Diction In Blackberry-Picking

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Use of Diction, Imagery and Metaphor in Seamus Heaney’s Poem, Blackberry-Picking

Seamus Heaney’s poem “Blackberry-Picking” does not merely describe a child’s summer activity of collecting berries for amusement. Rather, it details a stronger motivation, ruled by a more primal urge, guised as a fanciful experience of childhood and its many lessons. This is shown through Heaney’s use of language in the poem, including vibrant diction, intense imagery and powerful metaphor—an uncommon mix coming from a child’s perspective.

Heaney emphasizes the importance of the experience of Blackberry picking by using diction that relates to sensory imagery and human urges. He describes the flesh of the first berry of summer to be “sweet like a thickened

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