Heaney describes the bare ground, the sea and the wind.
Heaney describes the island as ‘wizened’, which once again reinforces the idea that this is not the first time that it has happened. There is also an oxymoron ‘Exploding comfortably’ this conveys the idea that they are dangerous but they are at a safe enough distance away to be unthreatening.
Similarly, in the poem ‘Patrolling Barnegat’: by Walt Whitman.
The poem is set on a beach on a stormy night. Someone is walking alone along the beach. Once again the title, Patrolling gives the impression of a military operation. The poem is written in the present tense. This gives us a sense of immediacy: the events are being described to us moment by moment and we feel the uncertainty of the poet. This adds to the drama- we don’t know what is going to happen. There is a lot of repetition in the poem. Sometimes single words are repeated ‘Wild, wild the storm’ - sometimes whole phrases ‘milk-white combs careering’. This gives extra emphasis to words, and underlines the fact the waves keep coming. Alliteration is used to powerfully suggest the various sounds of the storm: ‘piercing and pealing’, ‘beachy slush and sand spirts of snow’. Is it the sounds of the gale whipping along the beach that is producing the Shouts of demoniac laughter? Demons are associated with the devil, so the suggestion is that the beach is like Hell.
Waves, air, midnight are seen as the savagest trinity. The three elements work together to create an evil atmosphere. In Christianity the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost is an image of God's heavenly power. This savage Trinity, however, is Hellish (echoes ‘demoniac laughter’ from the previous line).
Both poems are from a personal viewpoint. Both poems are about a storm at sea. Yet Whitman is Patrolling the beach, almost participating in the storm, while Heaney is prepared, protected in his house.
Heaney uses a – ‘Spits like a tamed cat turned savage’ - to describe the wild sea; Whitman uses images that are even more menacing, like ‘Shouts of demoniac laughter’.
Heaney describes the wind attacking – ‘We are bombarded by the empty air’. Whitman uses another military image – ‘Watchful and firm advancing’ - to describe the force of the wind. Both images portray the wind as the enemy.
