Seamus Heaney IOC

Digging
Introduction
Context: Digging is taken from Heaneys first collection of poems, The Death of a Naturalist that deals with the loss of childhood
innocence and the following transitions into adulthood. Similarly to poems such as Blackberry Picking and Death of a Naturalist
In, Heaney draws inspiration from his rural upbringing as a child in order to uncover the person he is today.
Subject Matter: In this poem Heaney sees his father, an old man, digging the flowerbeds. He remembers how his younger,
stronger father used to dig in the potato fields when Heaney was a child, and how his grandfather, before that, was an expert turf
digger. Heaney knows that he has no spade to follow men like them, he is a writer, not a farmer so he will dig with his pen
similarly to how in this poem, Heaney 'digs' into his past.
The personal memory evoked in the poem is simultaneously culturally collective in that there are many people who may well have
grown up in an agrarian environment in Ireland, but who, as a result of the 1944 Education Act, progressed to an education they
would not otherwise have had. This shift resulted in a new generation of people who like Heaney, earned their living in radically
different ways from those of their parents, and hence felt the same disconnect to their roots that Heaney expresses in Digging.
Outline: This discussion will take on a linear approach so as to trace the development of Heaneys narrative perspective of berry
picking as a child, while focusing mainly on the ideas of:
The dual attitude that Heaney has towards agricultural work which shows that while Heaney admires those who
engage in such work, he also acknowledges he is unable to find fulfillment in the work
The significance of heritage and cultural roots in Heaneys life
Heaneys attitude towards writing, and how he finds fulfillment in this career choice

Main Analysis
Between my finger and my thumb
In the first line, the use of the personal, first person pronoun my identifies the speaker of the poem as Heaney himself, which
highlights to readers the autobiographical nature of the poem.
The squat pen rests, snug as a gun
The use of the words rests and snug implies a sense of familiarity and comfort that convey Heaneys ease with a pen and
hence his chosen profession as a writer.
In the metaphor of a gun, Heaney likens his pen to a weapon, which symbolizes the power that Heaney feels when wielding his
pen, and this . However, it also shows certain defensiveness on his part, and the need to use his writing as a weapon to protect his
chosen career from the criticisms of others.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground
My father, digging. I look down
In the following stanza, we are drawn from the image of Heaney to that of his father, digging. As the opening couplet is
typographically separated on the page from this three line stanza, this contrasts the writers activity with that of his father who is
engaged in the physical activity of digging, highlighting that his fathers physical actions are something that is observed by the
poet but not shared.
By describing his father as under my window, Heaney introduces a barrier between father and son that is central to Digging.
The positional description of under and later in this same stanza, how Heaney describes looking down at his father all imply
that Heaney not only feels a sense of disconnect to his fathers profession, but he also holds a level of contempt for it. The
enjambment at I look down also emphasizes this line for the reader hence highlighting his attitude towards his fathers
occupation.
In the second line of this stanza, Heaney uses audio devices such as alliteration in spade sinks and gravelly ground, which
reflects the clean rasping sound that Heaney describes in the preceding line. The repetition also shows how Heaney views the
physical labor as a mundane, repetitive activity.
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging
The third stanza serves as a transitory stanza that shows Heaney drifting from the present situation to his memories of his father
before, as can be seen in the line comes up twenty years away.

The description of his fathers straining rump, his stooping and how he bends low, indicate the tiring nature of the work as
well as once again highlighting this idea that Heaney feels elevated in comparison, thus conveying how Heaney views such work
as being of a low status. The phrase bends low can also imply the current agedness of Heaneys father.
in rhythm also reinforces the idea presented in the previous stanza, that Heaney views the work as mundane and repetitive.
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
In this stanza we begin to see a shift in Heaneys attitude towards his fathers laborious work as he thinks about his father in his
prime. Heaney moves away from the tedious, tiring physicality of the work and instead focuses on the images of The coarse boot
nestled on the lug and the shaft against the inside knee. These two images describe separate parts of his fathers body, the foot
and the knee, as though they are entwined with the various parts of the spade. This shows the natural way in which his father
handles the spade, almost as though it is an extension of himself. The use of the word nestled also echoes the word snug used
in the first stanza which implies that the way Heaney views his pen is similar to the way his father views the spade. This
connection made, while seemingly minor, shows readers that Heaney is beginning to better understand his fathers craft.
Following this, we see the idea of elevation in digging similar to the bend[ing] low and [coming] up that was seen in the
previous stanza, except this time, Heaney focuses on the products of his fathers digging, the potatoes. The use of plosives in
buried, bright and potatoes all draw the readers attention to the potatoes and the significance of Heaneys father in
uncovering them. The use of enjambment between the fourth and fifth lines, emphasizes the final line of the stanza that speaks of
Loving their cool hardness in our hands, referring to the potatoes. The use of the word loving show how Heaney begins to
recognize the importance of his fathers digging, and appreciate the products of his labor.
Furthermore, the image of the bright edge, which brings to mind the image of a knife, and the words, lug, shaft and
levered all bear associations to weapons. Even the cool hardness in our hands could refer to grenades instead of potatoes. This
reminds readers of how Heaney had previously compared a pen to a gun, and this conveys how Heaney beginning to see digging
as an equally powerful activity as writing.
By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.
In the fifth stanza, we see more explicitly Heaneys admiration for his father and the work that he does. The use of the phrase By
God and the affectionate term the old man in reference to his father all contributes to showing the admiration Heaney now has.
The second line draws the connection to Heaneys grandfather, and the repetition of the term the old man connects the three
generations as it implies that Heaney and his father feel a similar admiration to Heaneys grandfather.
My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toners bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf. Digging.
The beginning of the sixth stanza continues the admiration that had been seen directly before this. By saying that My grandfather
cut more turf in a day/Than any other man, Heaney appears to be gloating about how skilled his grandfather was at his work.
The casual mention of Toners bog, an actual place in Ireland, with no explanation whatsoever, allows the poem to feel more
intimate to the reader as it seems as though Heaney is speaking to the readers with a familiarity and an assumption that the reader
is as aware of the Irish landscape and culture as he is.
Following this, we now focus on a specific memory of Heaneys experience with his grandfather. Heaney describes him taking on
the duty of carrying his grandfather a milk bottler that had been Corked sloppily with paper. This line is significant as the word
sloppily especially in contrast with the word neatly that is later used to describe the work of Heaneys grandfather, prepares
readers for the idea that Heaney is not suited for work relating to that of his grandfather and father, as he is incapable of even
properly assisting them in their work. Additionally, the use of paper in corking the bottle creates a small, subtle connection
between the grandfathers work of peat harvesting with Heaneys later occupation of writing.
In this stanza, we also see how the grandfather labors tirelessly and with great skill and strength. He only stops for a moment to
rest and drink the milk before he fell to [his work] right away, to engage in the strenuous work that involves heaving sods over
his shoulder. The choice of the word heaving highlights the physical strength required in such work. Heaney also emphasizes
the kinesthetic imagery of nicking and slicing through the use of internal rhymes in these two words. This line nicking and

