Poetry analysis of Mid-Term break by Seamus Heaney
The title ‘Mid term break’ gives us the disillusion that the poem is going to be an upbeat poem; we associate it about a holiday away from the stresses of school. The opening stanza upsets out expectations as it has a melancholy tone and the usage of rather pessimistic words such as ‘close’ and ‘sick’. The sounds of the words also contribute to the negative theme, as they are heavy, depressing and slow sounds like ‘all’, ‘college’, ‘bell’, ‘knell’. The poet describes the bells ‘knelling’, which is significant as it give us the image of church bells. In the first stanza it is not clear what exactly has happened yet, you just think that the poet is merely sick.
In the second stanza we realise that some one has died but it is not clear who just yet. The poet describes the reactions of the people around him like his father and uncle. The poet uses ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds which gives the impression of being out of breath and shocked. I think that the boy would feel rather confused and shocked by there behaviour as he is not used to them reacting in this way, as men are usually less emotional, more strong and controlled.
In the third stanza there is an ironic description of a baby cooing and laughing in its pram, I think in away the poet uses this image to juxtapose the baby’s innocent actions to his own, as he is feeling bewildered and confused and cannot relate to the situation. ‘I was embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand’, this quote shows how immature the poet is and it also shows how there is a reverse of roles here, as usually young boys give respect to older men, whereas now, the poet is receiving the respect.
In the fourth stanza we find out that the poet is the eldest and goes to boarding school. This contributes to the poet’s lack of being able to relate to the situation as he is not normally at home so perhaps he does not seem his family relating this way and so it must come to him as a shock. ‘My mother held my hand’ this line is important as it shows how vulnerable the mother are feeling, its as if she is trying to hold him so that he too will not leave her. Here again there is a reverse of roles, as boy is taking a parental role
In stanza five the stanched and bandaged body arrives. The mother’s tears are also being stanched in this stanza, with anger. The mother and fathers reactions have also been reversed in a way as normally it the woman who is crying, and the man that is controlled.
In stanza six the poet describes the room where body rests, ‘snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside’ this line shows that perhaps the household is catholic. The death must have happened during the Easter term because snowdrops blossom during spring; the time of Easter.
In stanza seven we finally find out how the child died-in a car accident, ‘the bumper knocked him clear’ This stanza is rather different from the descriptions the day before as it is more intimate, and it is as if it is just him and the body whereas before it was as if he was more concerned with the all the visitors and reactions of everyone else. For the first time in the whole poem the poet uses imagery ‘a poppy bruise’, this image is very powerful as it gives us a picture of the severity of the bruise
The last stanza is shocking and brief and effective; we find out that the child was only four years old, ‘a four foot box, a foot for every year’. We also are given an impression of speechlessness and brings the poem to its climax.
The speaker in this poem is a young boy and to purvey this, the poet writes in very simple free verse.