Heaney is not typically a political poet, with nonpartisan themes prominent in his poetry. However, he breaks this image in Act of Union, along with Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, branching into more political themes. The cause of this was largely due to the Troubles in Ireland from the early 1960s, which largely affected Heaney due to his role as a Northern Irish poet. He was also pressured by many journalists on his view, which is described in Whatever You Say, Say Nothing. Although Act of Union is unmistakably one of Heaney’s most political poems, it subtly delivers the message of Heaney’s outlook on the Troubles through the dramatic monologue of England, introducing an ambiguous persona.
Through the personification of England as masculine, dominant and overbearing, Heaney demonstrates his negative opinion of England the political unrest in Ireland, particularly Northern Ireland. However, he (as England) defends himself, suggesting she (Ireland) did not stand up for herself and ‘had it coming’. On the other hand, through the personification and visual imagery of Ireland as feminine, Heaney is adhering to gender stereotypes and portraying Ireland as the passive victim. The personification of both countries acts as an extended metaphor of a familial or sexual relationship, delicately delivering Heaney’s opinion of the Troubles.
Act of Union begins with a tranquil, tender tone, with ‘To-night’ creating romantic connotations. ‘A first movement, a pulse’ suggests a child in the womb stirring, with ‘pulse’ indicating the heartbeat, yet also highlighting the sexual nuances. The caesuras slow the pace of the first line, highlighting its apparently romantic quality, however could also indicate suspense, foreshadowing the ‘Troubl...
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...uture, as destruction is highlighted with ‘blasted street and home’. The quadripartite structure of Whatever You Say, Say Nothing expresses the various aspects of the Troubles, from the ignorance of the British media, to the abusive reality of the Troubles, to the militant future in store.
Although Seamus Heaney is not a political poet, partisan themes specifically concerning the Troubles emerge occasionally, especially in Part Two of North. However, Heaney remains subtle (with the exception of Whatever You Say, Say Nothing), maintaining his reputation as a lowly political poet.
Works Cited
Andrews, Elmer : Icon Critical Guides : The Poetry of Seamus Heaney, 2000
Lloyd, David : The Two Voices of Seamus Heaney’s North, 1979
O’Driscoll, Dennis : Stepping Stones : Interviews with Seamus Heaney, 2008
Parker, Michael : The Making of the Poet : Seamus Heaney, 1993
...ttachment or emotion. Again, Heaney repeats the use of a discourse marker, to highlight how vividly he remembers the terrible time “Next morning, I went up into the room”. In contrast to the rest of the poem, Heaney finally writes more personally, beginning with the personal pronoun “I”. He describes his memory with an atmosphere that is soft and peaceful “Snowdrops and Candles soothed the bedside” as opposed to the harsh and angry adjectives previously used such as “stanched” and “crying”. With this, Heaney is becoming more and more intimate with his time alone with his brother’s body, and can finally get peace of mind about the death, but still finding the inevitable sadness one feels with the loss of a loved one “A four foot box, a foot for every year”, indirectly telling the reader how young his brother was, and describing that how unfortunate the death was.
...differences as an ending. Thousands have died regardless of the side they represented. As a reader, this eye witness account in the book brings to life the troubles in Northern Ireland. Walking the streets and living amongst the chaos shows the severity of the situation. This segregation still lives on today in Northern Ireland with no clear end in sight. But one can not expect a four hundred year long feud to end abruptly. Progress has been made in modern time but both sides need full dedication to end the divide. To put aside religion, politics and other blockades in order to truly find what is best for their nation. Just like the old Irish proverb, you've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. Forget what was in the past and by the elders so one can move on to a new united future whether it be united with Great Britain or Ireland.
The writer assumes a calculating, but warm persona which genuinely wishes to help Ireland. This persona of his is established through his usage of logos and his desire to change Ireland. He is a Irish writer who went to oxford, and lived in Ireland. His ethos is very solid because of his heritage and his education. He shows good will, humility, and likeability. These traits can be seen through his desire to help his country, his selflessness, and his humbleness. He takes a very logical approach to solving the problem and has an overall serious tone. He uses a very logical approach to solving the problem and has a very serious, but passionate tone. His way of thinking is ...
"At the start of the Irish Civil War Yeats went to Oxford, but returned then to Dublin, becoming a Senator in the same year. As a politician Yeats defended Protestant interests and took pro-Treaty stance against Republicans. In 1932 Ye...
There is particular consideration given to the political climate in this story. It is incorporated with social and ethnic concerns that are prevalent. The story also addresses prejudice and the theme of ethnic stereotyping through his character development. O'Connor does not present a work that is riddled with Irish slurs or ethnic approximations. Instead, he attempts to provide an account that is both informative and accurate.
Within the work, Heaney anthropomorphizes both countries. He compares the geological features of Ireland to the ‘tracked and stretchmarked body’ of a woman, whose most intimate identity - here symbolised by the ‘ferny bed’ and ‘bogland’ is invaded by the phallic ‘battering ram’ of an ‘imperially Male’ invader.
