“Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale”
Here Seamus Heaney is comparing the storm to a tragic chorus, which could be associated with an opera – a form of entertainment. Seamus Heaney is using 2 opposites to help describe the ferocity of the storm and give the reader a clearer picture of what it would be like to be where he is. Also Heaney uses no punctuation at the end of his lines, so it is like reading a continuous sentence. Despite the lack of punctuation, the poem still has a definite rhythm, and because of the lack of punctuation, an unusual style.
Gillian Clarke’s poem On the Train describes the Paddington rail crash of October ‘99 She uses many poetic techniques to describe what it must have been like for people waiting to find if their relatives that had been travelling on the train that day were safe or not.
“The wolves howl into silent telephones”
Here Gillian Clarke is talking about the people who have lost someone in the crash. She uses the metaphor of a wolf to describe the people trying to phone their loved ones, only to get silence, or an answer phone message. The use of the word howl vividly describes the people crying into their phones, desperate to know how their friends and family are. Gillian Clarke’s use of language helps people who may not have been in this situation themselves to understand the emotional anguish involved. Also, the first thing people think of when they think of wolves is their distinctive howl, which makes this line even more effective.
Walt Whitman uses Personification numerous times in his poem, his clever use of this technique helps the reader to understand his descriptions more easily.
“Shouts of demoniac laughter fitfully piercing and pealing”
Here Whitman compares the storm to one of the most fear-provoking things possible, the words ‘demoniac laughter’ instantly make you think of an evil being, laughing at some destruction he has caused. This then ties in with the theme of the storm being totally uncontrollable and unstoppable. Walt Whitman also uses personification in the way he says that the storm is ‘laughing’. Obviously a storm cannot laugh, so Whitman is portraying that the way the storm seems to enjoy being totally omnipotent. Also Whitman uses two words that you would normally associate with the sound of a bell ‘piercing’ and ‘pealing’. People do not normally associate the sound of a bell with the sound of a storm, but the crash of lightning often is a very piercing sound, and this maybe where the origin of the connotation with the sound of a bell originates from.
In Storm on the Island, Heaney also uses many war-like words;
“And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo.”
The words ‘Strafe’ and ‘Salvo’ are normally associated with firing a weapon, and to associate these words with a storm obviously relates to the storms awesome power, and strength. Although these words do not have as strong effect as Whitman’s ‘Shouts of demoniac laughter’ they make a connection with most people and therefore show the strength of the storm with great aptitude. He also compares space to a salvo, or, in other words, a sudden discharge of many small weapons, which, in this case are the storms. Seamus Heaney uses these war like metaphors in many of his poems, and through his usage of them he can make any force seem twice as large. In this poem through his comparison to space being a salvo, he allows the reader to imagine the huge, destructive force that can be unleashed at any time, without warning. He does this by saying ‘strafes invisibly’. He is saying that even though you cannot see the wind, it still has vast potential to cause horrific damage. Through his use of language and poetic techniques alone he describes the scene so you would be able to imagine it exactly in your mind, as if you ad been their yourself.
In Gillian Clarke’s poem, there is a very powerful line which sums up the emotional damage caused by and incident like a rail crash;
“and in the rubble of suburban kitchens”
This line contrasts the two scenes she is describing and mixes them into 1. She is using the metaphor of rubble to describe the devastation that wives, husbands, and children are feeling, as a family member is on the train as they eat their breakfast, and thy don’t know whether not they are safe. Also, this line depicts the way that people are struggling to get in contact with family members, and those that cannot at all are probably facing an even greater emotional challenge.
Gillian Clarke’s use of Similes and Metaphors allows the reader to grasp what it would be like to be in the position of not knowing whether a family member is out of harm's way or not. Using these poetic techniques she can put the reader in the place of someone else, and allow them to feel their emotions.
James Davies 11LW