Seamus Heaney starts the poem by creating a rather peaceful or happy picture. He says that it is “Late August”, and that gives the reader the imagery of summer. Summertime is a joyous time for children and even adults. Through the first lines, the author creates a rhythm for picking berries. Seamus Heaney describes the first berry as being “glossy”. This word creates an image of a shiny and sleek berry that only enhances the appearance of the berry to the child. It is described as a sweet thing that you would want to eat right away. Seamus Heaney uses diction very effectively. The child in the poem ate the first berry and thought that its “flesh was sweet”. The word “flesh” is a very strong word, and when used to describe the skin of the berry, it creates a different image in your mind. One could say that the word brings out the importance of the berry to the reader. When the author describes the taste of the berry as “thickened wine”, the reader can actually taste the berry itself and its sweet juices. The reader experiences what the child must have been experiencing. The word “thickened” was chosen as a way to describe the rich flavor of the berry. Thinking of the juice as “summer’s blood” expresses the hope of the boy. He sees the berry as summers life and soul. The berry is cheering up the boy and actually making him happy. One the juice left “stains upon the tongue” the boy thought that was all there was ever going to be. He had gotten a “lust for picking” and he thought that the experience would be wonderful all the time. This is another example of the undying thirst for something. The lust of picking is somewhat like the goal of the child. They just want to just keep on picking.
As the poem moved along, the rhythm of picking berries comes into full view. The berries were so tempting to pick that the child ran home and came out with “milk cans, pea tins jam pots” so he could collect the berries. The “wet grass bleached our (their) boots” as they were walking. This reminds the reader of the joyous event of walking and lying in the green grass. At this moment, the phrase “the grass is greener on the other side” does not apply to these children. To them, the grass is green not on the other side, but right under them. They are living the moment thinking it is always going to be like this. Also, the child did not walk around picking berries, he “trekked”. This is a very intentional choice of wording as it symbolizes the journey of the child picking berries. To the child, it is not just a regular day, but in fact a journey.
Near the end of the first stanza, foreshadowing sets up the disappointment of childhood, and the tone changes. The hands of the children are pricked with thorns. This image is different from that of merrily picking berries. Along with this, an allusion is put into play. The children compare their hands to that of Bluebeard’s. Bluebeard was a king who murdered his wives. One day is latest wife found the room where he kept all of them, and got Bluebeard killed. The relation of the children to that of Bluebeard shows that the happy berry picking moment is turning bad. Their hands are stained red from the juice. The sweet grapes are turning sour.
In the last stanza, the children face the disappointments that the author was trying to say through his poem. When the berries are “hoarded into the byre”, the whole experience of the berry picking comes to a halt. They find a fungus on their berries, and they suddenly lost all the joy they had before. Now, even the “juice was stinking”, and the “flesh would turn sour”. It seems that because of all that joy they had was brought to a halt instantly. At this moment, the reality hits them. The child even “felt like crying” and that “it wasn’t fair”. Maybe it isn’t fair. The whole idea of looking at something special to you and then seeing your hopes crash down does not seem fair. This is what Seamus Heaney was trying to portray about life and childhood.
“Blackberry-Picking” is a poem that may be interpreted other ways. In the end, the poem is about life, and in this case one of a child, and his or her hope that they hold. Eventually, what the child thought to be perfect will turn around and may disappoint them. In the last line, it is said that the child knew that the berry would not keep, but he still hoped they would. This is the type of undying hope that keeps a child going. He may know the end, but is still optimistic. The phrase “if at first you do not succeed, pick yourself up and try again” can be seen differently in this situation. On one hand, the kid is optimistic and keeps going back and picking the berries, but he has a innocent side that thinks that it may turn out and stay good, however, this may not happen and the child will be disappointed.