"Digging"

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how the poem "Digging" is one of Seamus Heaney's earlier and cruder poems, reflecting a much rougher style. It looks at how his themes are very direct and the impact created is not as significant as some of his later work. It discusses how the poem reflects an internal struggle as Heaney comes to terms with his career, that of a poet, and breaks with his family tradition of farming.

From the Paper:

"Heaney's poem has a quality of honesty, as it conveys farm life as it really is, rather than a cover-up. He portrays it as hard work, performed with simple pride, with no pretensions whatsoever, amongst "the cold smell", "the squelch and slap". He relives his childhood experience, yet he doesn't want to follow in his forefather's footsteps. Though his roots are farming, he honestly admits that he has "no spade to follow men like them". His reason for choosing another vocation is not that he feels it is beneath him or ashamed of it, rather on the contrary, he feels great pride for his family traditions. However, he feels that he is not cut out for that life, and since he has more choices than his father or grandfather had, he exercises those choices."

More papers on "Digging":

• Poem Review # 73674 : "Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave?"
• Analytical Essay # 16189 : "Seamus Heaney and 'Digging'"
• Essay # 29168 : "The Big Dig Highway Project"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: