Tuesday 14 December 2010

Follower - Seamus Heaney

My father worked with a horse plough,                             1
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
Between the shafts and the furrow.
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.

An expert. He would set the wing                                     5
And fit the bright-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the headrig, with a single pluck.

Of reins, the sweating team turned round
And back into the land. His eye                                        10
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly.

I stumbled in his hobnailed wake,
Fell sometimes on the polished sod;
Sometimes he rode me on his back                                  15
Dipping and rising to his plod.
I wanted to grow up and plough,
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow
In his broad shadow around the farm.                              20

I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
Yapping always. But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Follower - Seamus Heaney

Follower - Seamus Heaney

"His shoulders globed like a full sail strung" - This line in the poem could be a physical description of his Father's shoulders -however, it is more likely to be a metaphor of his Father's strength and the way that his body is braced could signify that he is protective. It could indicate that Seamus admired his Father.

"The horses strained at his clicking tongue" - Could mean that he was very precise with his work and did not quit until the task was complete up to his standard - the horses tiring could show how persistent and dedicated his Father was, to the point that even the horses were tiring.
This could also mean that his Father was very powerful and he had control over the horses.

"With a single pluck/Of reins, the sweating team turned around." - The ''single pluck of reins'' shows that his Father had complete control over the horses -- they did not hesitate or disobey. The action, "pluck," is not violent or cruel, he is good to his animals. "The sweating team'' is another example to show the dedication to the job.


"Dipping and rising to his plod," - the dipping and the rising could show a pattern -- like a routine, precise/planned - his Father is a proffessional, he has a method in his work. This could also be linked to the metre of the poem. The phrase leads to imagery as well.

Seamus Heaney

"I stumbled in his hob-nailed wake" - This line tells the reader a little about Seamus Heaney. It gives the imprerssion that he follows his Father around, interested in his work. He is inspired by his Father and fascinated. The word ''stumbled'' could insinuate that he is hurrying along behind him, trying to keep up, and tripping in the mud.

"I was a nuisance, tripping, falling/Yapping always" - Shows that he is following his Father and he feels like he is annoying him. this gives the impression to the reader that Seamus is just a small child and he is following his Father liek a lost puppy every where he goes. He could be talking copnctantly, or asking his Father questions about the job. you get the impression that he is only young because he is tripping and falling, he is obviously not too experianced in working on the field. The word "Yapping" links to a dog, aimless/pointless background noise; loud and possibly irritating.

In this poem, Seamus Heaney reminds me of a 'lost puppy.' The way that he follows his Fasther around, ''yapping,'' and getting under his Father's feet and getting in the way, but determined to keep up and see what's happening.

In the last two lines of the poem the relationship changes between Seamus and his Father. "But today, It is my father who keeps stumbling, Behind me, and will not go away." It suggests that this is far into the future, when Seamus is a man and his Father is now too old to plough the feilds. It gives the idea that his Father follows him to gide him or watch over him -- he could be advising him, he stumbles because he is so old?

Friday 19 November 2010

Digging - Seamus Heaney

Digging



Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; as snug as a gun.

Under my window a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

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 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.

By God, the old man could handle a spade,
Just like his old man.

My grandfather could cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner's 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, digging down and down
For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mold, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.



READING FOR MEANING:


At the start of the poem, Seamus Heaney (writing in the 1st person) is stood at a window, looking down into the garden watching his Father dig. He is watching him, admiring the skill and precision of his Father.


The sight of his Father digging reminds him of twenty years ago, when he'd watched his Father digging before. This reminds him of his Grandfather digging as well, indicating to the reader that digging up pete for potatoes is a family trade.




He rememberas helping his Father plant potatoes, "To scatter new potatoes that we picked." he also talks about how good his Father is at digging - very skillful, precise etc, just like his Grandfather.




In particular, Seamus Heaney remembers a time when he brought his Grandfather a bottle of milk when he was busy digging. His Grandad drank it very fast and then imediatialy got back to digging. This makes Seamus proud of his Grandfather and admirable as he shows determination and commitment to the task in hand.


The writer talks about how digging has run in the family and how his Father and Grandfather were highly skilled diggers, however his skill is writing. He compares the spade used to dig with his pen. Writing is his equivalent to digging. His skill. 




FIRST IMPRESSIONS


This poem is about digging - more specifically, Seamus Heaney's Father and Grandfather digging. Seamus Heaney is watching his Father digging in the garden and he is thinking about watching his Father and his Grandfather in the past. He talks about how digging has run in the family. It is also about the admiration that Seamus Heaney has for his Father and Grandfather. It is all about Heaney's childhood, recalling memories of his Father and Grandfather.


