Interpretation of Heaney’s “Digging” Seamus Heaney was the author of many different poems that touched on political concerns and “the ethical commitments of the poet in a world of enduring conflicts” (Norton Anthology 2488). One of his several works that deals with this is titled “Digging.” At first glance readers may not realize the significance of this poem or how to interpret its meaning. When analyzing it further one can realize it shares similar themes and meanings as several of Heaney’s other poetry as well as a shared style, however the tone comes off slightly different than the majority of his work. The way these poetic elements are combined makes for an easily read, yet boldly thoughtful poem. Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” shares the common meaning of a commitment to writing, a narrative style that is predominately free verse, and a tone of acceptance and guilt. Heaney begins the poem by describing his pen being snug between his fingers. In the following stanza he begins to describe the labor being done by his father outside of his window: “Under my window, a clean rasping sound/ When the spade sinks into the gravelly ground:/ My father, digging. I look down” (Heaney 3-5). The six middle stanzas are dedicated to describing the hard work of his father and grandfather as they dig and care for their rural land. These stanzas are bookended with the beginning and ending stanzas that go back to Heaney’s pens being nudged between his fingertips: “Between my finger and my
Imagery is a common form of technique used in poetry in which the author uses visualization to demonstrate a vivid scene for the readers. In the poem, “Digging”, he discusses his father’s aging figure and recreates the feeling of the passage of time by mentioning his grandfather digging in a similar fashion. When Heaney says, “Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds; Bends low, comes up twenty years away”, he is most likely referring to a past memory of his father, indicating he has passed away twenty years ago. Heaney vividly remembers his father digging, and compares his father’s digging to his own penmanship when he says at the beginning of the poem, “Between my finger and my thumb/ The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”, and at the end of the poem when he says, “Between my
A Comparison of Death of a Naturalist and Digging by Seamus Heaney The poems 'Death of a Naturalist' and 'Digging' have many similarities, and contrasts. Some of the reoccurring themes in the two poems include memories of childhood and changes in the life of the writer. There are contrasts too, in 'Death of a Naturalist'; the writer is concentrating on himself and his own experiences in life, rather than the experiences of others. In 'Digging', the opposite is true, as the writer concentrates mainly on the events in other people's lives, namely his father and grandfather.
First element that Heaney uses is diction, it is simple but effective. Diction is word choice, or the style of speaking that a writer, speaker, or character uses. For instance at the end of the poem he says “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I’ll dig with it” (Heaney 29-31). The diction he uses is simple but it is effective in proving his point of view that he won’t dig with a shovel but instead he’ll use a pen.
In the poem Beowulf (Norton, 36), translated by Seamus Heaney, cultural elements of how religion in the Middle Ages is shifting away from Paganism and into Christianity. When Beowulf was written, approximately 700 – 1000 AD, religion was changing from a nature based polytheistic belief to a monotheistic religion with a central authority. Because of this change in belief, the audience can see the troubled thought or doubt in Christianity. Heaney uses the characters to display both pagan and Christian ideals together with the chaotic monsters and the heroic savior through allusions.
Family traditions/heritage is an aggregate of attitude, ideas, ideals and the environment, which a person inherits from his parents/ancestors. Individual identity entails aspect of one’s life that no one has control over, i.e., race, the color of skin, beliefs, etc. These family traditions and cultural legacies play a detrimental role in influencing one’s self-identity, which can be both negative and positive. A positive legacy consists of the trait that is inherited from consistent, diligent and thoughtful families. On the other hand, negative legacies are the ones that face opposition or rejection and are unwelcome in the family. Latter seem more prevalent in cases of adopting cultural shifts where an individual rejects legacies that were carried on for generations, and adopt a new way of life and be him/herself. Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” have a common central theme that is to show us how an individual breaks their family traditions and embrace a new way of life, and the consequences faced after that turnout.
Seamus Heaney and Thomas Hardy both depict images of rural life as difficult and uncomfortable. In their poems ‘At a Potato Digging’ and ‘A Sheep Fair’ they describe different aspects of rural life; these were elements of life that would have been familiar to the poets and ones that they would have experienced. In their poetry Heaney and Hardy
With virtually any kind of text, critical thinking is required to unveil the true meaning and purpose behind an artist’s work. Whether that text is a poem, novel or film, we as scholars must find evidence to support our claims of the current text. The text I shall be analyzing is the short film Dig, written and directed by Toby Halbrooks. The main story line of this film is of a young girl watching her father dig an unprecedented hole in their own backyard. To the untrained mind, he seems to just be digging for no apparent reason. However, that is not the case at all. The father digging the hole is a metaphor for him attempting to escape his problems shown through the daughter’s eyes. The evidence supplied throughout the film all point to how
In “Digging” the irony comes at the very end when Heaney says, “Between my finger and thumb The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it” (664).
As the speaker casually calls their parents, a setting of calm expectations is established. While greeting the speaker, the mother’s decision to “run out and get” (1) the father highlights the lack of urgency that is present. The mother is calm and fetches the father in an expected and relaxed fashion, further establishing the calm expectations of the ongoing call. The mother additionally states that “the weather here’s so good” (2). Heaney’s use of the word “good” reflects the setting of the mother and father’s home; the atmosphere of where they live is pleasant and unperturbed. The “weather” serves as a projection of the father’s own state, implying that the father is in good health and that death is not yet looming over him. The last spoken words in the poem reveal that the father was conducting “a bit of weeding” (3). The word “weeding” highlights the capability of the
Heaney uses onomatopoeia in the words ‘slap’ and ‘plop’ to create an image on the readers mind. This section also shows the punishment from offended nature for the boys arrogance – when he sees what nature is really like, he is terrified. This part of the poem is also very ambiguous – we see the horror of the plague of frogs, ‘obscene’ and gathered’ for ‘vengeance.’ – at least in the child’s mind.
conversation. It isn't like a poem at all. It says "By god the old man
At the beginning of the poem, Heaney packs the poem with organic imagery. The similes mentioned above that compare the body to tree bark, basalt rocks, swan feet, swamp roots, and mussels all aid in producing a striking sense of organic imagery. In addition, Heaney mentions that the bog body "lies on a pillow of turf" (2-3), to convey nature as his final resting place. The reference to the bog body's deathbed also creates an eerie mood that never leaves.
The use of imagery in both poems are used to describe an author’s use of vivid descriptions ("Purdue OWL: Literary Terms.") in order to create more depth in their work. Imagery in Digging can be found in the beginning of the poem, it is introduced by a simile - “The squat pen rests/; snug as a gun.” The pen Heaney has is being compared to a gun which represents his own kind of
Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) was an Irish poet and playwright. His poem “Punishment” was first published in 1975 in a collection of poems called “North.” Heaney wrote this poem and collection of poems after discovering several bog bodies which dated back to the 1500s. The particular women he is describing in the poem, Windeby, is thought to have died of unnatural causes. Heaney compares the circumstances to that of the IRA against the British in Ulster. Heaney talks about the injustice and brutality of the crimes committed to
Seamus Heaney uniquely constructed his poem “The Forge” to tell a story of an inspired outcast scrutinizing a man while he conducts true art. This poem is not only about an outsider fantasizing about the unknown, but also about a blacksmith’s every move and more. The audience is left questioning “who is this mysterious blacksmith?” and “who even is this being of inspiration?” After profound research was done, it was uncovered that the narrator is actually Heaney, and the blacksmith is his dexterous neighbor, Barney Devlin. Heaney’s definitive word choice was significantly influenced by his young, budding mindset as a child, leading him to speak so strongly about someone that he hardly even knew.