There are many poetic devices in the poem “Digging” such as imagery, similes and repetition. However there are not many traditional poetic devices used in “Mum, dad and me.” And the main method James Berry uses to get across his point is by contrasting elements in his life through description.
There is repetition used in “Digging”; “By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man.” This is repetition showing tradition through the generations of his family. It shows the reader the weight of the expectations that Heaney will follow the tradition. These lines feel like there is a gap which he should be filling by following in his fathers footsteps and doing what his family want him to do.
The other example of repetition in “Digging” is the opening and ending of the poem. Both the verses start “Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests,” this is followed with different similes. At the start of the poem the pen is compared to a gun. “snug as a gun.” This simile shows the pen as solid and powerful, it brings the reader to think of it as dangerous and that it has some control over people. It is also considered a big personal decision to use a gun and a gun is also a negative image as if it is going to hurt someone.
However in the ending of the poem Heaney compares his pen to the spade of his predecessors, “The squat pen rests, I’ll dig with it.” This is a very dramatic last line and it represents Heaney’s decision to write. It contrasts with the image of the gun as it is gives the idea of something hardworking and constructive rather than dangerous.
Imagery is also used in the poem. “But I’ve no spade to follow men like that.” This puts the image in the reader’s head that Heaney is physically unable to follow the tradition of digging; he has “no spade.” This quote is also slightly wistful, it gives the reader the idea that he would follow his family expectations if he could but he is physically unable to change himself and what he is going to do with his life.
In “Mum, dad and me” the main poetic device is the contrast between Jamaica and London but also between the separate members of the family. “Dad swam in warm sea, at my age. I swim in roofed pool. Mum – she still doesn’t swim” This is a good example of the contrast the poet is trying to put across to the reader throughout the poem. It first shows Jamaica is a good and free light, the image of the sea is an endless or unlimited one. Then London is shown to be restricted through the negative image of a roofed pool which has definite boundaries and lacks freedom. The verse also shows how apart the family is through creating three separate images in the reader’s mind, of each of the family members doing different things in different places
“Digging” is written in first person using “I” , “My” and “We.” This makes the poem very personal, as though Heaney is speaking only to the reader.
“Mum, dad and me” is written in first person as it is also autobiographical and personal to the poet.
The structure of “Digging” is irregular, it has 9 verses ranging from two to five lines long. The effect of this is to isolate some of the lines giving them a higher impact on the reader. The last stanza is the most powerful, it is three lines long and the last line has only four words.
The structure of “Mum, dad and me” is also similar to “Digging” as the verses are irregular ranging from three to five lines. However “Mum, dad and me” is made up of eight verses.
The main similarity between the two poems is that the poets both want freedom. James Berry wants the freedom his parents had growing up in Jamaica and Seamus Heaney wants the freedom of writing rather than being a labourer like his father and grandfather.
The main difference between the poems is that “Digging” represents a conscious decision by Heaney whereas “Mum, dad and me” is more an observance of Berry’s life and longing for something more. “Mum, dad and me” is more open and leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions when Heaney’s “Digging” draws to a definite end.
In conclusion these poems are similar in that they are both autobiographical and show their poet’s longing for freedom. However they are very different in the types of freedom they want and whether they get it. They also show their personal searches in different ways and using different techniques.
Rebecca Rowe