Death of a Naturalist - Heaney
This poem is a fertile mixture of imagery, sounds and an impression created by nature on a person's mind. Heaney sensualises an outstanding feel of the physical wonders of nature. As he wanders along the pathways of salient discovery, Heaney's imagination bursts into life. This poem is actually very ironic, in its whole, as Heaney effectively carves a mountain out of a molehill of the episode about the frogs, a product of his enticing figments. In the first section of 'Death of a Naturalist', the child is entuned with the nature around him and vivid images of him revelling in the sensual pleasures of life are abundant. Bubbles 'gargling' on stagnant water and the 'warm thick slobber' of frogspawn fascinated him. The imagery here indicates that Heaney feels pride in being able to be so close-up to nature and his immersion with nature, without, in anyway, being fastidious about it. Heaney is at this stage of life, innocent and gullible. He imagines the opposing impulses of the bluebottles, which weave a 'strong gauze of sound around the smell' (in connection with the delicacy of the bubbles). The omnipresence of the sounds, smell and thoughts (???) typifies a powerful imagination and this confirms to us, the readers, the positive, free roaming and un-questioning attitude to nature and life possessed by a young child. There is, to a degree, some symbolism in this poem. Heaney,
What influence of history can be seen in Seamus Heaney's work?
Polly Jackman, 12SAM What influence of history can be seen in Seamus Heaney's work? In Requiem for the Croppies Heaney writes specifically about an historic event, but he also uses different forms of history such as mythological and personal in his poetry. Although Requiem for the Croppies is written about a past event, the Battle of Vinegar Hill, Heaney uses 'We moved quick and sudden in our own country' to produce the idea that he was with the 'people, hardly marching', that he was a part of them. These words also give rise to the idea that when Heaney writes about the Battle of Vinegar Hill he also refers to the continuing troubles in Ireland, which he most definitely is involved in. This poem is steeped in history; Heaney describes things, as they were then; 'The pockets of our greatcoats full of barley-'. As he writes here it seems factual writing, as though having 'barley' to eat is a normal thing. When Heaney writes 'No kitchens on the run, no striking camp-' the misery and wanting these men had to go through becomes clear. It appears that the men were living hand to mouth, fighting for their own country which, paradoxically they had to move 'quick and sudden' in. Even though they had been born into Ireland and had it's ancestral roots, it was they who were scared and ran, not the invaders. Again Heaney reiterates that he was involved in this Battle, by writing 'We
Casualty, Limbo, Graubelle Man, Tollund Man, Mid-Term Break and Funeral Rites offer us varying representations, interpretations of and attitudes towards death.Compare Heaney’s poetic treatment of this theme across the poems.
Casualty, Limbo, Graubelle Man, Tollund Man, Mid-Term Break and Funeral Rites offer us varying representations, interpretations of and attitudes towards death. Compare Heaney's poetic treatment of this theme across the poems. Murderous, entrenched, complex - the Northern Ireland conflict seems to defy rational discourse. But from the contradictions and tensions has sprung some remarkable art, not least the poetry of the Troubles, now widely recognised as among the most vibrant contemporary writing in the English language. Through the six poems mentioned the theme of death is very prominent. We start with "Tollund Man" and "Grauballe Man". In these two poems Heaney portrays the deaths as a tragedy, but opposed to his other poems, he refers hear mainly to the physical appearance of the bodies. In "Tollund Man" he starts the poem with a very vivid, striking description of the body, and expresses his desired pilgrimage. Heaney focus' mainly on the period after death in this poem and describes how its miraculous preservation has made it seem to become one with the earth "she tightened her torc on him". Heaney seems in awe of the 'corpse', which after death the body has taken on a Christ like appearance "I could risk blasphemy". This death does not have any direct relation, as such, to Heaney, and therefore does not have the same sort of heartfelt mourning. None the less Heaney
Heaney has referred to the ancient tribal practices as "providing imaginative parallels to modern Irish politics" Examine punishment and two other poems in light of this statement.
