Heaney uses a relatively simple structure in this poem, and it can clearly be split into two sections. In the first section, Heaney describes how the frogs would spawn in the lint hole, and him collecting the spawn. He also talks of how his teacher encouraged his childish interest in the process. In the second section, Heaney outlines how the frogs, in huge numbers, had taken over the flax-dam, wanting revenge on him, to punish him for his naïve crime. These two sections show very well how through this experience, a young Heaney grew up and lost some of his innocence, yet gained knowledge.
The poem is set out in two sections of blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter lines. The use of sounds in this poem is key, and onomatopoeia is applied very effectively, as seen in, “gargled”, “slap and plop” and “farting”. Heaney also uses sounds as he describes the frogs, ready to attack “a coarse croaking”, which is contrasted very well with the “strong gauze of sound” in the first section of the poem.
Heaney conjures up strong images throughout the poem, such as “their loose necks [which] pulsed like sails”, and “frogspawn that grew like clotted water”. The effect of this imagery is to firstly show Heaneys innocence at the beginning of the poem, and also to show how his view of the frogs changed throughout, as he gained an understanding. This also helps to show how the tone of the poem changes from the first section to the second and the use of “Then” at the beginning of the second section shows that a change has occurred.
Since Heaneys first collection of poetry, Death of a Naturalist, he has developed as a poet, which is evident in his collection of poems, Wintering out. The Tollund man is an example of this development, and is one of the poems about ‘the bog people’ that Heaney chose to write about. Heaney was inspired after seeing a photograph of the Tollund man, whom was found, preserved in a bog in Aarhus, Denmark.
There is a strong theme of religion running through this poem, as The Tollund man was sacrificed to a religion that is much older and darker than Christianity. Heaney talks about the “bridegroom to the goddess”, and this shows that in this religion, the sacrificing of bodies was common. This could also be linked to Heaney’s personal religion, as in Northern Ireland; people were killed against their will, due to the troubles between the Protestants and the Catholics. Heaney talks about “Those dark juices working him to a saints kept body”, showing that this body has been preserved in the same way as a saints body would have been. In the Catholic religion, saint’s bodies are said not to decay. Heaney suggests turning to an alternative religion when he says, “I could risk blasphemy, the cauldron bog our holy ground and pray.” He is contemplating worshipping the bog, instead of his own religion. However, Heaney acknowledges his own guilt for suggesting this idea, as he refers to it as “blasphemy”.
The theme of politics can also be seen through the poem, as Heaney describes the sacrificial killings of Iron Age, and compares these to the killings at the time of writing, in Northern Ireland. He shows that violence is always occurring, and that human nature has not really changed, as people are still being killed over religion, and their beliefs.
There is a common link with all of Heaney’s poetry, which is the theme of Irish History. This was seen in Heaney’s first collection of poetry, “Death of a Naturalist” and seen in the poem of the same name. In this poem, the theme has developed and is more subtle, yet at the end of the poem, Heaney says, “Out here in Jutland in the old man-killing parishes I will feel lost, unhappy, and at home.” Heaney emphasises with the Tollund man and can recognise traces of this sacrificial killing in his own society and religion.
The structure of the poem is split into three sections, with he first section concentrating on the appearance of Tollund Man whose violent death was a sacrifice to a goddess of fertility. The poem then moves on, and Heaney develops another meaning, as he imagines how the Tollund man may feel. Heaney believes the events, which he may have witnessed, would make him feel at home in both places.
He describes the bog itself as the goddess at one point, when he says, “she tightened her torc on him”. Although it is likely the Tollund man was sacrificed to a Goddess, the bog is personified, and the action is described as a ritual marriage.
Heaney also uses very descriptive language when talking about the Tollund mans appearance at the beginning of the poem. “Peat brown head” is used to show the colour and also the texture of the man, and here Heaney uses images from his own background (peat) to help him describe his appearance. He extends this and continues to use images from the natural world, when he talks about the “pods of his eye lids”, which shows the rounded shape of his eyes when closed.
He uses sounds to show the pace at some points in the poem, such as when he describes standing “a long time”, and the long vowel sounds echoes the meaning. It also shows how mesmerised Heaney is by this Bog person as he cannot help but stare. This sound is much subtler than the onomatopoeia seen in Death of a Naturalist, yet works just as effectively.
In conclusion, it is clear that as a poet, Heaney has developed from his first collection of poetry, written in 1966,to the collection named Wintering out in 1972. I feel his style has become subtler and he has chosen to move away slightly from the conventions of poetry, such as rhythm and rhyme. His themes have also varied throughout the collection, yet it is clear one ongoing theme will be the history of Northern Ireland, and his own religion. Death of a naturalist was the starting point of his collection of poetry, and effectively developed the themes that remain prominent in his later collections.
