Seamus Heaney’s poem “Blackberry Picking’ Essay Example

a knot’ and this image portrays the male child himself. immature and guiltless. non yet maturate himself. The blood imagination continues throughout the verse form with ‘summer’s blood’ exemplifying a laterality of the coloring material red throughout. The reader associates these images of vivacious ruddy with verve and life. as is Heaney’s purpose. to accurately portray to the reader the sheer exhilaration of childhood. in blunt contrast with the world to come in the 2nd stanza.

The 2nd half of the verse form describes how the blackberries putrefaction and there is a noticeable alteration in tone from vernal exuberance to defeat and letdown. The image of the male child happening the decomposition blackberries is described utilizing initial rhyme ; ‘we found a fur’ ‘a rat-grey fungus. ’ the rough continuant ‘f’ sound illustrates the tone of defeat and letdown within Heaney which is besides transferred to the reader through this flooring ocular image which everyone can place with. The fungus is likened to the pelt of a gray rat. an image that is non appealing and straight contrasts with the old descriptions of ‘thickened wine’ where ‘the flesh was sweet’ . Heaney uses ocular imagination such as this in order to plunge the reader in a animal experience so that they about feel as if they are at that place in the minute with Heaney and will therefore be capable to experiencing the same letdown Heaney feels in the last stanza.

Towards the terminal of the verse form we are made cognizant of how important this memory is to Heaney. Heaney conveys an emotional reaction when the berries putrefaction: “I ever felt like shouting. ” Heaney’s tone

at this point shows his absolute desolation as it is such a simple sentence. made emphasized by the fact it has been put at the start of the line. This line is besides the first clip Heaney has used ‘I’ which personalises the statement. doing the reader experience closer to the writer. as if he is confiding in us. Using the word “always” suggests that this great exhilaration followed by letdown is an one-year happening for Heaney and so the reader must besides experience letdown when presented with the thought that this letdown is portion of a rhythm.

In the concluding line of the verse form Heaney’s character conveys the significance of his childhood experience picking blackberries. He introduces an air of naivete when he says. “Each twelvemonth I hoped they’d support. knew they would non. ” Heaney uses a paradox here to foreground his sense of naivete as he continuously hopes for a manner to do the berries last each twelvemonth. through this line we can state that. although cognizant the verse form was an lament throughout. “knew they would non. ” allows the reader to understand that this is non a traditional Christian lament in that there is no solace for Heaney. he is cognizant that as an grownup he can non recapture his Alcyone yearss. but he can non accept it. which is apparent through the disconnected conclusiveness of his last statement.

In decision. it is apparent that Heaney uses a assortment of contrasting thoughts. imagination and sentence construction in order to his feelings of letdown to the reader in this verse form. Through the contrast between the ripe and decomposing blackberries and the

vernal enthusiasm transformed into acrimonious letdown. Heaney manages to convey the reader. the thought of the transiency of the halcyon yearss during childhood which are ne'er seen with the same exhilaration through an adult’s eyes and although we are led to admit this letdown. we are non encouraged by the writer to accept it. therefore the concluding tone and permanent feeling of the verse form is one of letdown that the ideals of childhood can non be reclaimed and that with age. comes an unwanted but realistic position.