Heaney has referred to the ancient tribal practices as "providing imaginative parallels to modern Irish politics" Examine punishment and two other poems in light of this statement. Heaney has a great love and respect for the landscape and its history and how is comparable to modern life. A popular device of his is to use the "bog people" to reflect the crisis in Ireland at the time of his writing. This brings forward many motifs such as the idea that people never change or the as humans we are at harmony with nature. In punishment Heaney skilfully compares a sacrificed women preserved in a bog since the Iron Age with the punishment to one of many anonymous young catholic Irish women dated English protestant soldiers in Ireland. The poem starts with vivid description of the sacrifice of the Danish Iron Aged women. Heaney uses emphatic language to evoke the listeners' sympathy and invite them into this act. By saying "I can feel" the listener too feels the pain of the atrocity and can then realise the stark similarity to the punishment in Ireland. Heaney emphasises the beauty of femininity writing that the wind "blows her nipples to amber beads". This line makes the listener feel the human aspect of the poem and its relevance within today's society it also creates a motif of human frailty that is carried on in the next line as the wind literally "shakes (her)
Revison notes on the key themes and comparisons in Seamus Heaney poems
Key themes and comparative quotes for each poem Digging – identity, admiration, hardwork, childhood and memory Techniques used in digging . Enjambment - It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it moves over the next line. For example, “The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head.” 2. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five 3. 4. senses. For example, “Between my finger and my thumb”, “The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft” and “The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap.” 5. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /e/ in “The squat pen rests; snug as a gun” and the sound of /ea/ in “Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods”. 6. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /l/ in “The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap” and the sound of /ng/ in “Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods.” 7. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions. For example, the sound of /t/ in “He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep” and the sound of
Death of a Naturalist
Death of a Naturalist This poem is similar to Blackberry-Picking in its subject and structure - here, too, Heaney explains a change in his attitude to the natural world, in a poem that falls into two parts, a sort of before and after. But here the experience is almost like a nightmare, as Heaney witnesses a plague of frogs like something from the Old Testament. You do not need to know what a flax-dam is to appreciate the poem, as Heaney describes the features that are relevant to what happened there - but you will find a note below. Click here to see this explanation. The poem's title is amusingly ironic - by a naturalist, we would normally mean someone with expert scientific knowledge of living things and ecology (what we once called natural history), someone like David Attenborough, Diane Fossey (of Gorillas in the Mist fame) or Steve Irwin (who handles dangerous snakes). The young Seamus Heaney certainly was beginning to know nature from direct observation - but this incident cut short the possible scientific career before it had ever got started. We cannot imagine real naturalists being so disgusted by a horde of croaking frogs. The poem has a fairly simple structure. In the first section, Heaney describes how the frogs would spawn in the lint hole, with a digression into his collecting the spawn, and how his teacher encouraged his childish interest in the process. In
Blackberry-Picking
BLACKBERRY-PICKING By Seamus Heaney Blackberry picking is about greed, growing up, how we struggle in life and how pleasure can be taken away from us very quickly. Heaney writes retrospectively, about the times he as a child would go blackberry-picking every year, as a metaphor for these experiences. The first stanza of the poem is mostly quite positive and enthusiastic. The first part of the stanza describes the the ripening of the berries, "given heavy rain and sun for a full week, the blackberries would ripen". He also gives us an image of the berries. Heaney uses the metaphor "a glossy purple clot" for the ripe berries, and the similie "hard as a knot" for the unripe berries. When you say "hard as a knot", the sound is quite short, indicating that the berries are not yet ripe. It then continues to write about the frenzy of picking them - "lust for picking". Heaney presents the tasting of the berries as a sensual process, and also uses words like "flesh", and "thickened wine" to make the berries sound so desirable. Also"lust", to describe the childrens unrestrained desire and appetite for them. Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in this poem. Personification and a series of metaphors and similies are used: "flesh was sweet like thickened wine", the berry is personified and there is use of a similie, the metaphor "summer's blood", referring to the hard
The poem Digging by Seamus Heaney explores themes of identity, ability and family relationships and values
Commentary Sample: The poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney explores themes of identity, ability and family relationships and values. The literary devices interwoven throughout the poem are integral in ensuring that the reader grasps these themes. These devices include imagery, simile, repetition, tone and narrative perspective. The poem is structured from a first-person perspective. The unnamed speaker is described as a writer who is sitting at his desk. He is distracted by his father, who is digging laboriously “among the flowerbeds” (line 6) outside, and this triggers a spiral of memories “twenty years away.” (Line 7) The free verse structure ensures that the speaker’s musings back and forth through time flow without restriction, adding to the contemplative tone continuous throughout the poem. Using this tone as the speaker relates his inner thoughts and memories, Heaney establishes a close connection between the speaker and the reader. An array of vivid imagery is used to further engage the reader in the memories that are being illustrated. The speaker shows that even though he may not wish to follow the path of his forefathers, he can convey his respect for family tradition through his writing. Phrases such as “The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee was levered firmly” (line 10) and “To scatter new potatoes that we
What is the importance of the land in Twentieth Century Irish Poetry?
What is the importance of the land in Twentieth Century Irish Poetry? Land in the Twentieth Century was very important to the Irish nation, and this is portrayed through the works of certain pieces of poetry, written by native countrymen Thomas Kinsella and Seamus Heaney. The poem 'Wormwood' is expressed by Thomas Kinsella in a powerful and descriptive manner where the reader can experience the deepest thoughts of the writer, in his or her own way. The reader feels a sense of involvement as Kinsella sets the scene in the dank woods: "In a thicket, among wet trees, stunned, minutely Shuddering, hearing a wooden echo escape." Kinsella informs us of a tree, which he is in fact bewildered by. How he has never come across a tree like this before. It has a certain grace and elegance due to its individuality. The sheer size of the tree he finds mesmerizing, and describing the slenderness of how the tree appears to the naked eye: "The two trees in their infinitesimal dance of growth Have turned completely about one another, their join A slowly twisted scar..." Then Kinsella's dreams are shattered, as a kind of axe breaks the bond between these two trees. As this axe shatters the tree it also shatters the dreams of Kinsella: "A wooden stroke: Iron sinks in the gasping core. I will dream it again." Wormwood was one of Kinsella's poems which he wrote during the twentieth