Death of a Naturalist

1 - 7 Lines

Positive images:

• Dragon Flies
• Spotted Butterflies
• Delicately

Negative images:

• Punishing sun
• Sweltered
• Festered
• Smell
• Rotted
• Gargled

Oxyoron:

• Gargled Delicately

Metaphor:

• Strong gauge of sound
• Dragon-flies, Spotted Butterflies.

8 - 15 Lines

1. The phrase that sounds like a child describing the scene is 'But best of all'
2. The ugly image that would appeal to a child is 'the warm thick slober of frogspawn'
3. The onimatopeia used is 'slober'
4. The similie used to describe the frog spawn is 'like clotted water'
5. The techniques are effective as it describes the poem from a childs point of view. It also is about how a child loses his innocence as he thinks of the tadpoles as cool but when they grow up they're not
6. The phrases that describe the frog spawn are 'warm thick slobber' 'clotted water' 'jellied specks' 'fattening dots' 'nimble swimming'

1. The boy's interest was created by a nature lesson at school as it says 'Miss Wolls would tell us'
2. The tone is happy as he is innocent and thinks of the tadpoles as cool and it changes tone as he grows up and thinks of them as ugly and minging.

1. We know that this section of the poem is set in summer as it is 'rank with cowdung' and shows that the cows ciome out in summer. also it is not a pleasant thought as it would be smelling of cowdung.
2. The developed frogs are made to sound ugly and threatening by saying 'angry frogs invaded'

Storm on the island

Key Themes:

• Natural power
• Fear and Isolation
• Mans relationship with nature

Key Techniques:

• Blank verse - No rhyme
• Enjambment - Lines run on
• Caesura
• Assonance - Repetition of a vowel sound
• Oxymoron - Contradiction
• Metaphor and Simile

Lines 1-5

• Line one there is an example of caesura - after the 'we are prepared' it is the semicolon that causes the break.
• We is an important word as it is repeated twice in the first line as it is addressing the audience it is also setting the tone as they are all in it together. Sense of community.
• They build there houses 'squat' and walls of 'rock' so that the islanders are prepared for the storm
• Line two there is Assonance this is repeating the vowel sound "roof" and "Stoof"
• Heaney uses the word 'wizened' to show the earth is old and feeble where nothing is growing and also to show that it is experienced.
• Nothing grows on the island - 'no stacks or snooks that can be lost'
• At the end of lines 1 and 2 there are end breaks - they are commas and full stops.
• The rest of the stanza uses enjambment.
• The poet puts pauses deliberately in the first two lines and enjambment in the rest as the first two lines are like preparation and the rest of the poem is the effect of the storm.
• No stanzas in the poem as it all flows as a storm.

Lines 6 - 10

• There is enjambment when the poet says 'full blast' this comes suddenly like a storm; the waves hitting a rock, lightning hitting the land.
• Line 7 - The poet uses conversational turn when he says 'you know what i mean' as it addresses the reader and draws you in, also he feels more isolated as there is no trees, no noise, and wants a bit of reassurance which is why he asks the reader if 'you know what i mean'
• Line 8 - He uses the word chorus as it keeps repeating itself, and keeps coming back.
• Line 9 - 10 - The wind are personified as it 'pummels' the house. It is personified in a very violent way. 'Pummel' is used in a violent way as in a fight.

Lines 11-19

• Line 11 - 'no' is repeated to emphasise that there isn't anything there.
• Line 13 - There is an oxymoron as the sea is 'exploding comfortably' which shows that it is exploding but he is finding solace in it and company as he is alone.
• Line 14 - there is another break where the poem says 'But no' to break the poem where the storm turns from being reassuring company to violent.
• Line 15 - 'spits' is onomatopoeia
• Lines 15 - 16 - 'spits like a tame cat gone saveage' shows that the storm was nice then it turned violent

comparing Follower and Digging

Memories and family tradition in 'Follower' and 'Digging'





How Heaney shows expertise of father and grandfather

Heaney shows expertise of his Father and Grandfather in both ‘Digging’ and ‘Follower’ by saying ‘than any other man’ in Digging. He also says ‘an expert’ in Follower.

Feelings toward family

Heaney shows a number of feelings towards his Father. In Follower he shows admiration, you can see this by ‘I wanted to grow up and plough’ which shows that he wants to follow in his fathers footstep. In Digging he feels as if he hasn't got the skills to follow in his fathers footsteps.

 

Family tradition

 

In Digging the faily tradition is that they all follow in the fathers footsteps except Heaney, as they were all manual workers except Heaney who is using his pen. However in Follower the family tradition is that he wants to grow up to be just like his father.

 

Momories recalled

 

In Follower the memories recalled are about how he used to follow his father and admire him and want to do what he does when he grows older, this is similar in Digging as he wants to be like his father.

Seamus Heaney - Follower

Video of Follower

Questions

1)a) By saying 'his shoulders globed like a full sail strung' it is showing the strength and skill of Heaney's father as it is making him seem tall and braud and adapted to what he is doing like a sail is adapted to what it is doing.

1)b) By saying 'the horses strained at his clicking song' it is showing the strength and skill of Heaney's father as it is making him look as if he is in control of the horse and can control them with the simplest of movements.

1)c) By saying 'with a single pluck/Of reins, the sweating team turned around' it is showing the strength and skill of Heaney's father by showing that he is in control of the 'team' and has the ability to make them carry on and do what he wants them to do no matter how tired and slackish they get.

1)d) By saying 'dipping and rising to his plod' it is showing the strength and skill of Heaney's father as he is in control of Seamus Heaney and is keeping him following in his tracks. It is also using an extended metaphor as it is comparing the farm to a sea with the ground uneven like waves and the father is stearing the plow like a ship

2)a) By saying 'i stumbled in his hob-nailed wake' is saying young Heaney is following in his fathers footsteps.

2)b) 'I was a nuisance, tripping, falling/ yapping always' is saying young Heaney is craving attention from his father and being clumsy although his father was content of working and young Heaney was being a hinderance.

3) The young Heaney reminds me of a young horse trying to find his feet and looking to his father for guidance and what to do.

4)  The last two and a half lines shows that Heaney and his father have changed places and Heaney's father is following him whilst Heaney is trying to do his job but his father is craving care and attention.

Seamus Heaney - Digging

Reading for meaning

1) At the start of the poem, Seamus Heaney is looking out of his window.

2) The sight of his father digging in the lower bed reminds him of twenty years ago when he watched his father digging for potatoes .

3) The writer also associates his Grandad with the skill at digging.

4) The memory of him bringing a bottle of milk to him, he stood up, drank it, and went back to work

5) The writer decides to use his skill of writing rather than following his father and Grandfathers footsteps. as he believes they have talent/passion in what they do and he has talent/passion for what he does.

First Impressions

1) The poem is about how much he respects his father and grandfather and for what they do to make meats end. Also it is about how much he would like to grow up like them, he is more of a writer than a grafter.

2) The words or phrases that stuck the most are 'as snug as a gun' as it is comparing his pen to a gun and saying that it is his weapon and his pen is as powerful as a gun. And he is as comfortable with a pen than someone with a gun.

3) Heaney is different from his father as he respects him and wants to be like him but in the same sense he wants to be his own person and wants to write instead of graft.

Seamus Heaney Digging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIzJgbNANzk

Introduction

This is my blog for my english lit course we are studying: Seamus Heaney, Gillian Clarke and Pre 1914