Follower and Digging

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Follower and Digging

Heaney was born on April 13 1939. He was the eldest of nine children. Heaney lived on the family farm, Mossbawn, about thirty miles northwest of Belfast, in County Derry. Heaney is Irish because of this the conflict in Northern Ireland is almost always a backdrop to his work.

Here we will analyse 2 poems by Seamus Heaney called "Digging" and "Follower". We will look at the similarities and differences between these poems. In both these poems Heaney puts emphasis on many subjects related to his life such as his childhood memories of growing up in Northern Ireland and the conflict there. His father also features strongly in both poems as a main influence on his life.

The poem ‘Digging’ was written by Seamus in 1964 and was one of the first poems he wrote. This poem is about a man looking down on his father digging in the garden both now and in the past. He reminisces about moments in the past of both his father and grandfather digging potatoes.

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When the poem ‘Digging’ begins Heaney is not doing anything. It seems as if he is waiting for inspiration. In the second line, there is a strange simile; "The squat pen rests; snug as a gun". This is strange because "snug" is a comfortable word which suggests he is comfortable with his writing, but gun is a powerful and dangerous. In many ways words are powerful especially in hands of those who can use them well, they allow people to communicate and express their feeling which can be good but also bad as ‘disputes’ and bad communication can cause hurt ...

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