some heaney poem summaries

8/18/2019 Some Heaney Poem Summaries

1/6

The Barn• Death of a Naturalist - 1966• Number of poems dealing with childhood• Barn terri ed Heaney as a child• Metaphor for adulthood- uncontrollable danger• Heaney still connects to childhood fear- rst person narration ( ! lay face down"#$

direct address of reader ( cobwebs clogging your lungs"#$ %i%id imagery• &i%e 'uatrains- fear intensi es throughout- two lugged sac s" with threshed

corn" become two lugged sac s" (use of repetition for contrast# mo%e in li egreat blind rats"- military language$ simile$ other poems in Death of a Naturalist denote fear of %ermin- An Advancement of Learning

• )one of &ear• Mood- unchanging- menace$ %ulnerability and repulsion• !naccuracy of bucolic images• *B*B half rhyme- not 'uite right• ad+ecti%es- rusty" mouse grey$ smooth$ chilly"- %ermin and death, gilded"

(+u tapose#- precious light• .imile comparing corn to i%ory- barn repository of treasure- sinister nature of

i%ory trade• .imile of hot /inc" o%en"- sinister$ claustrophobic, great blind rats"

monosyllabic$ three blind mice, and use of sibilance solid as cement" cold andtomb

• .ibilance scythe"s edge$ clean spade$ a pitchfor "s prongs"- menacing

The Settle Bed• .eeing )hings (1991#- &our poems dealing with Northern !reland• 0eace 0rocess in sight- cease re in 199• !nheritance can be a burden- .torage unit$ bed$ bench- poor and cumbersome-

mi of cultures not wor ing well together• 2ptimistic mood- inherited out of its time" beliefs always be reimagined" to t

society• )ercets with irregular line length- slow pace- di3cult to read$ structure metaphor

for settle bed• Hyphenated words pre%ent momentum• No rhyme- disruption of community by %iolence- no meshing•

w" consonance- density- burden• 0losi%e Bible$ beads" both communities weighed down- +u taposition- di4erenceswill remain

• 5ollo'uialisms och"- no real compassion or sorrow for %iolence• )onal shirt yet" stan/a three- contrast between my ear shuttered up" and !

hear"- wont +ust accept inheritance and begins to listen to other side of the story• epetition of again and again"- relentlessness of tradition

A Drink of Water• &ield 7or (1989#- part of a series of si elegies• &our sabbatical years in country- listen to the music of what happens"• 2ld bat" recon gured to muse• 2cta%e- coming to well, .estet- gi%ing the inspiration


2/6

• Heaney drin ing from her well"• se of .ha espearean .onnet- :alidity of rural culture, uses longer lines-

reimagines• hythm- iambic pentameter- occasional si or ele%en syllables- non traditional• hyme- .ha espearean .onnet- *B*B 5;5;


3/6

• Blac smith e pends himself" creating shape" and music" Heaney createsstructure and musicality of rhyme$ rhythm$ assonance$ consonance$ alliterationand onomatopoeia

• =ru4 and realistic presentation- hairs in nose" grunts"- Heaney nown for .outh;erry rhymes" guttural language and rural topics

Bogland• ;oor into the ;ar (1969#- 0art of 2pened =round" poems• )itle- sense of place- bog signi cant feature of !rish landscape• 0ast and history encoded into the land- Bog is symbol of !rish psyche and history-

;eep$ dar $ long• .tayed summer with )> 0> &lanagan- landcape painter in =ort a 5hoirc in ;onegal-

wild landscapes• 7e" 2ur" pronoun- 0oet"s part in !rish culture• *mericanisation slice a big sun" sibilance- *merican destruction, )hey"%e"$

)hey"ll ne%er" clear distinction, anti industrialisation- pioneers" contrast• 5yclop"s eye" =reat !rish


4/6


5/6

• Blessed be"- beatitudes allusion$ religious imagery, celebrate life, e clamatory$litany style- celebrates balance- man to boy?boy to man balance

• 5ould ma e a splash li e the salmon"- simile$ source of respect and awe- ri%er-@uidity of memory

• 2 ymoronic language$ *s big as a wee por pig"- good humoured• 0oet e%o es rural bac ground in second section- mower" and perfect circle"

idyllic$ dream li e image- memory, surreal• ! feel" rst person- heat and hurry" alliteration- present in moment• piggybac " childish word- man becomes child and bac again• Heaney alludes to :irgil"s *eneid- *eneas carries his father *nchises from the

ruins of )roy$ Ai e a witless elder rescued from the re"

The Wife’s Tale• ;oor into the ;ar (1969#- one of se%eral poems con%eying interdependence of

men and women• ;ramatic monologue featuring a female spea er• &emale spea er is actual and a portrayal of the land as feminine$ pro%iding for

men• )itle- nameless wife$ ta es identity from husband- Heaney gi%es a %oice• &eminine domesticity through linen cloth"• Masculinity- hum and gulp" personi cation$ onomatopoeia$ 5runching the

stubble"- u" assonance> 0losi%e big belt" alliteration- contrast between femininiteland and masculine industrialisation

• se of imperati%e =i%e these fellows theirs" unidenti ed- focus on couple- wife"shospitality

•

se of parenthesis to clarify praise of wife"s wor by husband• call for clothes" alliteration- doesn"t embrace his femininity• He win ed" familiarity$ u orious beha%iour, reciprocated slices that he li es"• *way o%er there and loo "- see s her praise- e'uality• ndercuts herself


6/6

some heaney poem summaries

Documents