Abstract This paper reviews SeamusHeaney's poem, "Funeral Rites". The paper illustrates how this poem reflects Heaney's attempt to show the process required for the violence to end, while also challenging people to rethink their views on the violence. The central theme presented in this paper, is how the chaos of death and violence is understood and processed through the use of rituals. The paper also discusses the extensive use of imagery and symbolism in the poem.
From the Paper "The symbols in the poem are also important to the meaning. The most significant symbol is the funeral procession itself. This procession has two meanings. Firstly, it represents the ritual that allows the real meaning of the violent events to be overlooked. Secondly, it represents the process of coming to understand and deal with the reality of the events. In the poem, the funeral procession leads to the river of knowledge and then to the grave site where the mythical figure Gunnar is invoked. Gunnar is a Viking hero who sacrificed himself to end a long fight. The reference to the violence in Ireland is clear, with Gunnar a symbol of sacrifice. The funeral procession as a whole, represents the path that needs to be followed for Ireland to return to peace. Just as a funeral procession leads to the acceptance of an individual's death, the funeral procession represents a process of coming to an understanding of the situation in Ireland and the way to overcome the violence and find the path to acceptance and forgiveness."
Abstract This paper discusses the Irish poet ,SeamusHeaney, who is the most prolific poet of our times and one of the best Irish literary figures to emerge after Yeats. The author points out that "Digging" refers to "a passion" that give a meaning and purpose to life. The paper examines his unassuming, non-aggressive approach that makes his work standout among heaps of conventional political poems. The references are annotated.
From the Paper "Born in 1939, Seamus rose to the heights of international fame when his first collection of poems appeared in 1966 titled, "Death of the Naturalist". It was in this collection that his most widely read poem appeared which gives a reason to believe that Seamus? past is important to him and his rural background has always been a source of pride. This is one reason why we notice references to his past deeply embedded in many of his poems most noticeably in Digging, a poem that talks about Seamus? life on a farm in Mossbawn, a place ?30 miles northwest of Belfast?."
An analysis of several poems by SeamusHeaney, illustrating the condition of Ireland, with its poverty, ignorance and brutal civil unrest, as still possible to be redeemed by the spiritual capacity of its people.
1,549 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 50.95
Abstract This paper discusses and compares the poems "Bye-Child", "The Outlaw", "Bogland", "Limbo" and "The Harvest Bow", by SeamusHeaney. The paper illustrates how each poem evokes a powerful sense of the Irish perception of Ireland, a love-hate relationship in which kinship to the land is deeply felt, along with profound spiritual loneliness. The paper explains that although the overall tone of these poems creates a feeling of tragic alienation, isolation and sterility, there remains a hint of hope.
From the Paper " "Bye-Child" tells the story of a feral child found shut up in a henhouse, the ultimate symbol of ignorance, isolation and alienation. The squalor of his condition is expressed in "the dust,/ The cobwebs, old droppings/ Under the roosts"; he is fed on scraps thrown through a trapdoor "morning and evening". This image is an extreme dramatization of Irish poverty and deprivation. The child lives for the arrival of the scraps, his only link with the unnamed "she" (his mother?) and for the sight of the lamplight in the window, the symbol of comfort and companionship from which he is inexplicably excluded. His uncomprehending patience is compared to that of a dog; he is "kennelled and faithful". Thus, in spite of the misery and neglect of his parents ("their" implies his mother has companionship), there is no resentment in his acceptance of his situation. He loves the light; thus the Irish, in spite of their hardships and lack of comfort, still love their motherland."
Abstract In this article, the writer compares SeamusHeaney's translation of 'Beowulf' to two other translations of the epic poem. The writer discusses what makes some translations unreadable. Further, the writer discusses the use of modern language to make sense of the poem to contemporary readers.
From the Paper "Michael Alexander has identified 'Beowulf' as the first substantial work in English and pointed out that it has both a severe artistic dignity and a penetrating understanding of human life. This long poem has been translated by any number of individuals beginning with Alfred Lord Tennyson and continuing through the translation by Seamus Heaney. Heaney was initially commissioned by the W. W. Norton Publishing Company to represent this famous Old English poem to undergraduates in a free standing and relatively faithful translation that would also appear in an ... "
Abstract This paper examines "Station Island" by the Irish poet SeamusHeaney, It looks at how Heaney is also a spiritual writer, and his "Station Island" is a deeply spiritual work that tries to portray the spiritual hunger often felt by the people in this modern and technological world and how the title, "Station Island", itself has a association with spirituality and pilgrimage. It analyzes how Heaney uses many poetic devices throughout his writing to good affect and how it helps the reader to imagine the feelings and actions of Heaney that are going on in his mind. The words Heaney uses enrich the poetry; he uses much onomatopoeia to create atmosphere in his writing.
