Discuss the view that S.H's poems are dull, boring and reflect his own issues. When we started studying Seamus Heaney poems in class, the first poem we read seemed pointless

‘Mid-Term Break’ is a sad, upsetting poem about Seamus Heaney’s younger brothers death as a child. In the poem he describes things and writes his thoughts as though he is his younger self again, e.g. “…In the porch I met my father crying…” I like this poem more than any of the others because it is simple yet as you read it, you see it is a lot deeper and though provoking. Seamus Heaney seems to have written this poem as though he was detached from the scene and was merely reporting a tragic story. In his writing he describes no emotion, just fact. As I read this poem it made me look beneath the surface of the story and little description and see what was really going on. Seamus Heaney doesn’t tell us all the facts but lets us work it out for ourselves. I prefer poems like this and ones that are sad or upsetting because they have more depth and meaning than an old man whining about his nature filled past. ‘Follower’ is another poem by Seamus Heaney that is unlike his others.

In ‘Follower’ Seamus Heaney writes about his Father. He describes the swelling pride he had for his hard working Dad and how much he someday had wanted to take his place. This poem also shows that this is a big reason why he may hate his past and the nature he remembers in his memories. His Father was manly and had had to work hard all his life on the farm and it was Seamus Heaney’s duty to carry on with the family tradition and look after the farm when he was older. Yet as Seamus Heaney grew up he no longer wanted to work on the farm, he became a poet. Becoming a poet was something that his Father frowned upon. Being a poet is not manly, like working on the farm. In the second to last verse of ‘Follower’ he tells us as a child he wanted to be just like his Dad e.g. “…I wanted to grow up and plough…” but then in the last verse it switches from the past to the present. He tells us that now it is his Father being a nuisance and stumbling behind him e.g. “…It is my Father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away…” because he never became the son he wanted him to be.