Greed In Seamus Heaney's Poem Blackberry Picking

In Seamus Heaney’s poem, “Blackberry Picking,” the writer employs diction to illustrate greed. He then parallels his experiences with picking and rotting berries to a deeper meaning through a shift- human’s desperate obsession with preserving all that is good in their life. Heaney’s description reveals the “green” unripe berries as the inexperienced youth and the “first” taste of the berry had sent them “out with milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots.” The younger generation became strongly addicted to something and they can’t seem to get enough. Their “hunger” had caused them to attempt to gather all they can. Even as their “hands were peppered with thorn pricks,” the naive youth “trekked” on. The speaker demonstrates that they were willing to get their boots bleached from the “wet grass,” and put in the effort to obtain the object of their greed. People tend to generalize that avarice is more evident in youth due to their lack of knowledge in the world.
They had barely lived life and already their greed had consumed them. It is when the “rat-grey fungus” appeared that chinked their faith in youth. They discover that nothing lasts for long. Even through their hard work of obtaining the “sweet” object of their greed, it will slowly turn “sour,” just as their lives will. Once they were born into the world- “once off the bush/the fruit fermented,” Death had started the countdown for the young generation. As time continues on, the youth realize that they will not stay young forever and eventually death will find