Contrastingly, the poem “Mid-term Break,” portrays the true event in which the narrator, who came back from boarding school at the tender age of 14 (part child, part adult), deals with the loss of his four year old brother, Christopher. In this poem, Heaney deals with several important issues; such as time, age, family, pain, love and most of all death. Death is an awkward subject that most want to avoid in life but it is also one that dominates people lives the most, particularly for children. Moreover, although death in itself is devastating and heartbreaking, a death in childhood is particularly sad. However, there are times when unexpected death occurs, and in those times it is the victim’s family that suffers the most. This poem takes the reader along on the speaker’s journey to accepting his beloved little brother’s death. The poem ends with Heaney going to visit his brother, who was lying in his coffin in the family home before he was buried, “ no gaudy scars.” Moreover, the poem also describes Heaney dealing with both his parents’ change in reactions, “my father crying” and the embarrassment of the neighbors’ reactions, “standing up to shake my hand.” Though family, age and love seems to be opposites of death and pain, one side cannot exist without the other.
However, in “Digging” we discover more about Heaney’s past, and ultimately he unravels his own identity. Heaney through “digging” through his own family roots, comes to accept his own heritage and family traditions. Therefore, in this poem, the theme of heritage and family traditions is most apparent. The narrator describes two relationships in the poem, one between father and son and one between grandfather and grandson. The poem describes his father’s and grandfather’s work, “My father, digging,” and “my grandfather could cut more turf...” This leads Heaney to recall childhood scenes, which allows him to recover things which may have been lost in his memory, but as an adult this time. In addition, throughout the whole poem, there is a central extended metaphor of digging and roots, which shows how the poet through writing, is carrying on the family tradition, but just in a different form e.g. “the squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it.”
All three poems explore childhood experiences. In “Blackberry Picking” and “Follower,” Heaney describes some of his happy childhood memories, “lust for picking” and “loving their cool hardness in our hands.” However Heaney does not just describe happy memories in both these poems, for in “Blackberry Picking” he involves the ideas of disappointment and the hardship of growing up, “I always felt like crying.” Whereas in “Digging” he portrays his guilt that he did not follow in his father’s footsteps, “squat pen rest, as snug as a gun.” In contrast, “Mid-term Break” does not include any happy memories – only painful ones of his brother’s death e.g. “four foot box as in his cot.” Furthermore, all of the poems are written from childhood perspectives. However, “Mid-term Break” is written from a teenage viewpoint, therefore it is more cynical in its attitude and critical in tone, “tell me they were ‘sorry for my trouble.’” On the other hand, both “Blackberry Picking” and “Digging” are from a younger child’s perspective, as the attitude is more naïve and fresh – as a child’s life is full of awe and wonder, as if experiencing the world for the first time: “red ones inked up” and “squelch and slap of soggy peat.” Additionally, both “Blackberry picking” and “Digging” share the similarity that they reflect the theme of nature and Heaney’s rural upbringing, “we trekked and picked” and “scatter new potatoes that we picked.” Contradictorily, “Mid-term Break” is the opposite of “nature”, as it explores the experience of death and is set inside his home, whereas the other poems are set outdoors and have a sense of freedom. “Mid-term Break” is filled with intense feelings when compared to the other two poems. However the poem still refers to natural images, “poppy” and “snowdrops,” which again reflects Heaney’s rural upbringing.
Heaney uses language and imagery effectively in his poems to create powerful effects. His use of contrast is evident in each of the three poems. This contrast shows the development of him maturing from a child to an adult; by the end of each of the poems he has arrived at a deeper understanding of the world due to his childhood experiences. In “Mid-term Break” there is a contrast in tone of sadness to peacefulness; however in “Blackberry Picking” there is a definite division between the tone of excitement to regret and disappointment; whereas in “Digging” there is a change in tone of regret to certainty.
In “Blackberry Picking,” Heaney begins by expressing his grief when he refers to his brother’s body as a “corpse,” which suggests that the incident has not yet registered in Heaney’s mind, as the word “corpse” seems emotionally detached as if he cannot comprehend with what has happened, because it is such a tragedy. Additionally, the assonance of “at,” “ambulance,” “angry,” “arrived,” etc, increases the pace of the poem symbolising his brother’s life being cut short. However, by the end of the poem, Heaney seems to have digested what has happened and although he is still upset, his words take on a more peaceful tone. This change in tone is represented by the discourse marker, “Next,” to suggest his change in thoughts after he has had time to ponder on what has happened. Moreover, the word “snowdrops,” symbolises sadness as the drooping head of the flower represents the end of life and grieving. Interestingly, snowdrops are also the first sign of new life, indicating that both Heaney and his family believe there is a life beyond the grave. Therefore, within the poem, Heaney has developed a more mature attitude to the loss of his brother and this childhood experience has enabled him to gain control of his emotions.