slicing neatly implies that the work that the grandfather does, requires a high degree of precision and skill, and the
acknowledgement of this fact also shows how Heaney admires his grandfathers skill at his work.
The stanza also echoes the images of elevation and depression seen in the earlier stanzas in the line straightened up which
moves on to then fell to right away. This not only allows readers to envision the repetitive up and down motion of digging, but
it also more firmly links the grandfather to the father as well, which emphasizes to readers the significance of such agricultural
work in Irelands history, heritage which expresses itself in the similar choices of vocation of these two generations in the family.
The line going down and down hence also doubly refers to the physical act of digging that involves going deeper into the earth
and also the idea that Heaney is currently digging deeper and deeper into his cultural and familial history, evident in how his
thoughts have drifted from his present day to his father to even further into his past, to his grandfather.
This stanza ends with the singular word Digging. By turning the word into a sentence by itself, it shows a shift in attitude on
Heaneys part towards the activity, seeing as how he had previously avoided placing such emphasis on the name of the activity.
He places a larger emphasis on the word so as to show how he now begins to understand the significance of the seemingly simple
act of digging.
The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But Ive no spade to follow men like them.
In this stanza, we once again see a change in Heaneys attitude towards the agricultural digging when he thinks specifically of the
act itself instead of in relation to his father and grandfather. The first line starts off with a very vivid image of The cold smell of
potato mould. The use of both the olfactory imagery in the smell, and tactile imagery in the word cold, engages both bodily
senses, and forces readers to note intensity of the idea of decay and decomposition of the potato mould. In addition, the
onomatopoeic words squelch and slap adds auditory imagery to Heaneys description and highlights the disgust that Heaney
feels towards the the soggy peat. The use of plosives in curt cuts to describe the edge of the spade, also show
The third line uses the present tense awaken, thus showing that Heaney has returned his thoughts to the present. The living
roots he mentions can refer to the roots that are dug up, but they also symbolize how watching his father dig and thinking of his
father and grandfather digging, have awakened thoughts of his metaphorical roots, his heritage, origin, and traditions.
However, the last line is particularly significant because even though Heaney has expressed his admiration for his father and
grandfathers works, even admitting that living roots [have awakened] in [his] head, he still feels a sense of disconnect from the
work as shown in the first stanza, and finds that he had no spade to follow men like them. The use of the word them further
separates Heaney from the other men in his family, and reemphasizes the difference between Heaney and others in his family.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
Ill dig with it
The final stanza very closely mirrors the couplet which begins the poem, although this stanza is a tercet. This is especially
significant because of the significance of the final line. The mirroring of the first two lines, once again highlights to readers that in
spite of his admiration for the agricultural work, his calling still lies with writing. However the absence of the line snug as a gun
shows that in a way, Heaney no longer views writing as giving himself a power greater than that of his father and grandfather and
it also allows the poem to end on a positive note instead of the ominous tone that the metaphor of the gun had added to the first
stanza.
The last line of the stanza and the poem, Ill dig with it shows that Heaney has changed his mindset regarding digging. The
definite modal of Ill, also show his determination to abide by his intentions to honor his heritage and the cultural significance
of digging in his life, by using his pen as his metaphorical spade to continue digging into his past with it.

Conclusion
To conclude, I have shown how Heaney has employed various literary techniques, especially the use of imagery to convey his
All in all, I feel that Digging is a particularly important poem in Heaneys repertoire of works as it shows how Heaney was able to
make the decision to abandon a part of his past in order to embark on his journey of becoming a writer. It also explains why in
Heaneys works, Heaney places such a large degree of importance of trying to capture his past experiences and further convey to
readers the importance of remembering their heritage and history.

Death of a Naturalist
Introduction
Context: The titular poem of Heaneys first collection Death of a Naturalist embodies the ideas of growing up and a loss of
innocence that the entire collection is concerned with as well, and similarly to other poems such as Mid-Term Break and Blackberry Picking, the poem draws on a specific memory in Heaneys childhood. Seamus Heaney had himself grown up on a rural
farmland in Ireland and had the freedom to roam the countryside and explore nature around him. However, he eventually moved
away from his home and this distanced him from his rural background, this is thus paralleled in how the child speakers
perception of nature in the poem changes over time.
Subject Matter: The poet uses the changes in the speakers attitude towards the natural world in order to convey the concerns of
growing up and the loss of innocence.
The poem has a fairly simple structure. The poem is set out in two sections of blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter lines).
The poem is similar to Blackberry Picking in its subject and structure here, too, Heaney explains a change in his attitude to the
natural world, in a poem that falls into two parts before and after. But here, the experience is almost like a nightmare, as Heaney
witnesses a plague of frogs akin to something from the Old Testament.
Overview: This discussion will take on a linear approach so as to trace the metaphorical death and disillusionment of the
naturalist in the poem, while focusing mainly on the ideas of:
The young Heaney as a naturalist and avid observer of nature
The intensity of this traumatic experience which has resulted in a loss of experience of Heaneys part
Heaneys disillusionment towards nature which comes with Heaneys realization that everything in life is not all
that it seems to be

Title
The naturalist of the title is a child. He is a naturalist in the sense that he lives in close relationship with nature. Heaney identifies
with the child speaker as he himself had uninhibited freedom as a child to roam the countryside, dwelling on the delights of
nature. However, like his child speaker, a chilling life experience changes him similar to the death of his brother that he recounts
in Mid-Term Break.
At first glance, the title suggests a literal death, and this misleading quality of the title brings to mind the titles of Heaneys other
poems, which achieve a similar effect, such as The Early Purges. Instead, the poem focuses on the metaphorical death of a
naturalist as can be seen in the loss of the interests that define the speaker as a naturalist. The title also has the added effect of
allowing readers to predict the change in tone and the ending of the poem, and allows to the poem to begin on an ominous note.
The poems title is also amusingly ironic as by a naturalist, we would normally mean someone with expert scientific knowledge
of living things and ecology. The young Seamus Heaney was certainly beginning to know nature from direct observation but
this incident cut short the possible scientific career before it had even started.

Main Analysis
All year the flax-dam festered in the heart
Of the townland; green and heavy handed
Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods.
Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun
The poem begins with Heaney describing the physical landscape of Ireland. In the first ten lines of the poem, Heaney uses vivid
imagery to describe this setting. The phrase the flax-dam festered combines the use of assonance and alliteration to open the
poem with an atmosphere of decay. The preceding phrase All year also gives the impression of a pervasive nature of this
atmosphere, hence intensifying this ominous mood in the poem.
In the following line, the visual image of the green and heavy handed flax, serves as a reminder of the rural landscape, and the
continued use of alliteration emphasizes Heaneys description of the rotting flax. The color green also serves an additional
purpose of connoting the idea of sickness, thus allowing it to contribute to the ominous atmosphere of disease and decay that has
been provided by the disease imagery of festered and rotted.
The fourth line implies that the decay has been caused by the overwhelming heat of the punishing sun. The description of a
punishing sun introduces the idea of nature as an oppressive, harmful entity, and illustrates the discomfort that the speaker has
with nature. Daily also serves the same purpose of the phrase All year as it reinforces this overarching mood of decay.
In essence these first four lines allow for the reader to anticipate the speakers later disillusionment with nature, as in line with the
third main point of my commentary. The detailed use of imagery in these lines also drives across the first main point of my
commentary, that shows how Heaney was very interested in nature and his surroundings.
Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles
Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell.
There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,
But best of all was the warm thick slobber
Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water

