Compare and contrast the way in which Seamus Heaney and D.H Lawrence describe childhood memories and feelings

Authors Avatar

Poetry Coursework Essay

Compare and contrast the way in which Seamus Heaney and D.H Lawrence describe childhood memories and feelings.

Both Seamus Heaney and D.H Lawrence wrote frequently about their childhood experiences and feelings. This is especially true for the poems; ‘Mid-Term Break’ and ‘The Early Purges’ by Seamus Heaney, as well as ‘Piano’ and “Discord in Childhood’ by D.H Lawrence. There is no doubt the writers’ backgrounds definitely had an impact on these poems, as there are clear associations with their own lives. Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in Northern Ireland, at the start of World War II. This would have meant Heaney had to grow up in times of War, a difficult experience in itself. His family were Catholic and he was the eldest of 9 children. Heaney grew up on a farm in the countryside, where his father used traditional farming methods as a way of keeping family tradition, although Heaney himself chose not to become a farmer, perhaps breaking the tradition. Heaney reminisces about rural life on the farm in ‘The Early Purges’. At the age of 12 his parents send him to a boarding school, away from his family, which is mentioned in ‘Mid-Term Break’.

David Herbert Lawrence, commonly known as D.H Lawrence, was born in 1885 in Nottinghamshire, many years before Heaney. Lawrence was one of five children and his father was a miner so didn’t make a lot of money. His father was also a heavy drinker, leading to violence, which is one of the themes of ‘Discord in Childhood’. Lawrence’s mother, on the contrary, was a schoolteacher until she had children and was therefore intellectually superior to her husband, possibly causing more problems within the relationship. Lawrence despised his father, though had a good relationship with his mother, who encouraged him to read and write. Unfortunately his mother died in 1910 from an illness that she could no longer bear. Lawrence recalls the love he had for his mother in ‘Piano’. Nevertheless, his childhood was still dominated by poverty and problems in the family.

In ‘Mid-Term Break’ Heaney casts his mind back to his first experience of death, the devastating memory of his younger brother being killed in a car accident. Our first expectations, from looking only at the title itself, are of something pleasant, as usually breaks away from school are associated with holidays and happy memories. However this is not the case, and in fact we later find out that this break is not for a joyful occasion at all, but for the death of his brother. This gives the reader a false sense on security, so that when the true meaning of the poem is realised, it shocks the reader much more than if a sense of sorrow had already been hinted at in the title.

The first verse immediately gives the reader the sense that this is an especially personal poem for Heaney, as it is in 1st person narrative. We also get the impression that he has been isolated and left on his own, away from everybody, as he has been left to sit “in college sick bay”. This could well be because many people do not know what to say to a person who is dealing with the death of a loved one, so feel it is best if they were just left alone. It is from the word “knelling” we get the sense of a funeral, as this literally means to ring slowly and solemnly, especially at a funeral. Heaney also includes alliteration on the words “classes” and “close” for additional effect. In the last line of the verse again we get a feeling that everything around him is impersonal, as now, instead of his parents or any relatives at all, his “neighbours drove me home.” This could be because his parents are too busy or for many other reasons, but nevertheless it definitely gives the poem an impersonal feel.

In the second verse we instantly get a sensation of shock from seeing his father crying, since it is unusual to witness any man crying, let alone your own father. This may possibly be the first time in his life he has seen his father crying, in which case it would be even more of a shock. The next line, “He had always taken funerals in his stride” adds to the agonizing shock both the reader and the boy must feel, and emphasises the seriousness of the situation. This is accentuated again when it says, “And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow,” because obviously he is not a close family member, so if he is upset again it shows how serious it is. Furthermore, his nickname as “Big” Jim Evans gives the impression he shouldn’t be affected by the loss. The words “hard blow” could also have a double meaning, as in hindsight it could be interpreted as the hard blow the car gave to his brother.

Join now!

In the third verse the words “cooed and laughed and rocked” give us the impression of innocence, as the baby is oblivious to what is going on around him and is therefore incongruous with its surroundings. Heaney then has to take on a role reversal, as he himself is forced to grow up and pretend to be older than he is, even though he is not ready for it. We can see this as he is “embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand”. In the fourth verse there is then the euphemism “sorry for my trouble”, a ...

This is a preview of the whole essay