James Joyce began his writing career in 1914 with a series of realistic stories published in a collection called The Dubliners. These short literary pieces are a glimpse into the ‘paralysis’ that those who lived in the turn of the century Ireland and its capital experienced at various points in life (Greenblatt, 2277). Two of the selections, “Araby” and “The Dead” are examples of Joyce’s ability to tell a story with precise details while remaining a detached third person narrator. “Araby” is centered on the main character experiencing an epiphany while “The Dead” is Joyce’s experiment with trying to remain objective. One might assume Joyce had trouble with objectivity when it concerned the setting of Ireland because Dublin would prove to be his only topic. According the editors of the Norton Anthology of Literature, “No writer has ever been more soaked in Dublin, its atmosphere, its history, its topography. He devised ways of expanding his account of the Irish capital, however, so that they became microcosms of human history, geography, and experience.” (Greenblatt, 2277) In both “Araby” and “The Dead” the climax reveals an epiphany of sorts that the main characters experience and each realize his actual position in life and its ultimate permanency.
...rom Part One in everything from technique and tone to approach of subject matter. Whereas in Part One, Heaney addresses political issues and death through metaphors and the symbolism of the bog poems, he delivers a more direct response in Part Two, conveying his opinion in a more candid and straightforward manner, such as in Whatever You Say, Say Nothing.
A collection of short stories published in 1907, Dubliners, by James Joyce, revolves around the everyday lives of ordinary citizens in Dublin, Ireland (Freidrich 166). According to Joyce himself, his intention was to "write a chapter of the moral history of [his] country and [he] chose Dublin for the scene because the city seemed to [b]e the centre of paralysis" (Friedrich 166). True to his goal, each of the fifteen stories are tales of disappointment, darkness, captivity, frustration, and flaw. The book is divided into four sections: childhood, adolescence, maturity, and public life (Levin 159). The structure of the book shows that gradually, citizens become trapped in Dublin society (Stone 140). The stories portray Joyce's feeling that Dublin is the epitome of paralysis and all of the citizens are victims (Levin 159). Although each story from Dubliners is a unique and separate depiction, they all have similarities with each other. In addition, because the first three stories -- The Sisters, An Encounter, and Araby parallel each other in many ways, they can be seen as a set in and of themselves. The purpose of this essay is to explore one particular similarity in order to prove that the childhood stories can be seen as specific section of Dubliners. By examining the characters of Father Flynn in The Sisters, Father Butler in An Encounter, and Mangan's sister in Araby, I will demonstrate that the idea of being held captive by religion is felt by the protagonist of each story. In this paper, I argue that because religion played such a significant role in the lives of the middle class, it was something that many citizens felt was suffocating and from which it was impossible to get away. Each of the three childhood stories uses religion to keep the protagonist captive. In The Sisters, Father Flynn plays an important role in making the narrator feel like a prisoner. Mr. Cotter's comment that "… a young lad [should] run about and play with young lads of his own age…" suggests that the narrator has spent a great deal of time with the priest. Even in death, the boy can not free himself from the presence of Father Flynn (Stone 169) as is illustrated in the following passage: "But the grey face still followed me. It murmured; and I understood that it desired to confess something.
...aditionally sound according to the government, and since the Union is “sound” it is not really a Union. The sense of this poem depends greatly upon the tone, because literally the poem has a completely different connotation than it does if u considers the tone. The poet has a critical attitude towards this subject and it is clearly demonstrates once the reader analysis the poem.
...nguage and art to interpret a better of understanding of Ireland’s symbols. The fourth section of the essay focused on the ethnicity/racial, weather, terrain, and military elements of the country. The last section gave insight to a few of the culture’s contributions to the world.
Throughout many of his poems, W.B Yeats portrayed important aspects of Ireland’s history especially around the 1900’s when Ireland was fighting for independence. During this time, Ireland was going through an agonizing time of struggle. The Employers’ Federation decided to lock out their workers in order to break their resistance. By the end of September, 25,000 workers were said to have been affected. Although the employers’ actions were widely condemned, they refused to consider negotiation or compromise with the Union. His readers are able to see how Yeats reflects the political, cultural, and societal atmosphere in Ireland during the early 1900’s. The poems September 1913 and Easter 1916 both reflect the political, cultural, and societal atmospheres that were found in Ireland around the 1900’s.
Also, towards the end of the poem, Yeats says that his heart is in his poems and that his heart is with Ireland 's independence,
In James Joyce’s Dubliners, the theme of escape tends to be a trend when characters are faced with critical decisions. Joyce’s novel presents a bleak and dark view of Ireland; his intentions by writing this novel are to illustrate people’s reasons to flee Ireland. In the stories “Eveline, “Counterparts”, and the “Dead”, characters are faced with autonomous decisions that shape their lives. This forlorn world casts a gloomy shadow over the characters of these stories. These stories are connected by their similar portrayal of Ireland. They clearly represent Joyce’s views on people’s discontent with Ireland.
The theme of nationalism dominates in “To Ireland in the Coming times” and in “Easter 1916.” In the former poem, Yeats suggested the idea of Irish brotherhood to achieve justice for Ireland, “True brother of a company, that sang, to sweeten Ireland’s wrong” (Finneran 50). Although he wanted to fight for Ireland’s freedom, he did not participate in any military activities. Instead, he used songs and poems to reflect the situation in Ireland: