Digging by Seamus Heaney
Commentary on Digging by Seamus Heaney
First poem in his collection of ‘Death of a Naturalist’, theme is self-acceptance and ones ‘roots’. The poem ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney has a contextual meaning behind (autobiographical elements) his words. The poem is about a poet and how he has broken off the family work tradition of being some type of digger/ farmer, he has chosen a different career path of being a poet, where as his father dug potatoes, and his father dug turf. He tries to justify himself using this poem by saying that poetry is a form of digging, metaphorically. First person speaker. He digs into his history instead of digging into poem/ ground.
The fact he is talking about his father has a connection with Follower and Mid Term Break, by this being one of Heaney’s main themes within his poems shows his true admiration for his father. The use of this poem shows the reader to follow in your own footsteps and break away to do what you want to do. It shows the guilt within his poem for not following the tradition of his fathers and grandfathers digging jobs, however Heaney shows a resolution in the end with the short line “ill dig with it” showing that in his own way he carries on this tradition.
Title:
Feels like he has carried in the digging tradition in his own way
Title of the word digging; very blunt, reflects on hat will be shown in the poem.
Repetition of the word digging; maybe to remind himself? Metaphor of digging; digs into the past, digs into his work as a poet, digging is the form of commonest work in any rural community especially Ireland (potatoes)
Admiration for his father and grandfather to do something that he has never been able to do, maybe because he had a lack of physical skills- could link to follower and mid-term break because both show admiration of their fathers
Heaney uses the idea of digging to connect himself with his father and his grandfather. Heaney belongs to a family of diggers, and he feels that he has to
First poem in his collection of ‘Death of a Naturalist’, theme is self-acceptance and ones ‘roots’. The poem ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney has a contextual meaning behind (autobiographical elements) his words. The poem is about a poet and how he has broken off the family work tradition of being some type of digger/ farmer, he has chosen a different career path of being a poet, where as his father dug potatoes, and his father dug turf. He tries to justify himself using this poem by saying that poetry is a form of digging, metaphorically. First person speaker. He digs into his history instead of digging into poem/ ground.
The fact he is talking about his father has a connection with Follower and Mid Term Break, by this being one of Heaney’s main themes within his poems shows his true admiration for his father. The use of this poem shows the reader to follow in your own footsteps and break away to do what you want to do. It shows the guilt within his poem for not following the tradition of his fathers and grandfathers digging jobs, however Heaney shows a resolution in the end with the short line “ill dig with it” showing that in his own way he carries on this tradition.
Title:
Feels like he has carried in the digging tradition in his own way
Title of the word digging; very blunt, reflects on hat will be shown in the poem.
Repetition of the word digging; maybe to remind himself? Metaphor of digging; digs into the past, digs into his work as a poet, digging is the form of commonest work in any rural community especially Ireland (potatoes)
Admiration for his father and grandfather to do something that he has never been able to do, maybe because he had a lack of physical skills- could link to follower and mid-term break because both show admiration of their fathers
Heaney uses the idea of digging to connect himself with his father and his grandfather. Heaney belongs to a family of diggers, and he feels that he has to