Last Look And At Castle Boterel Strong Memories

“Last Look” and “At Castle Boterel” both have a similar theme present, strong memories. “Last Look”, written by Seamus Heaney appearing in his sixth collection of poems in 1984, is both an elegy and a eulogy as it has a mournful tone whilst also being in praise of someone and commemorating their death. In this poem, that person is Gallaher, who we can assume is an old friend that Heaney misses. The title of the poem is ambiguous, it could mean the last time he saw Gallaher or it could suggest that this is one final “look” back at his Old friend. There isn’t a regular rhythm or rhyme scheme as it is a poem revolving around a strong memory and therefore it is more suitable for it to be more of a narrative story.

“At Castle Boterel”, written by Thomas Hardy in March 1913, similarly has a mournful tone and in a sense it is also elegiac as Hardy is looking back at a time he spent with his wife Emma at Boscastle before she died. The death of his wife marks a point in time during which Hardy truly reflected on his life. Between 1912 and 1913 he wrote elegies to her talking of how he regretted not making the most of the time they had together. The regret is evident in this poem. The rhythm and rhyme schemes of this poem differ to that of “Last Look”. The rhythm is anapaestic, resulting in a gripping feeling which could be reflective of the speakers heartfelt emotion while the rhyme scheme is ABABB giving the poem a jaunty feel, reflecting the happiness he feels when reminiscing of his time with Emma. The form is also not the same as “Last Look” as it consists of seven five-line stanzas. “Last Look” is written as past tense and is very descriptive, conveying nostalgia. “At Castle Boterel” however is written in present tense conveying the sheer strength of Hardy’s memory of this time and emphasising his regret.

“Last Look” is no exception to the recurring theme of referring to local Irish people that is evident in much of Heaney’s poetry. Heaney talks about the