From the Paper "The third part of "Station Island" is a series of monologues on the voice of Sweeney a mysterious and scary figure from Heaney's childhood, the poems in the third part are dramatic and Heaney creates images from the past to tell the story of religious confusion. Sweeney was also a character in previous Heaney poems and in "Sweeney Returns" Heaney depicts the return of the mysterious figure with an altered tone, this time the tone of Sweeney is more political than religious. "On the Road" is the last poem which concludes the book and states that "all roads are one." The voices of Sweeney-Heaney merge, as the religious and aesthetic quests join in the volume of final words [O'Connell, 1985]."
Abstract This paper opens with the full text of SeamusHeaney's poem "Mid-Term Break," after which the writer details the poet's unique style of writing. This paper discusses Heaney's use of iambic pentameter in the text, which serves as the sound structure for this particular poem. This paper examines Heaney's use of emotion, rhythm and literary imagery to convey the feeling of sadness throughout the poem. The writer of this paper also breaks down each line and stanza while clearly describing the author's intention.
From the Paper "In the first sentence, the speaker relates spending a whole morning in a college infirmary as bells outside sound the end of classes. The speaker states, "I sat all morning in the college sick bay." This first image shows the speaker as sympathetic rather than dispassionate. The fact the speaker spent "all morning in the college sick bay" indicates some sort of hardship, either physical or mental, resulting in that person's inability or lack of desire to move to a more comfortable location, such as a dorm room or cafeteria. This also introduces the concept of the speaker as an alienated character. The term "sick bay" connotes not only sickness but also contagion and quarantine. Also, the speaker was, "Counting bells knell classes to a close," suggesting a pessimistic, darkly shaded outlook. The word "knell" denotes "to ring slowly and solemnly, especially for a funeral...A signal of disaster or destruction" (American Heritage), thus adding a mournful tone to the poem reflected by the speaker spending the morning isolated in a college sick bay."
Abstract This paper looks at how the poem "Digging" is one of SeamusHeaney'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."
Abstract This paper discusses how, on the surface, the poem by Nobel Prize Laureate SeamusHeaney called "Churning Day", is a wonderful journey into the past, into the old ways of making butter when technology and the corporate world were far from becoming part of Europe. The paper looks at how the poem is both a history lesson and a reflection of Heaney's agricultural upbringing. It also shows how the poem is in a very real way a testament to his sharp eye and attentive ears towards the culture in rural Ireland in which he grew up.
From the Paper "In the poem it is clear that Heaney sees his boyhood old-world family lifestyle as a metaphor, and all the things that were part of those experiences are building blocks for his storytelling. But he shows how highly intelligent he is by his strategic use of words - just enough descriptiveness and emotion. Still, he does not let the tools of poetry overpower the poem. As a poet he has the license to pour forth with images and metaphors, but he handles this poem with grace, the same as his family handled the chores of making food with grace and deliberation. His poetry is, according to The New York Times, "...accomplished, predictable" (Unterecker, 1967). "
Abstract This essay compares and analyses the poems "Dockery and Son" by Philip Larkin and and "Follower" by SeamusHeaney for the theme of family, regret and guilt as well as the structures of the two poems. The analysis is supported by appropriate quotes.
From the Paper "In the poem Follower, Heaney is writing about his father, since, in the first line, he says, ?My father worked with a horse plough.? In fact, for the first three stanzas, the poet talks about his father's skills as a ploughman, and this shows just how much he admires his father. He shows his father's skill in many ways, like when he personifies a full sail strung to his father's shoulders: "His shoulders globed like a full sail strung", which is a good use of simile; this shows how intense his father's work was. Also, he tells us that ?The horses strained at his clicking tongue,? and that ?with a single pluck of reins, the sweating team turned round and back into the land,? and I realize that everything is at his father's command, and his father seems to be one with the field, thus showing the theme of unity with the field."
Abstract This paper tackles the reception of and reaction to, artists and their works by society, paying particular attention to the consequences of this towards the freedom of speech. It includes close references to, amongst others, the works and observations of Eminem, Oscar Wilde and SeamusHeaney.
