Mid-Term Break Analysis

In Midterm Break, Heaney reflects on the memory of his younger brother’s death, and returning home for his funeral. The poem as a whole has an overall

The poems ‘Limbo’ and ‘Bye Child’ by Seamus Heaney are poems that evoke the casualties of sexual and emotional repression in Ireland, as well as and the oppression of both women and un baptized children, in a time where religion was most prominent and people were confined to the guidelines of the church and it’s community, as it was the ruling power. Both poems present this idea through the use of a child, representative of innocence and vulnerability. Through his poetry, Heaney gives a voice to those who have been silenced by society. Heaney manages to create this extended voice and

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses. The poem begins with energetic language like “full of heroic tales” and “by a mere swing to his shoulder”. The composer also uses hyperboles like “My father began as a god” and “lifted me to heaven”. The use of this positive language indicates to the responder that the composer is longing for those days – he is nostalgic. It also highlights the perspective of a typical child. The language used in the middle of the poem is highly critical of his father: “A foolish small old man”. This highlights the perspective of a typical teenager and signifies that they have generally conflicting views. The language used in the last section of the poem is more loving and emotional than the rest: “...revealing virtues such as honesty, generosity, integrity”. This draws attention to a mature adult’s perspective.

Edward Hirsch starts off the elegy by writing about when they were at the funeral home, and shocked by the sight of recently deceased son. Hirsch says, “And for a moment I was taken aback/Because it was not Gabriel/ It was some poor kid/ Whose face looked like a room/ That had been vacated”. He uses these descriptive words to set the emotion and sensitivity for the rest of the poem, which is bitter and disheartening.

In the novel “ Break of Day” by Tony Palmer he depicts the themes of family, bravery and death. The story is about Murray, a boy who lived during the war time and his story that follows the themes of family, death and bravery. First talking about family, in addition talking about death and finally talking about bravery.

Two distinct points of views can be seen in this poem, one is that of the father and then the son. The father's point of view is more common and used more than that of the son but both displays and add to the complexity of their relationship. From the father’s point of view, he shows his concern for disappointing his son by not coming up with great stories and losing his son as five years old matures which increases his anxiety as he sees the future approaching. The father fears of a fallout in the relationship with his son “...he thinks the boy will give up on his father”(9). The sons point of view

The title of Heaney’s “Mid-Term Break” also misguides the reader in a similar fashion. The phrase ‘mid-term break’ prompts the reader to imagine time spent with family, away from the pressure of academic stress

When many things break, they often never return back as healthy as it was before. In John Knowles’ A Separate Piece, Gene and Finny are two best friends who go through many hardships together as their years pass at the Devon School. All of the boys in attendance are preparing to be enlisted in the war that is going on outside of school but they each are fighting their own inside themselves. In A Separate Piece, Knowles utilizes the allegory of Finny’s broken leg to represent the difficult times throughout a friendship.

In the poem “Break” by Dorianne Laux, the author tells a tale of parents who are piecing together a puzzle. In a dreamy tone, the parents fits the small pieces of the puzzle to form autumn trees and porch swings while they completely ignore their neglected child who is brooding. The poem conveys the want of escaping reality and forgetting heavy responsibilities.

This poem is like an extended metaphor because it refers to death as being dark like the night time

During fall break I tried to stay as busy as I can so I wouldn’t be bored at home. I was with my friends either hanging out or running errands almost every day. I was certainly glad that I stayed busy enough not to have my cell phone everywhere I went. There were times where I would get on social media such as snapchat more than others because my friends would be on theirs.

As noted in an article by Laura Woltag, “Connecting with texts through the study of literary devices helps readers to deconstruct these texts. Literary devices provide a conceptual framework for analysis that allows readers to interpret how these techniques affect their readings of texts” (Woltag). When reading a poem people should not read it to simply go through the motions, rather they should read it and

The final stanza of the poem represents the woman going into labor and the delivery of her child into the world. “I wither and you break from me;” (16). This line represents the moment the

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

Several poems in the anthology explore the intensity of human emotion. Explore this theme, referring to these three poems in detail and by referencing at least three other poems from your wider reading.’