Similarly, in “Blackberry Picking,” there are once again two stages to the poem (Heaney being a child and Heaney becoming an adult.) However in this poem, these two stages are represented by the two stanzas; in the first stanza it is written from a childlike viewpoint for the simplicity of the monosyllabic rhyme, “clot” and “knot” shows vocabulary is limited, suggesting that this is narrated from the point of view of a child. Another meaning could be that the rhyming couplet portrays the excitement and desire children get from simple affairs, as the words suggests the fruits were rich and enticing to look at and taste. Adults would not see the excitement in the ripening of the fruit as they have a much more cynical outlook on life, whereas, a child is innocent and naïve, and does not take life’s simple pleasures for granted. Contradictorily, the second stanza indicates Heaney becoming an adult and that the innocence and naivety which is present as a child is starting to fade, as he realises that everything does not always happen as you would like it to. This is indicated by the final rhyming couplet, “rot” and “not.” These two words portray Heaney’s despair, disappointment and painful realisation that nothing will last forever. Indisputably, the contrast of the two rhyming couplets shows the change in Heaney’s outlook on life, and the development of him as a person through his childhood: the first couplet showing innocence and the second showing maturity.
Likewise, in “Digging” as the poem develops Heaney’s views change. Despite the similarity in changes of tone/thoughts, the poem contrasts with “Blackberry picking,” for it begins with a negative tone just like in “Mid-term Break.” Initially in “Digging,” Heaney’s words are full of uncertainty and guilt for not following in his father’s footsteps, “the squat pen rests; as snug as a gun.” The metaphor “squat” can mean small, suggesting that the pen he uses to write with is inferior when compared to his father’s spade. This can mean that he feels his work is inadequate and less important in comparison to his father’s, as his father thought becoming a writer was not an “adequate” career path. Alternatively, the word “squat” could be a reference to a “squatter” which is someone who claims something which is not rightfully theirs, proposing that Heaney is following a career which is not “right” for him- he should be farming instead. Paradoxically, this is contradicted by the word “snug” as this implies that the pen fits perfectly into his hand, and that it is “right” for him to become a writer. This comparison hints that Heaney is unsure that he is pursuing the right career. On top of this, the word “gun” indicates that by choosing to become a writer, Heaney destroyed the tradition of family farmers, as a gun is a symbol of destruction. Although, Heaney feels guilty about “destroying” the family tradition, by the end of the poem Heaney has matured and realised that he is not a farmer and that becoming a writer is the correct choice for him. At the end of the poem Heaney repeats the first two phrases again but changes the last phrase to “I’ll dig with it.” This metaphor suggests he will carry on the family tradition in a different form; he will dig his thoughts, childhood memories and his past with his pen, rather than digging the ground. Additionally, this phrase sounds assertive implying he is determined to persue his chosen career – there is no uncertainty which was present at the beginning of the poem. Heaney no longer has any guilt or ill feeling as he has replaced the image of the “gun” to a “spade.” Once again, the contrast in feelings between the beginning of the poem to the end, emphasizes how his views changed as he matured.
Another way Heaney uses language and imagery to contribute to the overall meaning of the poem, is by using similes, metaphors and sensory descriptions. All of these literary devices are evident in each of the three poems. Each poem contains alliteration; however the device is used to give a sense of negativity in the poems. In “Mid-term Break” the plosive alliteration implies death, “classes to a close” which emphasises the sombre beat of the bell - this foreshadows the devastating news later on in the poem. Additionally, in “Blackberry Picking” the fricative alliteration implies the repulsive change in the fruit, “filled we found a fur, a rat-grey fungus.” This is ironic because Mother Nature has got her own back, as Heaney was greedy for picking so many berries for his own pleasure, so now she has taken them away from him. Moreover, in “Digging” Heaney uses sibilant and plosive alliteration to suggest the hardship of digging and farming, “spade sinks into gravelly ground” these words suggest the harsh sounds of digging.
Furthermore, in both “Blackberry Picking” and “Digging” a metaphor is used to also give a negative vibe. In “Blackberry Picking” the metaphor “burned” symbolises sin, destruction and hell, which emphasises how greedy Heaney was being by “picking” so many berries. Likewise, in “Digging” the pun used as a metaphor, “living roots awaken in my head,” shows Heaney still feels guilty about not following in the family tradition. The pun also suggest that This is very different to the use of the metaphor in “Mid-term Break,” as the device is used in a poetic and soothing way, “poppy bruise.” The poppy is a traditional symbol of death, yet this metaphor is used to suggest that his brother is no longer in pain as the poppy contains opiate which is a substance that soothes distress and pain. On the other hand, it can also be used to imply that Heaney’s brother is at peace, because this phrase is romantic as although his brother is dead, he is beautiful and not disfigured.
In addition to this, the simile in both “Mid-term Break” and “Digging” is used to imply certainty and comfort; however the simile in “Digging” can also be a symbol of greed and destruction like in “Blackberry Picking.” The simile in “Mid-term Break,” ‘as in his cot,’ implies that the boy is sleeping innocently, and that Heaney has come to understand that his brother is at peace. Likewise, in “Digging,” the words “as snug as a gun,” seems to mean that the pen fits perfectly into his hand suggesting it is right for him to become a writer, yet alternatively the image of “as a gun” implies the destruction his chosen career made on the family tradition of farmers. This could suggest his greed and guilt for doing what he wanted to do, not what others wanted. This interpretation is similar to meaning of the simile in “Blackberry Picking,” as once again it is a symbol of greed and sin, “like a plate of eyes.” This suggests he feels guilty, for he feels the “blackberries” are watching his sinful/greedy actions.
Another way Heaney expresses his feelings and thoughts in each of the poems is through sensory description. In both “Blackberry Picking” and “Mid-term Break” there are contrasting changes in senses. For example in “Blackberry Picking” at the beginning the descriptions are positive; “ate,” “sweet,” “stains,” which implies an excitement for picking and eating the berries, whereas by the end of the poem the senses are used to suggest repulsion; “ stinking,” “sour” and “smelt of rot.” However, this is not the case in “Mid-term Break.” Although the senses change through the poem, they change from unsettling to soothing sounds, unlike in “Blackberry Picking.” At the beginning of the poem the sensory description, “knelling” implies death, as bells ring at funerals. Moreover, “cooed” and “laughed” suggest ignorance and awkwardness as the baby is oblivious to what is going on. This brings a horrible realisation that life goes on, and that we must learn to accept devastation in life as we grow older. However, towards the end of the poem, the sensory description change to give a more soothing tone; “held my hand.” This gives a sense of hope as although Heaney’s family may have suffered from a great loss, they still have each other. The contrasting senses in both of these poems, once again implies Heaney’s maturity from changing from a child to becoming an adult.
On the other hand, the poem “Digging” does not have this change in sensory description, as the descriptions describe the hardship and work of farming, which is very different to “Blackberry Picking” and “Mid-term Break.” Therefore, the descriptions, “rasping sound,” “cool hardness” “cold smell” “squelch and sap of soggy peat,” are reflective and reminiscent of the work Heaney remembers being done on the family farm during his childhood.
Finally, Heaney changes his form and rhythm in each of the three poems to create different effects. In “Mid-term break” there is an irregular iambic rhythm as the stress falls on the second syllable, “I sat all morning in the college sick bay.” This creates the effect of natural speech, making it seem as though the poet it talking to the reader as if they were a friend – this suggests that Heaney is divulging a personal experience to the reader. Additionally, the poem contains enjambment, “held my hand – in hers.” This again creates the effect of natural speech. Furthermore, the poem contains occasional half rhymes yet the fact that Heaney does not rhyme in the middle section of the poem, which shows that Heaney is struggling control his emotions. However, the rhyming couplet at the end of the poem, “clear,” and “year,” suggests Heaney has managed to come to terms with what has happened, yet the short hard-hitting conclusion emphasises how the boy’s life has been cut short. This gives us the impression that nothing lasts forever, and that we should treasure every memory we have from childhood all the way through to adulthood. Likewise, in “Blackberry Picking,” Heaney uses a rhythm that mostly resembles natural speech; he uses an iambic pentameter to make it seem Heaney is directly addressing the reader. However, in this poem the rhythm may also resemble the rhythm of a heart beat emphasising the presence of Mother Nature in the poem. This corresponds to the semantic field in the poem, where Heaney personifies the berries to resemble human body parts, “flesh,” “blood,” “tongue” and “eyes.”
Similarly, the poem “Digging” also contains enjambment like in “Mid-term Break.” However, this time the device is used to show a time shift, “I look down/Till his…” This shows how times have changed over the years and shows the different perspectives he had as a child compared to when he is an adult. Moreover, the poem has an irregular rhyme scheme similar to the previous two poems. However, the first two verses set up an expectation that there will be a regular rhyme scheme although this changes from verse three onwards. This mirrors the way that Heaney went against the expectation in choosing to become a writer, not a farmer. Furthermore, the verses are also irregular in terms of number of lines. This irregularity reflects his fluctuating emotions in the poem (guilt to content) and also shows Heaney has broken a pattern in not following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. Although, the first and last verse are very similar which gives the poem a circular structure, as Heaney thinks he hasn’t broken the family pattern as his writing has substituted for the digging.
In conclusion, from reading each of the poems, “Mid-term Break,” “Blackberry Picking” and “Follower,” I believe I have discovered a great deal about Heaney and his childhood. Although, his childhood experiences are different to ours today, as he was born in a different era, I can still learn from his experiences and relate them to my own life - which will help me to grow as a person. The poem I found most thought provoking was “Blackberry Picking” as the message that nothing lasts forever surprised me and made me realise that you should never take anything for granted:
“Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.”
Bibliography
- A worksheet on Seamus Heaney’s Life
