Requiem for the Croppies : Key info
Requiem for the Croppies is a notable literary work by Seamus Heaney. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Requiem for the Croppies.
Key info
Key Facts
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- Poet: Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
- Full Title: Requiem for the Croppies
- Written: 1966
- Collection: The poem is collected in Heaney’s 1969 poetry collection Door into the Dark
- Form: Sonnet (14 lines)
- Meter: The poem uses iambic pentameter, the typical meter for a sonnet. It means the lines have five iambs or ten syllables, where an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. However, there are some variations.
- Rhyme Scheme: The Poet’s rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEFEF. The octave/opening quatrains follow the pattern of a Shakespearean sonnet, while the sestet looks like a Petrarchan sonnet. Note, too, that many of these end rhymes are decidedly slant (not exact match): “barley”/”country,” “day”/”infantry,” and “thrown”/”cannon”/”coffin.”
- Tone: Sad, respectful, and patriotic
- Setting: Ireland during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, especially the Battle of Vinegar Hill
- Speaker: A croppy (Irish rebel) who speaks as one of the dead soldiers
- Famous Line:
“And in August the barley grew up out of the grave.”