Heaney's poems explore by varied poetic means the enduring significance of family and childhood in human life. Discuss.

The second poem that I have chosen to explore is ‘Personal Helicon’, which is also from Heaney’s first collection, ‘Death of Naturalist’.  This poem contains many double meanings.  On the surface, it would appear as if Heaney is reflecting on his favourite pastime as a child, which was playing with water and wells.  This, indeed, is true, but he is also using the theme to talk about writing poetry.  The word “Helicon” in the title refers to a place in ancient Greece where there are springs that supposedly give inspiration to anyone that drinks there.  This suggests that, for Seamus Heaney, the memories of his childhood and his love for water and wells are his personal inspiration for his poetry.  It is also an interesting choice of word because both sources of inspiration are associated with water.  “So deep you saw no reflection in it” describes one particular well that Heaney encountered as a child.  However, the image of the bottomless well also portrays what a poem is like, filled with different meanings.  A further example of a double meaning can be found in the line, “A white face hovered over the bottom”.  This refers to the literal reflection of Heaney that could be seen in the water, but could also mean that he is always evident in his poems; each poem connects in some way with the poet, no matter what the theme is.  An important poetic device that the poet uses in ‘Personal Helicon’ is highly expressive and vivid language, which helps the reader to envision exactly what the wells were like.  Good examples of this are “fungus”, “dank moss” and “finger slime”, which all conjure up wonderful, yet repulsive images of exactly what wells are like and the enjoyment that children find in wet, dirty places.  Heaney has also incorporated a clever metaphor into the poem, which is “the trapped sky”.  The sky is obviously not trapped within the well in a physical sense, but it appears to be due to its reflection in the water at the bottom of the well.  The last two lines of ‘Personal Helicon’ are extremely significant, as they represent the motivation behind Heaney’s poetry and illustrate exactly what he is like.

“I rhyme to see myself, to set the darkness echoing.”

This would imply that Seamus Heaney writes poetry in order to discover himself and approach subjects that cannot be approached in any other way.  A critic once proposed that the “darkness” refers to the unknown, the things that remain hidden, concepts that have not been brought into the light and expressed in words. Whether it is personal fears or social and political injustices, poetry is a medium to bring these unspoken attitudes and opinions to the world, and to make them “echo” and resound with force.  The mention of the word, “darkness” also links in with Heaney’s next book, entitled “Door into the Dark”, suggesting that he was very insecure and apprehensive about his ‘debut’ collection of poems and how successful it would be.  Overall, ‘Personal Helicon’ gives the reader an insight into Seamus Heaney’s childhood and the features of rural Ireland, and shows, similarly to the previous poem, what effects childhood experiences can have on a person’s later life.

The final poem that I have chosen to study is ‘The Other Side’ from Heaney’s third poetry collection, ‘Wintering Out’.  This poem chronicles the poet’s childhood experiences of the vast divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and tells the story of a Catholic family (Heaney’s family) and a Protestant neighbour living on the other side of the stream.  Heaney uses a great deal of religious imagery within this poem, perhaps in order to reinforce the theme of religious divide.  A good example of this is, “‘It’s poor as Lazarus, that ground’”.  Lazarus is the name of a poor man in the bible, so this is a clever simile that not only depicts the poor quality of Heaney’s farmland, but also underpins the overall theme of the poem.  There are a number of other religious images within the poem also.  “That tongue of chosen people” is a reference to Protestants and the fact that they are supposed to speak “properly” and in a superior manner to Catholics.  “Chosen people” is a biblical image and “promised furrows” links in with the bible and the idea of the “promised land”.  “Tares” is another word used in the poem that suggests religious significance, as in the bible, these were weeds that the enemy deliberately planted to ruin others’ crops.  Another interesting simile within this poem is, “as if party to lovemaking or a stranger’s weeping”.  This is an excellent use of imagery, as it really portrays to the reader the extent of the neighbour’s embarrassment at having interrupted Heaney’s family’s prayers.  Another poetic device used in the poem is onomatopoeia, shown through the expression “moan of prayers”.  The word “moan” really does sound like the chanting of prayers often heard in churches, as it is a rather extended, droning word, reflecting what the prayers were like.  To conclude, ‘The Other Side’ depicts the significance of family and childhood experiences, as Heaney has undoubtedly gained much inspiration from his memories of the division between religions in Ireland when he was a child.

Overall, it is evident that a number of Heaney’s poems explore the enduring significance of family and childhood in human life, as he openly acquires a good deal of inspiration from his early years.  Within these poems, he uses various poetic devices as a means of expressing memories, feelings and objects in a highly vivid and engaging way.  His fascinating and intelligent use of language is certainly at the forefront of all of his poems, whether it is shown through imagery, onomatopoeia or realistic descriptions.  Heaney once said that, ‘Words themselves are doors’, suggesting that they can open up new ways of understanding, expressing and interpreting situations and feelings.