Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney is regarded as one of Irelands most accomplished poets. In my opinion he is one of the most talented and gifted poets in Irish poetry. His poetry contains such a wide variety of themes which I find very appealing. Through the proficiency of his literary skills and his unique ability to draw the reader into the depths of his poetry, he is able to tackle complex issues with great expertise. For this critical evaluation I will be writing…...

This metaphor emphasizes the time she has been down under the peatlands as she almost has been pealed away and died again jus like a tree that looses its bark. This all comes back to the emphasis of time. Enjambment also carries on the imagery onto the third and fourth line of this stanza as the words 'dug up', 'oak-bone' and 'brain-firkin' are used. 'Oak-bone' and 'Brain-firkin' are compound words that show kenning in this poem. Kenning is an old…...

Seamus Heaney, in his poetry, calls upon elements of past and present in which he explores certain continuity in different ways and to different effects, or at least, in most poems studied up to now. His work's main frame, confessional poetry, is one in which he makes allusions to his own personal experience, past or present, but he also evokes historical events and experiences, both of which are evidently subject to time. Yet, how does Heaney explore such an abstract,…...

From the very beginning of his poetic career Noble laureate Irish poet Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) had attempted to leave a mark of his own stature whether in case of his biographical verse narratives or his mythical insurgency through poems. In his attempt to showcase the role of women Heaney has quite prominently versified the women he was surrounded by and the women she had read about. In the making of a poet Heaney, from a person Heaney, the role of…...

Recently I have been studying two similarly themed poems both concentrated upon the chilling reality of death. In the following essay I will to analyse & compare the similarities & contrasts between "Mid term break" Written by Seamus Heaney & "Treasure in the Heart" written by Joolz. I will attempt to delve & explore the subconscious meanings behind the structure and wording of these poems. I will attempt to give a brief overview of relevant background information concerning Heaney &…...

In many families, fathers take pride in receiving remarks regarding their sons such as “He’s a chip off the ol’ block” or “like father like son,” often exalting the sons who have followed in their fathers’ vocational footsteps. In “Digging,” by Seamus Heaney, the speaker describes the quintessential potato farming tradition that his father and grandfather partake in, while the speaker himself observes through a window barrier. Seamus Heaney, through his use of imagery, repetition, and extended metaphors, reveals his…...

Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet who was born in Mossbawn farmhouse and spent fourteen years of his childhood there. Many of his poems are based on personal experience; ‘Mid-term Break’, for example, was based on the death of his younger brother; and are laid out in settings akin to those he is familiar to. His poem, ‘Blackberry Picking’, is set on a farm and explores the simple luxury of picking fresh, ripe blackberries, his inspiration quite possibly being his…...

‘Mid-term Break’ was written in 1966 by Seamus Heaney. This poem is autobiographical as it was written about a real event of Heaney’s life. It is about him and his family grieving from the death of his four year old brother. When the tragedy struck he was only fourteen. This poem focuses on how people reacted to the death. The title of this poem is unusual as a mid-term break is normally thought of as a break off school that…...

'The Forge' is a sonnet with a clear division into an octave (the first 8 lines) and a sestet (the final 6 lines). While the octave, apart from its initial recommendation to the storyteller, focuses exclusively on the inanimate things and occurrences inside and outside the create, the sestet explains the blacksmith himself, and what he does. Heaney begins with the line All I know is a door into the dark. This can be interpreted as the blacksmith getting out…...

There are only a few similarities between 'Afternoons', by Philip Larkin, and 'Churning Day', by Seamus Heaney. These feature mainly in the structure of the two poems. They both use enjambment for the whole length of the poem, with just one end-stopped line present in each. Enjambment gives both poems a sense of continuous movement. This is appropriate in 'Churning Day' as it represents the motion of the person churning the butter. It also makes the voice of 'Churning Day'…...

The title of the poem means a blacksmith.The line presents a contrast between the dark, the older time period of his profession, and the outside, modern world, in which his profession is less visible and honored.The poem uses the image of a blacksmith and the nature of the profession. “Old axles and iron hoops” show that he has been doing this for years.The previous line describes how the older tools are outside, outdated and now unusable they are. In this…...

Utilizing Ministry of worry and another properly picked poem explore the sense of place Heaney conveys with reference to the problems in N.I, with specific reference to the results of any political and social context and Heaney's own views. Ministry of Worry is from Heaney's 'North' collection, composed in 1975 while Heaney was remaining in Wicklow, Casualty was written quickly after in 'Field work' in 1979. Through these 2 poems Heaney communicates a strong sense of location, specifically Northern Ireland,…...

The poem “The Turnip-Snedder” by Seamus Heaney is about an archaic machine that was used in traditional farming, to cut the heads off turnips. The turnip-snedder is personified and portrayed in multiple ways. It is personified in a monstrous way but also in a very god like and powerful manner. The turnip snedder is also used to reflect the idea how some people refuse change even though it is inevitable. The poet’s attitude is nostalgic with a sinister undertone of…...

ANALYSIS OF A POEM -- MID TERM BREAK BY SEAMUS HEANEY In Mid Term Break by Seamus Heaney, how does the poet manage to convey a sense of his grief. Mid Term Break by Seamus Heaney is a poem in which the writer gives an account of a family tragedy. In this poem he expresses feelings of dismay on seeing his father crying, feelings of disbelief on seeing older men standing up for him and shocking grief to discover that…...