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Essay Mid Term Break by Seumas Heaney

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Mid Term Break by Seumas Heaney

The title of the poem is deliberately deceptive because the phrase 'Mid Term Break' suggests a term-time holiday, which is normally a happy occasion. In reality, the meaning of the title is considerably less cheerful as, later in the poem, we learn that Heaney's younger brother has died. Therefore, the word 'break' in the title refers to a break in the family.

In the first stanza, we are immediately aware that there is tragedy underlying the poem. The phrase "Counting bells knelling classes to a close" signifies that there has perhaps been a death; bells 'knelling' are often linked to funeral processions. Heaney has also used alliteration in this line, which …show more content…

The baby seems happy on such a grave occasion, which for me makes the poem more moving. The baby is clearly far too young to understand what is going on, and so has no reason to feel any sadness. Later on in the stanza, the narrator comments on how he feels uneasy at having the older men shake his hand.

"I was embarrassed by the old men standing up to shake my hand"

In stanza four, the phrase 'sorry for my trouble' is in inverted commas. This is indirect speech, as 'my' is written instead of 'your'. This draws attention to what the old men have said - being stuck for words at such a hard time, they use a cliché. People often find it hard to talk to the bereaved - they aren't sure if their words will be found comforting or irritating. They stick to clichés such as 'sorry for your trouble' because they know that nothing else they say will make anyone feel any better. At almost any other time, people can speak confidently and at ease; however, when a death occurs, they find it difficult and are lost for words.

The narrator's mother holds his hand and coughs out 'angry, tearless sighs'. She is holding his hand to try to reassure him but also it is probably because she is trying to reassure herself - she doesn't want to let him go and lose another son. The choice of words 'coughed out angry, tearless sighs' is a strange one, as sighs can't be angry, and you can't cough them out.

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