In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring

In the next six lines of the poem, we see a sudden shift as the speaker expresses a tone of wonderment towards nature, and Heaney
is hence able to draw our attention to the beauty in the natural landscape.
The image of the Bubbles [that] gargled delicately, provides a gentler image of nature that starkly contrasts to the rotting flax
seen before. The delicate nature of the bubbles is further emphasized in the use of plosives in Bubbles and bluebottles which
mirror the sound of popping bubbles.
In his descriptions of the various creatures in nature such as the dragonflies and the butterflies, Heaney begins to convey the
beauty he saw in nature. We also see the positive attitude that Heaney originally had to nature when he uses the phrase best of
all to describe the frogspawn. However, when he goes on to describe the frogspawn in greater detail, he describes it as a warm
thick slobber, and goes on to compare it to clotted water. This provides readers with an almost grotesque image of the
frogspawn, but yet the speakers continued fascination with it, shows not only that the descriptions are from the perspective of a
young boy, but also that as a young boy, Heaney had truly been a naturalist who appreciated all facets of nature, as in line with the
first main point of my commentary.
In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring
I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied
Specks to range on window-sills at home,
On shelves at school, and wait and watch until
The fattening dots burst into nimbleSwimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how
In the following lines, Heaney moves readers away from general descriptions of nature to specific memories of his childhood, and
it is in these lines that Heaney finally introduces himself as the speaker of the poem, as can be see in the use of the pronoun I.
This hence highlights the autobiographical nature of the poem.
In these lines, we see the very methodological, scientific manner in which Heaney treated nature before which emphasizes my
first point about how Heaney had seen himself as a naturalist in his younger years. We see in these lines how he collected the
frogspawn, shelved them and then waited to observe how they would eventually become tadpoles. This illustrates Heaneys
fascination with nature as a child, and the perspective of the child, and the childs innocence is emphasized in the use of
alliteration in jampotsfuls of jellied, wait and watch and the assonance in nimble and swimming,, as these audio devices
add an almost playful mood to this portion of the first stanza. In these six lines, the use of enjambment between each line also
displays the enthusiasm and the excitement Heaney expressed towards being able to observe nature in progress.
Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how
The daddy frog was called a bullfrog
And how he croaked and how the mammy frog
Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was
Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too
Moving on, Heaney introduces Miss Walls who readers can assume was his teacher. The casual way in which Heaney introduces
her with no explanation whatsoever, allows Heaney to create an intimate atmosphere that allows Heaney to establish a form of
familiarity with the reader that also enables readers to appreciate that Heaney is using the poem to share very personal memories
of his youth.
In these next five lines of the stanza, Heaney continues to remind readers of the use of the childs perspective, and through this he
reemphasizes the first main point of my commentary of the young Heaney as a naturalist. The speaker is extremely child-like and
innocent in his use of simple diction, reminiscent of the thinking of a young child, such as daddy frog and mammy frog, and
his connection of four separate clauses all with the word and. The repetitive use of and shows readers how enthusiastic the
young speaker is at learning these different facts regarding frogs, and the childish way in which he gloats about his scientific
knowledge, as can be see in how he says You could tell,
In line 19, we also see how Heaney uses enjambment between lines 18 and 19 in order to reemphasize that the speakers
fascination is specifically on Frogspawn, as this fact will be of significance in the second stanza of the poem.
Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too
For they were yellow in the sun and brown
In rain.
The stanza ends with the same vividness that has been present in the rest of the stanza, as Heaney employs the use of visual
imagery with the color yellow and brown. However, the stanza ends with the short line In rain, this results in an ominous
tone that have been similarly felt in the first four lines of the poem. The fact that Heaney isolates these two words from the other
lines of the stanza which are significantly longer than this final line, make the line even more dramatically impactful which hence
prepares readers for the end of this period of innocence which will eventually lead to the disillusionment seen in the next stanza.

Then one hot day when fields were rank

With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs
Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges
To a coarse croaking that I had not heard
Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus.
The second stanza is much shorter than the first and takes on an extremely different tone in comparison. The shift in tone is
signaled by the use of Then in the first line. This transition term also signifies that the loss of innocence is not gradual like the
one described in The Early Purges. The indication that it is a hot day, also reminds readers of Heaneys previous description of
the fourth line of the poem in which Heaney describes the heat of what he calls the punishing sun. This further indicates that the
speakers impressions of nature may turn increasingly negative to resemble those shown in the first four lines of the poem.
There is a change in tone when the speaker describes the frogs as angry and invasive. This directly contradicts the first stanza in
which he admired and enjoyed watching the frogs. This difference between the two stanzas illustrates my third main point
regarding Heaneys disillusionment towards nature. By personifying the frogs as [invading] the field, Heaney also parallels
another childhood experience of his whereby he had watched the American soldiers practicing their maneuvers in the local fields
in preparation for an invasion.
The alliteration in coarse croaking is guttural and mimics the sounds of the frogs. This contributes to the overall aggressive
tone of the stanza that conveys the growing fear and hence disillusionment that Heaney is feeling towards this aspect of nature that
he had so enjoyed before.
In line 26, Heaney adds to this uncomfortable atmosphere by writing that The air was thick, as though the sounds of the bass
chorus utterly filled the entire place until it was almost unbearable for a young child.
Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked
on sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped:
The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat
Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting
I sickened, turned and ran. The great slime kings
Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew
That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it.
No longer do the frogs evoke the same sense of wonderment and fascination that had been present in the child in stanza one, thus
effectively highlighting that Heaney has become disillusion by nature as in line with the third main point of my commentary.
Instead of seeing the frogs as nimble-swimming tadpoles, he now views them with disgust and revulsion, describing them as
gross-bellied frogs with loose necks [that] pulsed like sails.
In line 28, Heaney also specifically states that the frogs were on sods so as to more efficiently link this stanza with the setting
that had been described in the first stanza of the flax that have been weighed down by huge sods. This allows readers to recall
the feelings of disgust for nature that had been present in the first few lines of the poem.
In line 29, Heaney goes on to describe the sounds made by the frogs as obscene threats, this hence continues to show my second
main point about how disillusioned the young boy has become toward the creatures he had loved before. This also continues the
aggressive tone of the stanza and prepares readers for the heavy use of threatening war imagery to come in the next few lines.
There is a continuation of the war-like connotations of the words invaded in line 24, when the frogs appear to be declaring
Heaney as an enemy and are poised to attack with their mud grenades. The emphasis on cocked on sods created through the
use of assonance also brings to mind the image of a trigger of a gun being cocked. This use of war imagery creates a sense of
dissonance as the descriptions are coming from a child who had expressed such innocence in the stanza before. Hence, this
highlights the second point of my commentary by showing how this traumatizing incident has resulted in a loss of innocence in
the child.
The speaker is so frightened by the frogs that he turns and runs. A menacing, evil image is also conjured in the description of
the frogs as the great slime kings. This resonates with a sense of revulsion and it also shows how powerless the young child
feels in comparison to the frogs. Heaney intensifies the speakers fear by ending the poem with the nightmarish image of the
spawns clutching him, as though this traumatizing incident will forever hold a grip on him. This reinforces my second point as it
shows the great impact that this experience has had on Heaney.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the poem recreates and examines the moment of the childs confrontation with the fact that life may not necessarily
be what it seems. Although my commentary has established the young Heaney as an avid naturalist in his youth, I have also
shown how this one event has changed his perception of the world, thus leading to his disillusionment with nature and eventual
loss of innocence. Personally I feel that in this poem we also see how Heaney views this transition and loss of innocence as an
almost traumatic, painful event.

