We learn in stanza three that the narrator has a younger sibling and how his or her reactions are in such stark contrast to the solemn reality of the scene. “The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram.” In this line, we notice that there are no commas. This informs us that these three things, cooing, rocking and laughing, were all done at the same time. The baby seems happy on such a grave occasion, which for me makes the poem more moving. The baby is clearly far too young to understand what is going on, and so has no reason to feel any sadness. Later on in the stanza, the narrator comments on how he feels uneasy at having the older men shake his hand.
“I was embarrassed by the old men standing up to shake my hand”
In stanza four, the phrase ‘sorry for my trouble’ is in inverted commas. This is indirect speech, as ‘my’ is written instead of ‘your’. This draws attention to what the old men have said – being stuck for words at such a hard time, they use a cliché. People often find it hard to talk to the bereaved – they aren’t sure if their words will be found comforting or irritating. They stick to clichés such as ‘sorry for your trouble’ because they know that nothing else they say will make anyone feel any better. At almost any other time, people can speak confidently and at ease; however, when a death occurs, they find it difficult and are lost for words.
The narrator’s mother holds his hand and coughs out ‘angry, tearless sighs’. She is holding his hand to try to reassure him but also it is probably because she is trying to reassure herself – she doesn’t want to let him go and lose another son. The choice of words ‘coughed out angry, tearless sighs’ is a strange one, as sighs can’t be angry, and you can’t cough them out. These words are very effective at showing the mother’s grief of losing her son. Grief is made up of sadness, anger and pain. These emotions are taken by Heaney and the contrast between them is used to portray a powerful and moving picture of her feelings. Her sighs were ‘angry’. This shows the mother’s anger at her son being taken away from her so tragically. The choice of words is a good one, as in one line, Heaney has depicted all the feelings the mother has and made it very powerful and full of emotion.
By stanza five, we still have not been told directly that someone has died. The reference to funerals and grief makes this visible, but in this stanza the death is made clear by the words ‘the ambulance arrived with the corpse’.
Stanza six tells us that the narrator finally sees his brother ‘for the first time in six weeks’. This must have been heart - rending for the narrator – having been away at school, he wouldn’t have been able to see his brother as much as he liked. Now, after six weeks away at boarding school, he came to face to face with his brother, knowing it would be the final time. Snowdrops and candles were in the room ’soothing’ the bedside. This is meant to calm people, and help them feel slightly better in their grief and pain, when they go to see the corpse.
The last stanza is, for me, the most moving of the poem, because it tells us of the little boy in his coffin. He is ‘wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple’. The poppy is used as a representation of Remembrance Day. On Remembrance Day, we remember the people who lost their lives in the First World War. This is symbolised by the wearing of the poppy badge. The poppy bruise is therefore used as a symbol of death in the poem, but because of the choice of word, it does not seem so harsh. Instead, it makes the scene of the young boy in his coffin a much more peaceful one. We are told the boy is ‘wearing’ the poppy bruise, which again makes the scene seem more serene as it suggests some kind of decoration, not anything deathly. There are no ‘gaudy scars’, so the little boy would look at peace, as if he was just sleeping. This scene of tranquility is continued throughout the verse, right up to the end when we are told ‘he lay in the four foot box as in his cot’. The word ‘cot’ continues to suggest that the little boy is only resting, and still living.
We can also gather that the young victim was killed by a car. The stanza tells us ‘the bumper knocked him clear’. In the whole poem, this is the only mention to the cause of his death, yet the reference is still a subtle one. He was probably playing outdoors when he was hit by the car.
‘A four foot box, a foot for every year’ is a very moving line on which to end the poem. It tells us the age of the boy and the complete tragedy which was bestowed upon him. He had hardly begun to live his life, yet his existence was snatched away from him. It makes us all see that you can die at any point in your life, whether young, old or middle-aged. The poem makes you want to treasure every day as it could be your last. It also leads you to think of your life and how much you value it very seriously, as it tells of a loss which was so unexpected and tragic.
I really enjoyed reading this poem and studying the techniques Heaney uses to make this poem so very moving. It is a deeply emotional poem and I felt moved reading it. Heaney abstains from using dialogue, and this sums up the typical situation perfectly. When people are hit by something so sad and unexpected, they are struck dumb in their grief. I feel that Heaney has made a truly exceptional job of making this such a moving poem and showing very accurately the way people deal with unforeseen tragedy. I found this poem fascinating to read and would certainly recommend this poem to anyone.
Donald N Morrison SG – Folio Work
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