Seamus Heaney uses various ways to explore the theme of family life in his poems. The poems, 'digging' and 'follower' specifically explore this theme, 'Digging' is about Heaney's search for his family history.
Seamus Heaney uses various ways to explore the theme of family life in his poems. The poems, 'digging' and 'follower' specifically explore this theme, 'Digging' is about Heaney's search for his family history, and he seems to be digging into the past for old memories and his ancestral roots and is also about the admiration he has for his ancestors. 'Follower' on the other hand is about the roles in his family and the relationship between his father and him and his disappointment at not being able to possess the same skills as him.
Heaney shows a great deal of admiration for his father and grandfather's skill. This is shown in the way Heaney describes them and their vocation. Heaney physically uses words that make his ancestors seem very powerful, In "follower" he begins the poem by stating "my father worked with a horse plough" this immediately shows his appreciation for his fathers ability to do physical work, using a horse plough is very physically demanding and by starting with this line he sets the theme and tone of the rest of the poem. Also the strong "k" sound in "worked" emphasises the word making it seem more physically demanding. Heaney once again shows admiration when he describes his father "shoulders globed like a full sail strung" the assonance in the words "shoulders" "globed" make a suggestion of a powerful man, back bent in labour, someone Heaney truly admires. The simile in the line "like a full sail strung" suggests a strong male character with "sail strung" suggesting a muscle straining hard working person. Heaney's admiration for his hard working father is obvious again in the consonantal sound of the "f" in "shafts" and "furrowing" suggests heavy plodding work, another reason Heaney admired his father. The next line shows Heaney's admiration for his fathers apparent skill in his line of work, Heaneys father's horses "strained at his clicking tongue" the onomatopoeia on "clicking" suggests the ease with which Heaneys father commands the horses, he only needs his tongue to keep them in control. This is another thing that may have made Heaney be in awe of his father as a child.
The caesura in the line "An expert. He " focuses the readers attention on Heaneys acknowledgement of fathers skill. The line "And fit the bright steel-pointed sock" contains a repetition of a short "t" sound. This puts emphasis oh the words and gives them a clean cut sound, almost like a reflection of his father who was busy and clean cut in his ways. He further acknowledges his fathers skill when he describes the "sod rolled over", "sod" and "over" are assonate words that put emphasis on the motion of the sod making it seem like the sod ...
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The caesura in the line "An expert. He " focuses the readers attention on Heaneys acknowledgement of fathers skill. The line "And fit the bright steel-pointed sock" contains a repetition of a short "t" sound. This puts emphasis oh the words and gives them a clean cut sound, almost like a reflection of his father who was busy and clean cut in his ways. He further acknowledges his fathers skill when he describes the "sod rolled over", "sod" and "over" are assonate words that put emphasis on the motion of the sod making it seem like the sod almost turned itself over. This is further emphasized in the next line when he describes the movement of the sod at a "pluck", a short word this makes it seem simple and easy. That's what it must have felt like for young Heaney as a boy, totally in awe of his father.
The use of the word "sweating" in the next line describes the hard work put into working as a farmer. And as this sentence and the previous are forms of enjambment it shows that thought it may have seemed as easy job [emphasises by the "pluck"] it actually is quite hard [emphasised by the "sweating"]. The lines "narrowed and angled at the ground, mapping the furrow exactly" Shows Heaneys appreciation for the exactness of farmers and his appreciation of his fathers skill.
Heaney is once again in awe of his fathers ability when he describes the "dipping and rising on his plod " showing his fathers ability to concentrate on his "plod" while still riding Heaney "on his back". This also seems to.
Heaney once again shows respect for his father when he says "I wanted to grow up and plough, to close one eye and stiffen my arm". This shows that he has been quietly observing his father and wants to be just like him.
