When Seamus arrived home, in the second stanza, he discovered that his house was full of strangers, and his father was crying uncontrollably. The strangers in his home whispered of him, being “the eldest” child, and shook his hand as a mark of respect. They intended to show how sorry they were for what had happened, using euphemisms like “sorry for your trouble”. A funeral had been mentioned, but at this point, it was unclear who had died, as the text is so impersonal.
As a child, Seamus found his father’s reaction surprising, as he was such a strong and unemotional man, “he had always taken funerals in his stride”. Understandably, with the death of his own son, he was broken hearted. This would be the healthy reaction of any loving father in such awful circumstances. The strangers at his home treated Seamus as the man of the house; whereas he was only a child, brought from school to an environment that did not feel like home. His father was grief stricken, but Seamus had not yet begun to grieve for his brother. It was as though he was dealing with this monumental situation, by ignoring it.
The only person acting normally in the house was the baby, who was cooing and laughing and he or she was totally oblivious to what was going on. The baby was probably enjoying seeing so many different faces, and hearing different sounds. Seamus’s mother’s reaction was different to the father’s, as she probably felt a need to stay strong for the children’s sake. She held Seamus’s hand for emotional strength; for both of them. She “coughed out angry tearless sighs”. She was probably angry at the strangers’ response to Seamus’s arrival, as he was treated as a man; not a child. The tearless sigh’s were due to her crying so much since her son’s death, and sighing almost in disbelief.
In the fifth Stanza Seamus states, “At ten o’clock the ambulance arrived, with the corpse”. The word corpse describes an un-named or impersonal feeling towards a dead person; not an appropriate description to use when describing a family member. Seamus Heaney did not acknowledge the person that has actually died, as his brother. His death became a reality when he saw him in his bedroom, lying still, a child who once had so much life to live, “ I saw him for the first time in six weeks”, now he no longer thought of him as a corpse.
The word “stanched” is used to describe the restrain of blood flows from wounds. The use of this word clearly indicated the child was involved in a horrific accident and probably suffered before his death. Seamus used the words “corpse, stanched and bandaged” in the fifth stanza, but later when he realises his brother has actually died he chooses to look at his death differently, “no gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear”. This indicates the death was quick and relatively painless. This is probably what his parents told him, as death is painful enough for grieving loved ones, without dwelling on the manner of death of such a close and loved family member. Big Jim Evans used a metaphor to describe the death as a “Hard blow”, or otherwise signifying an emotional “Hard blow” for the family.
The next morning Seamus looked at the death differently, the strangers had left his home, and time enabled him to come to terms with the death. “Next morning I went up into the room”, this sounds very impersonal until he saw his brother. Candles and snowdrops in the transferred epithet soothed the atmosphere inside the room. “He lay in the four foot box, as in his cot”, the child’s appearance changed only as he was “Paler now” and he was “Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple”. Seamus had now realised that he had lost his brother, as personal pronouns are used in the sixth stanza as he describes, “I saw him for the first time in six weeks”.
“Snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside”, the snowdrops are symbolic flowers in death as they die early in the spring, but always return annually. This can also be symbolic of a child dying so young in the bloom of life not yet fully mature. The Catholic Church also believes in resurrection of life. Candles are looked at in a similar way as they can be snuffed out, but later be re-lit to continue living or be re-born as in human life.
The personification metaphor used through the poppy bruise, described the only visible mark left on the child. The poppy flower has a black centre surrounded by bold red petals; this indicates the bruise did not have time to mature before the child died. The poem indicates he was in a road traffic accident, Seamus chose to believe this bruise was the cause of his brother’s death, as it allows grieving to become easier if his brother Christopher, whom he loved so much, died in a simplistic way. Although deep down he knew differently as when his brother first arrived home he was described as “stanched and bandaged by the nurses”, which clearly explains his death was not over quickly, as they may have tried to save his life; sometimes the truth is too hard to bear.
The last, one lined, stanza delivers “A four foot box, a foot for every year” this line alone is hard hitting and shocking, as it is only then the reader realises that the whole poem is about a child; a child that was taken so young in life, at only four years of age, still an infant. Seamus Heaney carefully chose the title and the content of the poem, so it would have this effect, as these feelings reflect his emotions at the time of his tragic loss.
The poem shows through one person’s recollection, how time and family support helped him to come to term with his brother’s death. Each individual learns to ‘cope’ with death in different ways. Looking closely at the text it can clearly be seen, how people have great difficulty in expressing sorrow and words of comfort. Big Jim a family friend supported Seamus’s father as he was heartbroken; through counselling, but resulted in using euphemism’s like “It was a hard blow”. Neighbours can offer practical support while the grieving family lives stand still. Strangers come into the family home to offer support, but can inadvertently bestow pressure through using euphemisms like “Sorry for your trouble”, and showing a sign of respect by a handshake, also being quietly spoken can once again accidentally raise the pressure within the household.
Seamus’s mother contained her emotions to be strong for his sake, later in the evening when the strangers had left the family home, Seamus’s parents could consol and comfort him by saying a little white lie, implying Christopher had died a quick and painless death “No gaudy scars the bumper knocked him clear”. Religion also plays a part in how someone ‘copes’ with death, as God can be seen as a support and a solution to such a bitterly tragic death. Seamus was brought up in a Catholic family, and the Catholic Church believes in resurrection of life after death.
The poem gives an insight into individuals’ true thoughts, feelings and emotions. Through reading “Mid Term Break by Seamus Heaney, I can empathise with him as I have experienced death in my family during my childhood, and reacted in a similar way. The poem is emotionally hard hitting, as unfortunately this tragedy can happen to any family.