Write An Essay on Seamus Heaney’s Treatment of Nature.
Blackberry-Picking 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 Blackberry-Picking.
Answer
Write an essay on Seamus Heaney’s treatment of nature. [2019, 2011] ✪✪✪
Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), one of the greatest Irish poets, was deeply connected with the natural world. In his poems, nature becomes a background for showing love, respect, and human experience. Heaney grew up in the countryside of Northern Ireland. So, his love for soil, farming, and rural life is an important part of his poetry. Here, we will look at his major poems to discuss his treatment of nature.
Honest Work and Family Tradition: In “Digging” (1966), Heaney looks out of his window and sees his father working in the garden. The sound of the spade reminds him of his childhood. It was a time when his father used to dig potatoes and his grandfather used to cut turf. He sees both men as hardworking, strong, and skilled. But then Heaney realizes that he has “no spade” and cannot continue their kind of work. In the closing lines, he says:
“Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.”
It means he has found his own way of digging. The “pen” becomes his tool, just like the spade was his father’s. For him, “dig” will be writing poetry. Nature here represents family tradition and the deep respect for honest, earthy labor.
Love and Admiration: In “Follower” (1966), Heaney again celebrates his father’s work on the land. His father ploughs with great skill, and his shoulders are “globed like a full sail” of a ship. The image shows both the strength and skill of his father. The father is “an expert” who can guide the horse-drawn plow perfectly. It makes straight furrows in the land. The poet remembers how he tried to follow his father while he worked. But as a small boy, he often stumbled and fell. He wished to grow up and plow perfectly like his father.
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