In digging Heaney uses an onomatopoeic word "rasping "to describe the action of his father digging in the past. Alliteration in the next line "spade sinks, " puts emphasis on the more physical act of the spade being raised to dig, almost making Heaney's father seem tireless. The alliteration in "gravely ground" makes Heaney seem quite young as his vocabulary is not sophisticated but he still makes descriptions vivid. Another form of the admiration Heaney has is when is says "bends low comes up twenty years away" and "Stooping in rhythm" suggests that Heaney's father was able to stand tiring labour for twenty years.
Heaney shows further admiration when he describes the process of "digging " in a professional way, almost like he was giving instructions instead of describing his father "The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly"
This shows how perfect and exact the movements of his fathers were and how Heaney was so proud of him. The words "nicking " and "slicing" are assonate while "curt" and "cuts" are onomatopoeic and Heaney uses them to describe with pride how precise the work of a farmer is.
Seamus Heaney is seems so proud of his ancestors that he proudly declares in an almost childlike fashion "My grandfather ....Toners bog". He also clearly describes how hard and busy the life of a "digger" was when he says "and fell to right away"
The sentence "By god ......a spade" indicates at the pride Seamus Heaney ad for his father. And the next line "just like his old man "suggests farming as a family cyclic, handed down from one generation to another.
Heaney constantly contrasts his work with that of his father's generation. He seems to indicate through this contrast regret for not being as physically skilled at farming as they were. Heaney starts follower with the line "My father worked with a horse-plough", this immediately contrasts with Heaney's work as a poet as gives the impression of disunity, a perhaps shocking change in the family employment. He describes how he "stumbled" in his fathers "hob-nailed wake", this seems to be symbolist of how Heaney struggled and stumbled in the foot steps of his father, not being able to follow him into being a farmer. The fact that he "fell" directly shows his inability.
When he describes the "dipping and rising on his plod " while riding Heaney "on his back" seems to suggest perhaps Heaney had become a burden for his father. When he says "I wanted to grow up and plough, to close one eye and stiffen my arm" Heaney is describing his admiration for his father but that soon ends as he realises that he was incapable to "follow", in his fathers "broad shadow round the farm". Here we sense a feeling of failure in Heaney as he begins to realise all he could ever do was watch in amazement. He never had the ability to replicate everything his father did. Also the broad shadow shows incapability as Heaney, with is inability is over shadowed by a father who is such a good farmer" However when Heaney says "round the farm" it shows that this is the area he is weak at, one where he is required to be a "follower". This suggests Heaney has other talents where he is no longer the follower- a sense of subtle suspense.
Heaney once again describes his weaknesses in the next stanza, he describes himself as a "nuisance, tripping falling, yapping always " this once again shows Heaney's ineptness at being a farmer. Then there is a caesura in the next line. This is where Heaney starts contrasting himself with his ancestors. He writes "It is my father who keeps stumbling behind me ", this suggests Heaneys exceptional capability in another field, "and he will not go away "suggests that Heaney's father now has the time for him and that Heaney is no longer the nuisance he was when he was a child. Instead Heaneys father wants to spend time with him. This is ironic as the roles are reversed; now Heaney is the superior, he is now older and to him perhaps his father feels like a bit of a burden.
Heaney does not follow his father's generation, instead he decides to become a poet, something he constantly uses to contrast him and his ancestors. In Digging he writes, "between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests; snug as a gun" the "snug as a gun" is a form of assonance, this emphasises these words making it seem both that he feels comfortable with a pen in his hand and it hints at the violence and unrest, prevalent in Irish History. This is a contrast with his father who was a farmer.
Heaney says "But I've no spade to follow men like them", here he may be feeling a sense of failure for not being as good a farmer as his ancestors, however, he shows pride in his ability as a poet when he says "I'll dig with it". Also in the last stanza of digging Heaney writes "Between my ....dig with it", This seems to indicate that Heaney has decided his profession is that of a poets, even though he has a great respect for his ancestors. The line "I'll dig will it " seems to suggest its his weapon of choice.
Discuss Seamus Heaney's relationship with members of his family in "digging" and "follower"
Shubhagi Kitchloo 11G
