more about the speaker is uplifting and proud when
compared to the poem "Terrence, this is Stupid Stuff...". The images of the two poems are different that they almost demand a different set of rules
dealing with their creation. It is impossible for us as readers to completely agree and disagree that both poems talk about how they can relate to art, but
the big question is how these poems have different meaning but end up being the same concept of how they can relate to the movement of
art.Throughout these poems the piece of art that is shown is that poetry can be considered hard work and it can be enduring. The poem "Digging,"
which is written by Seamus Heaney, the speaker/narrator describes his father's and grandfather's work in digging for the farm and how skilled they
are. Later the speaker realizes that he will never be as skilled with a spade compared to family members on the farm. The speaker intends to
become a poet and since he intends to be a poet instead of a farmer he still would like to "dig" but with his pen instead. Throughout the poem Seamus
Heaney uses plenty things of imagery. Heaney communicates the overall theme of determination, the advantages of hard work, and the importance of
loyalty to and respect for one's family. The poem "Digging" relates to the theme of art by showing that poetry can be just as hard work as working on
a potato farm and be a farmer.
The poem

Comparing Digging And Follower By Seamus Heaney Essays

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Comparing Digging And Follower By Seamus Heaney Essays