The phrase which stuck with me the most was the conclusive stanza, "Between my finger and my thumb, The squat pen rests.I'll dig with it." This stuck with me because although Seamus cannot dig up to the standard of his Father or Grandfather, he has a different skill which he can do just as well, his skill is writing. I think that it is really clever how Seamus creates the link between digging and writing in the poem.


Heaney is different to his Father because his Father is very skilled in digging, however, Seamus is skilled in writing.


LITERARY TECHNIQUES


Seamus Heaney uses onomatopoeia several times throughout the poem. For example, "squelch and slap," gives the reader imagery, the words perfectly describe the mud and the use of onomatopoeia is very effective.
Another example is "Nicking and slicing," describing the mivement of the spade. ''Slice'' indicates the sharp, precise cuts through the soil, creating imagery and showing how skilled his Grandfather was. "Rasping sound" is another use on onomatopoeia that gives the audience an idea of exactly what it was like. The word ''Rasping'' allows the audience to almost hear the sound themself.


Sound is important in this poem because it is a main descriptive factor. Seamus Heaney describes the sounds very precisely, using onomatopoeia when he can. This really gets the reader to imagine they are there, and it helps them to ''hear'' the soudns themself - the ''slicing'' or ''rasping'' sounds.
In the first verse of the poem, Seamus uses a lot of alliterations -- "squat," "Snug," "Rasping Sound," "Spade sinking" - the 'S' sound shows the precission, the smooth sounds of digging etc. However, the poet then begins to use a harsher sound - 'G'  -- "gravelly ground" shows is being more difficult - less smooth. Simply by uses the literary technique of alliteration, the poet is able to describe the actions just through sound.


Seamus Heaney really emphasises the skill of his Father by describing the exact precission. He uses technical terms as well to describe his Fathers actions - "The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft, Against the inside knee was levered firmly." This shows that his Father is not just digging randomly, he has a method and and technique, like a proffessional.






Heaney writes "By God, the old man could handle a spade, Just like his old man." The phrase ''By God'' really emphasises how skilled his Father is.


In the poem "Digging," Seamus Heaney writes the line "But I've no spade to follow men like them," I think that this means he cannot dig up t the standard of his Father or Grandfather, he is not as skilled as them. However, this may not be a negative thing -- he has other talents elsewhere - in Heaney's case, his talent being writing.


"The squat pen rests. I'll dig with it." Heaney wirtes this line to concluse the poem. By this he means that he will dig metaphorically; digging down into his memory to see his past. He could also mean that he will write instead if dig - his Father and his Grandfather were both skillful diggers, however Seamus does not have this skill. Instead, he can write. So this line may mean that his will do what he does best - writing, to him is the equivalent of digging.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Seamus Heaney: "Digging"

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

Digging


Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; as snug as a gun.

Under my window a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

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 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.

By God, the old man could handle a spade,
Just like his old man.

My grandfather could cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner's 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, digging down and down
For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mold, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.

Gillian Clarke!

http://www.gillianclarke.co.uk/home.htm
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=authC2D9C28A1605c20951WoH1FD7526

When/Where was she born:
8 June 1937.
Born in Cardiff, Wales.

Family:
She has a daughter and two sons, and now lives with her husband (an architect) on a smallholding in Ceredigion, where they raise a small flock of sheep, and care for the land according to organic and conservation practice.

Influences:
Her perhaps best-known long poem, ‘Letter from a Far Country’, is richly informed by her own family history, women’s roles and domestic duties centering around children.
The Sundial (1978), was the first poem she had written since schooldays. It portrays her young son Owain, restless during the night, and the next day making a sundial in the garden.
Her early work reflects upon a farming landscape.

Seamus Heaney!

http://www.seamusheaney.org/


When/Where he was born:
13th. April 1939
He was born at the family farm called Mossbawn in the Townland of Tamniarn near Castledawson, Northern Ireland.


Family/Home:
He's the eldest of 9 children.
Father - Patrick Heaney - Farmer/Cattle Dealer
Mother - Margaret
Catholic Family
In 1953 his family moved to a bigger farm called The Wood near Bellaghy a few miles away.


Influences:
His teachers Master Murphy and Miss Walls were to feature in his poems Death of a Naturalist and Station Island.
When he was fourteen, his four-year-old brother Christopher was killed in a road accident, an event that he would later write about in two poems, the first of which was Mid Term Break.