Mid-Term Break
Introduction
Context: The poem Mid-Term Break is a poem from Heaneys first collection, Death of a Naturalist. Similarly to other poems of
the collection, this poem is highly autobiographical and draws from Heaneys own childhood memories. Heaneys brother,
Christopher had died in an accident at the age of 4, while Heaney was away at school, and the aftermath of this traumatic event is
captured in this poem.
Subject Matter: The title Mid-Term Break is a misleading one. Whatever the readers expectation from a literal interpretation
of the title, these expectations will be subverted through the reading of the poem. The poem is not about a reprise of a break in the
middle of a school term but about a break from staying at the Boarding School for the speaker who has to return home to attend to
his younger brothers funeral. Death is seen through the eyes of the older brother through the 1st person narrative voice. This
misleading of the readers is a commonality between many of Heaneys poems, such as Black-berry Picking which provides a
much more innocent impression of the poem that is eventually subverted in the progression of the poem.
Outline: This discussion will take on a linear approach so as to trace the chronology of the event, and follow the older brother as
he returns home from boarding school to attend the funeral. In this commentary I will mainly be discussing the significance of
the title and structure of the poem
the reactions of the people around him
the childs perspective
in conveying the tragedy of the young boys death.
Through this, the discussion will substantiate the idea that Heaney hopes to convey, that death is painful but unavoidable and life
needs to go on.

Structure
The poem is written in an almost iambic pentameter rhythm. This coupled with the structure of the tercets, with the exception of
the final line, provides a stately and measured pace, giving the poem an elegiac quality that is fitting for the subject matter of the
poem. The structure of a tercet also gives a narrative quality of the poem. Within each stanza we also see how Heaney uses
assonance, such as in close and home, which adds to this measured quality of the poem. In the poem, Heaney expresses the
trauma of death through visual details and controlled emotions with a strong focus on the reactions of people around him instead
of an expression of the self. Perhaps this is to achieve the effect of allowing readers to understand that the young Heaney had felt
numbness towards his brothers death due to the gravity of the situation.

Main Analysis
I sat all morning in the college sick bay
Counting bells knelling classes to a close.
At two oclock, our neighbors drove me home.
At the beginning of the poem, Heaney situates the speaker in a college sick bay. By doing so, he subtly introduces this idea of
death in the poem, and starts the poem off on an ominous note, especially because the idea of a fun, happy mid-term break that
had been implied in the title is subverted within the first line.
Though it is not known to readers yet, the second line actually shows the speakers attempts at distracting himself from the
thoughts of his brothers death by counting bells knelling. Ironically, the knelling bells bring to mind the idea of funeral bells,
hence instead of distracting himself and readers from the death of his brother, Heaney actually continues to ominously
foreshadow the death that is to come, thus adding to the gloomy mood of the poem.
The specific reference to time, At two oclock , is extremely indicative of the sense of anxiety and fear felt by the child. The
significance of this event to Heaney is also evident in the fact that he remembers such precise, minute details pertaining to this
event in his life.
The fact that it is the speakers neighbors who arrive to bring the speaker home instead of his parents, also add to the sense of
anxiety that has been created so far. By stating that it is our neighbours who drove me home, it also shows how isolated and
distanced the young Heaney felt, in the midst of this situation.
In the porch I met my father crying
He had always taken funerals in his stride
And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.
In the second stanza, readers are introduced to the situation that had been foreshadowed in the first stanza and that has given the
speaker this mid-term break, by the explicit indication that he is at a funeral.
There is a shift in setting from stanza one to stanza two as seen in the prepositional locative phrase in the porch. However,
despite the change in setting, there is still a sustained personal grief, which is effectively highlighted through the personal
pronouns I and My father.

In this stanza, we are also shown the reactions of two men, Heaneys father, and Big Jim Evans, as in line with the second point of
my commentary, so that we are able to understand the sadness and devastation that this death has caused. The use of dashes within
this stanza also add a sense of incompleteness in each line, hence readers are forced to read on and appreciate how each additional
line adds a greater meaning to the events that are occurring.
The first interaction that the speaker has upon arriving home is with his father. He notes that his father is crying. Already, this
shocks readers to a certain extent, at seeing this man crying. The significance of this is intensified when the dash in sentence from
the first line of this stanza to the second, explains that his father had always taken funerals in his stride. The emphasis on this
fact is created by the definite always, which highlights the extreme grief that is being felt by the father in this poem that causes
him to react in a way that is anomalous from how he would normally react.
The last line of this stanza introduces Big Jim Evans, with little fanfare. The name Big Jim Evans, connotes a sense of
strength and power, hence to have him admit that the death was a hard blow, effectively reflects how shockingly tragic the death
had been that even full grown men would feel such extreme pain.
The phrase hard blow serves as a double entendre also as it could refer to both the emotional impact of the death and also the
impact of the car that had caused the death of Heaneys brother.
The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram
When I came in, and I was embarrassed
By old men standing up to shake my hand
And tell me they were sorry for my trouble.
Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest,
Away at school, as my mother held my hand
In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.
At ten oclock the ambulance arrived
With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses.
From the third stanza to the fifth stanza, Heaney uses enjambment between each stanza to connect the stanzas with long sentences
so as to highlight how overwhelmed, and uneasy the speaker feels due to the reactions of everyone around him.
The third stanza starts with the image of a baby and presents us with the contrast of the babys innocent joy at seeing his older
brother with the grief that everyone else feels. The use of the connector and to connect the three different actions of the baby,
emphasize how the baby cooed, laughed and rocked the pram, despite the gloomy atmosphere. The bouncy, emphatic
rhythm that is created in this line is also in direct contrast with the measured pace of the poem so far. This highlights the babys
innocent oblivion to the tragic circumstances.
Next, Heaney goes on to describe the reactions of those on the other end of the age spectrum. He describes the old men standing
up to shake his hands, which adds to the unusualness of the situation for the young speaker as these much older men are offering
their condolences to the boy in such a mature manner. The fact that young Heaney is embarrassed further adds to the
awkwardness of the situation which is also economically conveyed through the use of their use of euphemistic language such as in
referring to his younger brothers death as his trouble. The use of sibilance in line 11 also captures the hushed, muted
atmosphere typical of a funeral in the house.
Heaney goes on to concentrate upon his mothers reaction to her sons death. She says nothing but hold his hand as she coughed
out angry tearless sighs. This implies that she has cried so much that she has no more tears to shed. The use of enjambment
between line 12 and line 13, emphasizes the phrase In hers, especially since it opens the fifth stanza. This shows how much
comfort his mother takes in his presence.
The next line begins with another precise time reference, which helps us to anticipate the significance of what happens at this
time, specifically the arrival of the body. By referring to the body as a corpse, this conveys a distancing of the poet from the
body, showing his inability to comprehend and fully take in the death, while also emphasizing the finality of death for the dead
body is seen as simply a corpse, implying that it is seen as almost entirely separate from the brother.
Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops
And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him
For the first time in six weeks. Paler now
Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,
He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.
No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.
The sixth stanza of the poem focuses on the event that has cause this mid-term break by recounting the speakers experience of
seeing his brothers body. In the first line, Heaney simply refers to the room that holds his brothers body as the room, the use of

