analysis poem mid term break

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Shegina                                                                                                                          

Mid-term Break        

The poem ‘Mid-term Break’ was written by Seamus Heaney. Heaney has written many poems to do with self experiences. He usually writes in first person narrative about his personal life. The reason Heaney uses first person narrative is that the use of it is more effective and makes an impact on the reader, as it makes the reader feel how Heaney feels in the poem.

‘Mid-term Break’ is a poem about the tragic incident of the death of one of Heaney’s family members.

The poem has an ambiguous title. This makes the reader uncertain whether the poem is negative or positive. The title ‘Mid-term Break’ suggests that the poem is going to be positive, about a child and his adventures on holiday. Heaney does this because it is misleading and it keeps the reader guessing. The ambiguous title symbolises the ambiguous shock that Heaney felt.

Throughout the poem, the poet gradually reveals information. Heaney uses this technique to shock the reader and so that the reader can discover what has happened, just how Heaney did, step by step. This also symbolises him coming to terms with the bereavement.

The poem begins with Heaney sitting in the college sick bay. He is isolated from his classmates. This may indicate that he is aware of the incident.

“Counting bells knelling classes to a close”

This quote given the reader is a hint that there has been a death, as the word ‘knelling’ means the bells at the end of a funeral. The quote also suggests that the poem is going to be negative. Heaney uses a metaphor to compare school bells to funeral bells, as it is juxtaposition. School bells are usually positive, as they represent the end of a school day, and funeral bells are usually negative, as they symbolise loss of life.

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By reading the first stanza may not be able to distinguish whether the poem is negative or positive, as the first stanza does not give much away.

When an important incident happens in a person’s life, they will remember every single detail of what happened on the day. The poem shows that the day was important to Heaney, a she remembers everything that took place and he was listing everything that happened.

“At two O’clock our neighbours drove me home.”

Here Heaney remembers the time as well as what happens. The time is barely remembered in ...

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