Seamus Heaney Essay Examples

In 1966, Seamus Heaney published his first collection of poems, called “Death of a Naturalist, which deals with the loss of childhood innocence and the following transitions into adulthood. In this collection of poems, we are shown his admiration for his ancestors, his own distorted view of nature and why he became a writer. The […]

The extract I have in front of me is a poem by Seamus Heaney. Heaney is an Irish poet who grew up in rural Ireland. His poems often deal with childhood, farm life, politics and traditional culture in Northern Ireland. The poem I have is called Storm on the Island. Heaney’s poem explores the power […]

“Blackberry-picking” by Irish poet Seamus Heaney is about the futility of human life and the misfortune in its quickly passing nature. This poem, rich in vivid detail and diction tells us how young Heaney, who is the speaker in this case, begins to realize that nothing in life can last, especially the things we love. […]

In ‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney and ‘The Lesson’ by Edward Lucie-Smith a similar impact is achieved through alternative means; Heaney uses language to set up a contrast whereas Lucie-Smith uses irony. Both techniques are striking and subtly interwoven throughout the poems, in order to describe the devastating theme of death from a child’s perspective. […]

Mid-Term Break’ is set in three places, unlike ‘Follower’, which is based in one place. The introduction of ‘Mid-Term Break’ is based in the college sick bay. Heaney is sitting there, waiting for the neighbours to drive him home. This is because he is going to go to his brother, Christopher’s, funeral. Christopher was hit […]

At a Potato Digging by Seamus Heaney describes the simple process of potato digging and the suffering of the people due to the contamination of the crop. Through this Heaney is able to illustrate the dependence of the people upon the potato crop and how it serves to be both a life giving and life-taking […]

Seamus Heaney’s poems, ‘Digging’ and ‘Follower’ portray to us the strong relationship between the father and son, as Heaney tends to look up to the elders in his family. Both poems create that pastoral atmosphere with the title, ‘Digging’ suggests delving into the past. ‘Follower’ on the other hand gives us an image of the […]

In order to write a critical appreciation of this shocking poem by Seamus Heaney, I will make use of language choices, use of structure and subject matter. This poem is about a boy, that tells his experience when he as picked up from school because of the death of his baby brother. This poem is […]

Seamus Heaney was born in the townland of Tamnairn at Mossbawn, county Derry, Northern Ireland on 13th April 1939. Heany was the eldest of nine children one of whom died in a road accident. Heaney’s father was a farmer therefore, he lived his life on a farm. Most of his experiences came from the farm. […]

I have decided to look at the poems “Mid Term Break” by “Seamus Heaney” and “Out, Out” by “Robert Frost”. Both of the poems are about the tragic death of a young boy. However, they are written in different ways and both have conflicting viewpoints. “Mid Term Break” is an autobiographical, a personal account of […]

“Punishment,” a poem written by Irish author Seamus Heaney, speaks of the discovery of the body of a young bog girl, who as realized later in the poem, was punished for being an “adulteress. ”  On closer inspection and as the poem shifts from past to present the faith of the bog girl is compared […]