the article the, helps show the significance of this room, though it also shows how the speaker is unable to fully digest the
reality of the situation by his avoidance of referring to the room by what it actually is.
The significant abrupt change of referential identity from corpse to the use of pronouns such as him, his and he helps to
create a more personal mood in this part of the poem, and it also reminds readers that the departed is the speakers brother whom
he did love, despite the sense of distance and disconnect that had been created in the previous stanzas.
Heaney creates a calm, almost peaceful atmosphere in this stanza through the images of snowdrops and candles that soothed
the bedside and are items that could symbolize life and hope. However, there is no doubt that this is indeed a funeral as these
items are all ritualistically funeral. The ability of these items to represent both life and death also illustrates the fine line between
the two which mirrors how easily Heaneys brother had his life taken from him.
The reminder that Heaney and his brother had been separated prior to his death, makes this scene in the poem even more poignant
as it evokes sympathy from the readers by showing them that now, the two are forced to continue this separation. When the
speaker describes the body as Paler now, we once again see how the speaker avoids explicitly mentioning the death which could
emphasize the childs perspective as his youth prevents him from being able to fully perceive the death like an adult.
Heaney likens the injury sustained by his brother to a poppy. This draws attention to the apparently insignificant injury that had
such a devastating effect, as well as the fragility of life with which the poppy is traditionally associated.
The descriptions become almost unbearably powerful when Heaney compares his brother lying in the coffin to him lying in his
cot. This achieves two effects, firstly it reminds the readers of how his brother was still practically a baby that had required a cot,
and hence emphasizing the unnatural interruption of the boys young life, and secondly, the comparison to a cot and the further
indication that the body had no gaudy scars, seems to imply that the boy could very easily be asleep, but this heightens the
sadness of the poem, as readers are firmly aware that this is an illusion and the boy shall never awake again.
A four foot box, a foot for every year.
The final line of the poem is isolated from the rest of the poem and this one line stanza hence adds particular emphasis to the
meaning of the line. Heaney returns us to the image of the coffin, the four foot box, thus ending the poem with the finality of
death still permeating the atmosphere. The matter-of-fact statement of a four foot box, a foot for every year, which is made even
more biting by the use of fricatives, strengthens the depressing mood of the poem as it emphasizes the brevity of the boys life that
had resulted in his death at the tender age of four.

Conclusion
The great restraint seen in Heaney in this poem, creates a sense of poignancy and arouses a great sense of sympathy in readers for
the poets situation. Heaney also uses the structure, title, descriptions of the reactions of other in order to convey the tragic nature
of Christophers death so are to show Heaneys indignation that such a young child should have gone through the trauma of death
so early in life.

The Tollund Man

Introduction
Context: The Tollund man was a victim featured in P.V. Globs book The Bog People, written about Pagan ritual murders
hundreds of years ago in Northern Europe. The Tollund man was sacrificed to Nerthus, the goddess of sea and land, in the hope of
securing a good crop from the land. In other words, the Tollund man was a martyr-like figure. This poem is known as one of
Heaneys Bog Poems, with others such as Punishment and Bogland, as Heaney found a great fascination in the idea of the bogs
being able to preserve history and culture.
Subject Matter: In the poem, Heaney uses the analogy of the Tollund man in order to subtly convey his political views regarding
the conflict in Ireland that had been occurring at the time, mainly the communal violence in Ulster. Heaney draws a parallel
between the Danish ritual and sacrificial murders of centuries ago with religious and political murders of the Irish conflict. Some
critics have also ponted out that The Tollund Man does not make an active political statement despite its political undertones, but
it makes a greater effort to generate historical awareness.
Overview: This discussion will take on a linear approach which focuses on:
Heaneys fascination and reverence for the Tollund Man as a martyr
How Heaney uses the Tollund Man to reflect the political atrocities occurring distancing

Structure
Part I: Speaker meditates on the ancient ritual sacrifice of the Tollund Man
Part II: Speaker draws a parallel between the ancient ritual sacrifice and modern killing in Ireland
Part III: Speaker conflates Jutland and Ireland as one entity

Main Analysis
Some day I will go to Aarhus
To see his peat-brown head
The mild pods of his eye-lids
His pointed skin crap
In the first section of the poem, we see Heaneys fascination and reverence for the Tollund as a martyr, through Heaneys detailed
use of imagery to describe the body and the sacrificial ritual of the man, and the use of religious diction to convey Heaneys
reverence and admiration for the martyr.
Heaney describes the man with fanatical obsession, down to every detail, almost as though he were a scientific subject being
examined. By doing so, he allows for readers to better appreciate the Tollund man and the sacrifice he underwent and hence by
drawing parallels between the Tollund man and the victims of the modern killings in Ireland, the political message of the poem is
more intensely conveyed.
The first line of the poem, introduces the intensity of Heaneys regard for the Tollund man. The use of the future tense in I will
go to Aarhus, results in a sense of control, determination and excitement towards the quest he desires to undertake to see the
Tollund man. The intensity of the desire allows for this promise to resemble a vow of sorts, thus enabling this quest to resemble a
religious pilgrimage, hence highlighting the reverence Heaney has for the Tollund man. Furthermore, the reference to Aarhus
even though Heaney is perfectly aware that that is not where the body is situated, shows how Heaney had desired for his quest to
resemble a pilgrimage as he purposefully used this term to add a mythical ring to the quest.
Heaney then proceeds to describe the iconic head and facial features of the body. Heaney uses color imagery in peat-brown
head, and even goes on to describe the pointed skin cap that the body wears. The description of his eyelids as being mild
pods, conjures the image of seeds, showing the good preservation of the body, seemingly almost alive, like plant seeds. The use
of enjambment between each of these lines in the first stanza also allow for readers to focus on each individual physical feature of
the head which intensifies the image of the Tollund man for the reader.
In the flat country near by
Where they dug him out,
His last gruel of winter seeds
Caked in his stomach,
In the next stanza, there is a switch from the familiar features of the Tollund man to the place he was found, In the flat country
nearby. There is now a new detachment in the tone, becoming more impersonal and matter-of-factly, which is caused by
Heaneys avoidance of including his personal voice in this stanza. In this stanza, there is also the absence of the longing that had
been seen in the first stanza, as can be seen in the very direct phrase they dug him out, in reference to the extraction of the body.
The lack of emotional attachment in this stanza could be Heaneys attempt to remove himself from the poem and shift the focus
entirely onto the Tollund man.
The use of guttural sounds in gruel and plosives in caked creates a sense of dissonance and a morbid tone which gives rise to
feelings of unease in this stanza that prepares readers for the descriptions of his ritualistic death in the stanzas to come.

