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What Is The Theme Of Act Of Union By Seamus Heaney

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Act of Union Through the years, Irish poetry had a leaning towards representing Ireland as a raped woman. Seamus Heaney’s “Act of Union”, from his 1975 book of poetry, North, uses the theme of relationship, portraying Britain as a man towering over the weaker, feminine Ireland. The poem uses strong sexual metaphors, which try to compare the colonization of Ireland to that of a rape. The metaphors used through the poem describes what took place between England and Ireland as well as a sexual act taking place between a man and a woman. The poem’s title “Act of Union” shadows over the poem with its double meaning. One interpretation of the title can be the actual Act of Union in 1801. After the Irish Rebellion in 1798, the British Cabinet decided …show more content…

The rhyme scheme indicates loose Shakespearean sonnet. In Shakespeare's sonnets, the rhyme pattern is abab cdcd efef gg, with the final couplet used to summarize the previous 12 lines or present a surprise ending. The rhythmic pattern of the sonnets is the iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable and one unstressed syllable. Heaney perfectly adopted this pattern into his two stanzas. The first stanza of the poem depicts Britain’s affection towards Ireland in a sexual way. Other than the beginning of the poem the first line also represents a strong sexual arousal between the ‘couple’.Heaney begins the poem with strong pauses to emphasize the sudden suspension: “To-night, a first movement, a pulse,” The poet uses three commas in order to build up the tension and to create a foreshadowing of the event about to take pace, by slowing down the readers natural pace of reading. Following on, the Heaney employs many sexual languages to enhance the imagery he wishes to present regarding this sexual relationship. The imagery in the next three lines conveys a sense of violation. “a bog-burst”, and “A gash breaking open the ferny bed”, depicts a “vivid image of this hyped-up energy about to explode.” The phrase “breaking open”, also has a violent connotations, which plants images of rape and forced entry. It also displays contrasts, standing next to the peaceful and quiet picture …show more content…

The first line of the second stanza, “And I am still imperially” continues to cover the images of rape and violence. The word ‘male’ begins the new line giving it a stress that has connotations of strength and power. The power of the speaker is revealed, when he leaves Ireland with the “pain” of a conquest. Again, it also has a double meaning, referring to the aftermath of a rape, pregnancy. In the next two lines, the speaker describes the pain of childbirth, where Britain does not need to bear the consequences, he can leave Ireland, ‘the pregnant woman’, to deal with the difficult outcomes. Britain takes advantage of a union between the two, leaving Ireland painfully abused and hurt. These imagery’s “The battering ram, the boom burst from within”, further reinforces the sexual and violent act on Ireland. The next line “The act sprouted an obstinate fifth column” mentions a fifth-column, a term used to describe traitors. This fifth column the poem refers to can be read as a political movement, certainly, and is often thought to refer to Ulster loyalists. It’s the offspring of the liaison, Northern Ireland, who is turning on its father, “Whose stance is growing unilateral.” The angry young man of Northern Ireland are represented through the sound of the “wardrum”, and we can see that in the next line, Northern Ireland is represented as a male: “His heart beneath your heart is

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