From the Paper "The culture of apportioning blame onto those artists who may or may not have had a negative influence upon an individual is one that I feel to be totally flawed and in some cases completely unfair. Marshall Mathers has used various alter egos to put across his opinions and views, and through Slim Shady or Eminem I feel that many of his observations and experiences of society have been conveyed using the satire and parody these characters purvey. Unfortunately members of the public have taken it upon themselves to adjudge the responsibility of the actions of individuals who have interpreted his material in a literal manner onto Marshall Mathers himself."
Abstract This paper relates that Seamus Deane's novel "Reading in the Dark" is part autobiographical and many of the recounted intricate events actually have taken place. The author points out that the text is partially a Bildungsroman because, in the first part of the narrator's life it recounts many obstacles; however, unlike in a Bildungsroman, the greatest part of these obstacles remain unresolved as the story comes full circle and the reader finds the narrator in the very same place. The paper concludes that "Reading in the Dark" is an excellent source of historical documentation on Irish culture because the history of the boy's family parallels the history of Ireland itself in its troubled past, full of violence and political secrecy. The paper includes several quotations.
From the Paper "The novel revolves around a mystery that makes it resemble a detective story to a certain extent: the disappearance of Uncle Eddie, who is supposed to have been an informer for the IRA. The truth emerges gradually, and the boy narrator who tries to make sense of his family's story is not fully aware of the whole truth until the last part of the novel. The maze of facts and secrecy that involve almost all the members of the boy's family, both close and distant, already plunges the reader into the troubled and heavy atmosphere that the novel is charged with from beginning to the end."
Tags: bildungsroman, mystery, autobiographical, disappearance, family
Abstract The review explores the work of SeamusHeaney (1999) in translating the epic Anglo-Saxon document, "Beowulf." This translation is compared to the digital restoration work being done with the original documents found in the British Library. Both Heaney and the Beowulf restoration group (at the University of Kentucky) are working with identical documents; however, Heamus has translated the text into a more accessible story, and restoration experts such as Keirnan (1984) have worked to preserve the original document for study. This paper evaluates whether Beowulf is a "story" or an artifact of Anglo-Saxon history, and the significance of the difference between translation and restoration.
Abstract According to SeamusHeaney's translation of "Beowulf," one of the most significant characteristics one can possess is that of loyalty. The paper shows, in fact, that from Beowulf's tale, we see how many of the other codes of the warrior stem from loyalty. One must be loyal to oneself, one's country, and one's beliefs in order to be a good and mighty warrior. The paper also examines loyalty through the manner in which some of the other characters in the poem relate to Beowulf. It shows that Beowulf observes many of the codes that warriors were expected to live by and exhibits a severe loyalty that is almost unmatched.
From the Paper "Beowulf states that he "will not shift a foot" (2524) because he cannot break his word. Wiglaf understands this loyalty to one's reputation and how it is linked to being a warrior. Later in the tale, he confirms this sentiment when he says, "A warrior will sooner/die than live a life of shame" (2890-1). In a final act of loyalty, Beowulf hands Wiglaf his collar of gold, his war shirt, and his helmet and tells him to use them well."
Abstract This paper studies Chretien De Troyes "Arthurian Romances", SeamusHeaney's "Beowulf" and other medieval literature that focus on medieval warrior societies, particularly concepts of heroism, ethics and spirituality as illustrated in the works.
From the Paper "Medieval societies during the era of Beowulf and the Arthurian Romances were undergoing transformation from pagan illiterate societieswhere codes of conduct governed social relations and together with reason brought happiness. The warrior societies described in Chretien de Troyes' "Arthurian Romances" and Seamus Heaney's "Beowulf" along with other literature of the medieval era, show the ideals of reason and code of conduct as the foundation of human happiness. The character of Beowulf clearly expresses this ideal."
Abstract The paper compares and contrasts the various Anglo-Saxon characteristics in "Beowulf" and shows how they are critical to both the plot and the setting of SeamusHeaney's version of this epic. The paper reviews and analyzes traditional characteristics including the quest for fame, manliness and courage as well as the non-traditional characteristics of generosity and concern for others.
From the Paper "In Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, many themes and motifs exist, including predominantly the values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. The theme of manliness and strength known to the Anglo-Saxon tradition and important to the development and characteristics of Beowulf can be identified in all three agons of the epic. However, Beowulf also presents non-traditional aspects opposite of the typical Anglo-Saxon warrior, weaving an intricate text to enliven the story. These two contrasting forces combine to create a poem that highlights the inextinguishable spirit of mankind as well as underlines the values of morality."