Naked except for

The cap, noose and girdle,
I will stand a long time.
Bridegroom to the goddess,
In the beginning of the third stanza, the word naked echoes the word caked in the stanza before, and hence continues the
morbid tone that has been established so far. This is further emphasized by the next line, which forces readers to focus on the
individual items of The cap, noose and girdle. The noose especially, now refers directly to the method at which the Tollund
man died.
Following this line, Heaney states, I will stand a long time which echoes the vow that he made in the first stanza, I will go to
Aarhus. Not only is the structure of the line the same, but it continues the use of future tense. This once again conveys the
admiration for the corpse he views as a pagan martyr. He says this as he meditates on the pragmatic purpose of his death in the
ancient ritual, in the line Bridegroom to the goddess, in which it was believed that a new bridegroom to the goddess was
required every winter in order to ensure the fertility of the land.
She tightened her torc on him
And opened her fen,
Those dark juices working
Him to a saints kept body,
The next stanza is a grotesque, violent, sensual and sexual description of his death as the Tollund man is sacrificed to the goddess.
Opened her fen, Dark juices and Tightened her torc signify an almost ritualistic sexual union between the Tollund man and
Nerthus, the goddess. Parallel phrase structure in tightened her torc and opened her fen is used to also highlight the sensual
and sexual nature of the pagan sacrifice ritual.
Trove of the turfcutters
Honeycombed workings.
Now his strained face
Reposes at Aarhus.
There is an abrupt shift from the Tollund man as a sacrificial offering to a treasure find of the turf cutter, as can be seen in the
reference to the body as now a trove and honeycomb which all imply a level of value to be found in the body.
The weakness in the perfectly non-decomposed body of the Tollund man is revealed in the strained face of the body. This image
also allows readers to sympathize more greatly with the suffering the Tollund man had to go through for the sake of his people.
Sibilance is also present in the words strained and reposes. This creates a serene atmosphere, and the choice of the word
reposes also contributes to elevating the religious status of the Tollund man.
I could risk blasphemy,
Consecrate the cauldron bog
Our holy ground and pray
Him to make germinate
The scattered, ambushed
Flesh of labourers,
Stockinged corpses
Laid out in the farmyards,
Tell-tale skin and teeth
Flecking the sleepers
Of four young brothers, trailed
For miles along the lines.
In the second section of the poem, Heaney draws parallels between the ancient rituals to the modern killings in Ireland. The
opening of the second section, I could risk blasphemy, demonstrates the mans power over Heaney, sending him almost into a
trance with religious fervor. This line shows how Heaney is willing to challenge his Catholic religion, and engage in blasphemy,
in order to elevate the pagan sacrifice.
Heaney continues the use of religious diction in this stanza, for example, the words consecrate, holy ground and pray, to
show both his reverence for the Tollund man and to also request the Tollund man to invoke its power to germinate, give life and
resurrect the four Catholics who were murdered by the protestant militants, who were horribly mutilated as they were dragged
along a railway line. The contemporary killings are described vividly, in great detail, as the bodies are described as being
scattererd with the Flesh of labourers being laid out in the farmyards. The vividness of the situations arouses a sense of
pathos and horror.

There is also a subconscious contrast between the civilized ritual killing of the Tollund man, who died as a willing sacrifice, in
contrast to the cruelty and uncivilized brutal killing of the four young brothers [who] trailed for miles along the lines.
Furthermore, in the final stanza of the second section, Heaney uses fricatives in teeth, Flecking and four to highlight the
brutality of the deaths as well.

Conclusion
In conclusion, within these two stanzas, Heaney uses the folk rituals to do two things, firstly by using the comparison of a martyr
figure to the four catholic deaths in order to intensify the emotions associated with the atrocities that were done to the Irish people
and their struggles for freedom. Secondly, Heaney is also able to undertake a non-didactic means of commenting on political
issues.
Though in the last section of the poem not shown in this extract, Heaney allows for the poem to take on another level of meaning.
In the final stanza, Heaney attempts to conflate his sense of the Globs jutland rituals with his own sense of the mythic and
modern Irish history. In this way, Heaney convey to the Irish the importance of going back to their roots
Throughout the two sections, Heaney also uses

lev 18:22

Blackberry Picking
Introduction
Context: This poem comes from Heaneys first autobiographical collection of poems Death of a Naturalist, and is hence similar
to other poems found in the collection, such as the titular poem. It conveys themes of disillusionment, an important idea of the
collection, and is largely inspired by Heaneys childhood, in this case, his early agricultural lifestyle, specifically the act of
picking berries.
Subject Matter: The poem centers around Heaneys memories of blackberry picking and the poem is divided into two stanzas,
the first of which revolves around Heaney describing his enthusiasm and excitement during the blackberry picking season as a
child, while the second shows a distinct change in Heaneys attitude towards the activity as he views the inevitable decay of the
berries with revulsion. In this way, the structure of the poem mirrors the 2-stanza structure of Death of a Naturalist, which does
focus on a similar theme of disillusionment.
Outline: This discussion will take on a linear approach so as to trace the development of Heaneys narrative perspective of berry
picking as a child, while focusing mainly on the ideas of:
The use of sensual imagery in describing the berries so as to show the intensity of the memories for Heaney hence better
engaging readers in the poem
The use of juxtaposition of the first and second stanzas and foreshadowing to convey Heaneys disillusionment
And also Heaneys description of the Irish agricultural landscape of his childhood so as to convey the use of blackberrypicking as an extended metaphor for the agricultural lifestyle

Title
The title Blackberry-Picking holds a similar purpose to the title of Heaneys other work, Mid-Term Break. The seemingly
innocent title misleads readers regarding the intent of the poem as it initially gives the impression of a fun, enjoyable activity. This
intensifies the effect of the poem on the readers when this impression is subverted by the end of the poem as the final stanza
provides explicit descriptions of the decay that the berries undergo and the disgust that Heaney feels towards it.
In some ways, the blackberries mentioned in the title can be viewed as an extended metaphor for Heaneys feelings towards the
agricultural lifestyle: Heaney initially enjoys the rural life as a child, but gradually becomes disillusioned by it.

The Early Purges

At a Potato Digging
Main Ideas
The poem deals with two different potato harvests. One is the harvest from the present day (written in the 60s) that goes
successfully and delivers a rich crop. The second looks back to the famine of 1845 when the crop failed and many people starved.
Whilst the famine is no longer a threat, the ongoing fear for its return remains and this can be seen in the use of religious language
throughout the poem.
Nature The poem deals with the natural world and the different aspects of nature that can be see in the reference to the earth as
the black mother that gives life and also the bitch earth that is capable of inflicting great suffering.
Suffering The suffering of the people of Ireland is described in detail in this poem and we understand the extent of the misery
that was caused by the famine.
The Past Heaneys desire to make connections between the past and present is very important to the poem a link is made
between events more than a century apart.

The Wifes Tale

Introduction
Context: The poem is taken from Seamus Heaneys 2nd collection, Door into the Dark. Heaney has explained that this poem was
written as he had wanted to capture the image of a woman bringing tea to a harvest field. Similarly, to Heaneys other poems,
such as Blackberry Picking and Digging, Irelands agricultural landscape features heavily in the poem.
Subject Matter: This poem is about an agricultural scene where we see a wife approaching a field to set up a picnic for her
husband. The harvesting machine and communal labor of men take the center stage in this poem, and brings to mind ideas from
Heaneys Digging which speaks of the agricultural vocations of the Irish. At the end of the poem, the wife leaves the scene alone
suggesting a habitual action that she, as a good wife, had done for years.
Outline: This commentary will taken on a linear approach so as to examine how Heaney presents this scene of a wife approaching
her husband and the other workers in the field. This commentary will examine the effective use of title, juxtaposition of narrative
voices and imagery to bring out the relationship between the woman and the men in the poem, while paying close attention to how
Heaney shows:
The role women have taken in Irish culture
The power of men in society as emphasized by their close association with the natural landscape
The differences between the man and the wife

Title
The title indicates to readers that the poem is narrated from the perspective of the wife. Images and circumstances are very much
seen through her eyes. She acts as a filter and this perspective shapes readers thoughts. The specification that this is the Wifes
tale, also starts the poem off with the idea that there is a clear distinction between husband and wife. The use of the definite
article, The, implies that this recount is specific. Tale also suggests a story that reminds us that this is from purely the
perspective of the woman which men may not agree with.

Main Analysis
When I had spread it all on linen cloth
Under the hedge, I called them over.
The hum and gulp of the thresher ran down
And the bug belt slewed to a standstill, straw
Hanging undelivered in the jaws.
There was such quiet that I hear their boots
Crunching the stubble twenty yards away.
The first line of the poem introduces the first person persona of the wife. This suggests a personal recount of the wife as she
approaches the field where her husband worked. The continuous use of this perspective also allows us to identify with her
emotions unconsciously. This opening of the poem also shows her setting up the picnic in spread it all on linen cloth which sets
the stage for the woman to be seen in her domestic role of caring for her husband and his needs in this poem, as in line with the
first main point of my commentary.
In the second line, she called the men over. This suggests a form of authority that she has over the men in this area of feeding
them and it also shows how comfortable she is in this role in which she has full control over. This sense of control, however, is
quickly undercut by the aural imagery of the machine shutting down in the poem.
The fact that Heaney chooses to describe the machines instead of the men in reaction to the wife who had called them over,
allows readers to associate the men with the power of the machine, which emphasizes the second point of my commentary.
The power of the machines is shown is Heaneys personification of the thresher. This can be seen in Heaneys use of
onomatopoeic terms such as hum and gulp to describe the machines sounds when shutting down and his later reference to the
jaws of the machine. The use of enjambment between the fourth and fifth lines, forces readers to focus on the image of the
remaining harvest in the jaws. This allows for the machine to appear both animalistic and violent, thus highlighting the power of
the machine and subsequently the men.
Furthermore, in line 4, the repeated use of plosives and sibilance in big belt slewed to a standstill, straw, provide a realistic and
onomatopoeic representation of the machine coming to a halt. The harsh sounds also allow for the violence and power of the
machines to be shown as well.
In the fifth line, the wife describes the quiet which seems almost ominous in nature due to the sharp contrast between this and
the lines preceding which had described the noise in such great detail, that the sudden halt in noise seems unnatural. This somber
mood is heightened in the final line of the stanza which describes the sound of the men approaching as a crunching. This seems
to mirror the image of the jaws earlier that provides a sense of menace to the end of the stanza while also highlighting the mens
likeness to the machines in terms of their power as in line with my second main point.

We are also given an impression of the womans anticipation for the arrival of the men with the spatial description of twenty
yards away. This shows my first main point of the womans role, by conveying how the womans duty is to her husband.
He lay down and said, Give these fellows theirs,
Im in no hurry, plucking grass in handfuls
And tossing it in the air. That looks well.
(He nodded at my white cloth on the grass.)
I declare a woman could lay out a field
Though boys like us have little call for cloths.
He winked, then watched me as I poured a cup
In the second stanza, we see a shift in focus which had been anticipated in the first stanza with the descriptions of the approaching
men. This can be seen in how the very first word of the stanza He, focuses the stanza on the husband in this poem.
We are also given the sense that the woman has retreated into passive silence as the men approach as shown in how her husbands
direct speech makes up majority of the stanza. The use of gerunds in this stanza, such as in plucking and tossing, also gives a
sense of immediacy to the stanza, as though the action is occurring right before our eyes.
The mens carefree abandonment to nature, seen in how her husband lay down and playfully plucking grass in handfuls and
tossing it in the air, shows the level of comfort they have in their agricultural setting, which in a way shows their power over the
wife in this surroundings as she seems to be less comfortable than them. The power of men in nature is also shown in the line
Though boys like us have little call for cloths which has the double meaning of implying the virility of the men in their
nakedness in nature. The carefree, playful mood of the man can also be seen in the mans expression of his admiration to his wife,
in winked, nodded and watched me. These expressions of admiration also reinforce my first point of a womans role in
society by showing how the wife needs the approval of her husband in what she does.
The second point of my commentary, the power of the man over the woman can also be seen in the commanding voice of the
husband which is heard through his use of imperative verbs such as give, declare and over there, which all suggest a form
of dominance and authority he has over his wife. Heaney also shows this sort of power divide between the men and the wife by
collectively referring to the men in the clause boys like us. This gives rise to a sense of brotherhood among the men that
differentiate them from the wife, thus showing the third point of my commentary.
He winked, then watched me as I poured a cup
And buttered the thick slices that he likes.
Its threshing better than I thought, and mind
Its good clean seed. Away over there and look.
Always this inspection has to be made
Even when I dont know what to look for.
This stanza also establishes the first main point of my commentary, the womans role in society. The second half of the stanza
from line 14 to line 19 reduces the role of the woman to that of a domesticated wife who is subservient and passive, waiting upon
her husband as seen in I poured a cup and buttered the thick slices that he likes. She presents the typical woman image in a
patriarchal society. Also, when the husband commands her away over there and looks, she obeys without any resistance even
though she is completely clueless to the objective. This is captured in the last two lines of the stanza, and the indication that
Always this inspection has to be made, thus suggesting a habitual action which reinforces the obedience of the woman to the
man.
But I ran my hands in the half-filled bags
Hooked to the slots. It was hard as shot,
Innumerable and cool. The bags gaped
Where the chutes ran back to the stilled drum
And forks were stuck at angles in the ground
As javelins might mark lost battlefields.
I moved between them back across the stubble.
In the third stanza, the oppositional conjunction but shifts the focus to the interior landscape and thoughts of the wife. The wife
is now described as walking through the fields that the men had just vacated. The items left in the field are personified once again
as in the first stanza, such as how the bags gaped. But instead of the continual motion and sound that had been suggested in the
first stanza, there seems to be a calmer tone in this stanza which perhaps show the constraints and hesitation in the wifes
movements as she walks amongst the inanimate machine parts. This tentativeness can also be seen in how she moved between
them as though she is carefully trying to avoid harm from these stationary objects.
As she ran her hand in the half-filled bags, tactile imagery is used to describe the seeds as hard as shot/innumerable and cool.
These liken the seeds to bullets and the war imagery is continued in the comparison of the fields to battle fields. The use of war
imagery to describe the image of the fields in the aftermath following the work of the men, once again shows the second point of
my commentary, the power the men have in their work and over the land.

They lay in the ring of their own crusts and dregs

Smoking and saying nothing. Theres good yield,
Isnt there? as proud as if he were the land itself
Enough for crushing and sowing both.
And that was it. Id come and he had shown me
So I belonged no further to the work.
I gathered cups and folded up the cloth
And went. But they still kept their ease
Spread out, unbuttoned, grateful, under the trees.
In the last stanza, readers return their focus to the men as the first image introduced is that of the men in the ring of their own.
This continues the idea introduced in stanza two of how the men are separate from the wife, as she is excluded from the ring
they have formed. The men are shown in a continuation of their relaxed states in the second stanza, and the deliberate choices of
dregs and crusts suggests the remains from a feast that imply that the men have eaten their fill during their meal.
The husbands voice come across as proud of his work in the rhetorical question Theres a good yield, isnt there?, which
functions more as a declarative statement. This declarative statement also shows how to the husband, his wifes input does not
entirely matter for he does not expect a response in the negative. The next phrase he utters, enough for crushing and sowing
both, also contains an authoritative tone in the word enough which underscores a finality in the matter. This dominance and
authority is perceived by the wife as arrogance as in line 29, the use of dashes help to frame the phrase as proud as if he were the
land itself, so as to allow readers to focus on how his wife views this as pride. Line 29 also reiterates the close relationship
between nature and the men that had been implied in the first two stanzas.
The direct speech of the husband is also met with the silent and monosyllabic thoughts of the wife, and that was it, as if her
wifely roles end there as she has fulfilled her purpose of providing the men with food. This idea of the dutiful nature of the wife is
further emphasized by how she states very firmly that shed come and he had shown her, and hence it was now time for her to
leave.
We once again see the divide between the men and woman, the third main point of my commentary, when she says that she
belonged no further, thus showing her exclusion from the men there. The repeated mention of the cloth here, which had been
previously seen in the first stanza, linen cloth and the second stanza white cloth, allows the cloth to function as a motif which
represents how different the wife is from the men as the cloth seems almost out of place amongst the men in the fields who has
even commented before that the has little call for cloths.
The monosyllabic phrase and went also emphasizes the wifes resignation to her role as there is no sense of agitation or self-pity
regarding these roles that she has to abide by. As she leaves, the men still kept their ease spread out, unbuttoned, grateful, under
the trees. The parting image shows the men in their abandonment being one with nature. As the wife does note that they are
grateful, it seems to imply once against her contentment in her womanly roles as provider for these men who seem to appreciate
and admire how she fulfills them as well. The calm atmosphere that the poem ends with also seems to reinforce this idea of
acceptance and harmony in each genders respective roles.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I have shown how Heaney has used the vivid imagery and perspectives to show the roles of the women in society,
the power of the men in their agricultural roles, and how this results in a stark division between the men and the woman found in
the poem.
Personally, I find this poem very interesting as it differs greatly from Heaneys other works. In this poem, we see very little
evidence of Heaneys own personal voice, which is unlike his other poems that delve into issues such as his childhood, political
opinions, and personal views regarding the importance of heritage for the Irish.

Punishment
Introduction
Context: This poem is from Heaneys collection North which focuses entirely on discussing the time in Irelands history known
as The Troubles. Having spent a portion of his life in Derry, Heaney was deeply affected by the violence occurring, especially
since Derry was the location of the majority of the conflict during that revolutionary struggle. Similarly to The Tollund Man,
Heaney had also written this poem in response to the discovery of several bog bodies. This along with poems such as The Tollund
Man and Bogland are known as Heaneys bog poems which draw inspiration from the bogs.
Subject Matter: In Punishment, Heaney first writes of Windeby I, the fourteen-year old girl who had been killed for adultery and
whose body had been exhumed from a bog in Germany, 1951. Towards the end of the poem, Heaney draws parallels between the
Windeby girl who had been punished for adultery and the Catholic girls who had been punished by IRA soldiers during the
Troubles for consorting with British soldiers. This poem is similar to Heaneys other poems, such as At a Potato Digging, where
Heaney draws connections between events of the past and events of the present to intensify the meaning of his poem.
Overview: This discussion will take on a linear approach to first examine Heaneys descriptions of the Windeby girl followed by
his description of the Catholic girls, while focusing on how Heaney uses these two separate events to examine the nature of the
human being, and to answer the question of whether we still remain as tribally and barbarically motivated as we once were.

Conclusion
Title
Its a poem about standing by as the IRA tar and feather these young women in Ulster. But its also about standing by as the
British torture people in barracks and interrogation centers in Belfast. Its about standing between those two forms of affront.
- Heaney

Bogland
Introduction
Context: Seamus Heaney once described the bog as a dark casket where we have found many of the clues to our past and to our
cultural identity. As such, in examining this poem, Bogland, it is essential to view the bog as a metaphor for Heaneys ideas
regarding history and cultural identity, specifically, Irelands cultural identity. Bogland is the earliest of all of Heaneys bog
poems

Additional Background Information

For Blackberry-Picking
Seamus Heaney has commented that his parentage contains both the Ireland of the cattle-herding Gaelic past and the Ulster of the
Industrial Revolution; he considers this to have been a significant tension in his background.
Heaney initially attended Anahorish Primary School, and when he was twelve-years old, he won a scholarship to St. Columbs
College, a Roman Catholic boarding school situated in Derry.
When he was about 18, Heaney travelled to Belfast to study English Language and Literature at the Queens University of Belfast.
During his time in Belfast, he found a copy of Ted Hughes Lupercal, which spurred him to write poetry.
In 1963 (when he was about 24), Heaney became a lecturer at St. Josephs and in the spring of 1963, after contributing various
articles to local magazines, he came to the attention of Hobsbaum, then an English lecturer at Queens University.
Heaney was and is a prolific poet he wrote and published many poems throughout his youth and in his adulthood.
He is very much aware of his Irish background even when he lectured in Berkeley, Harvard, USA and Oxford, England.
He received his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 for what the Nobel committee described as works of lyrical beauty and ethical
depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past.
This poem comes from the collection of poems called Death of a Naturalist in 1966 published when he was only 27 years old.

For Mid-Term Break

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in Ireland.
He has taught at Oxford and Harvard, wrote and published many poems.
Mid-Term Bream is in his first collection, Death of a Naturalist published in 1966 when he was only 27 years old.
Critic John Hunter on Heaney: His writing is descriptive and clear. His world is a warm and optimistic one. His tone is that of
traditional sanity and humanity

For The Wifes Tale

The success of his 1st collection, Death of a Naturalist gives him a sense of confidence and adventure in his 2 nd collection.
The title, Door into the Dark gives a ring of defiance to it.
Darkness echoes throughout the collection it is a reference to the act of artistic creation.
The Wifes Tale reflects this act of artistic creation.