Seamus Heaney Diction

Digging is one of Seamus Heaney’s most renowned works. The speaker of the poem starts off writing at his desk and then has a flashback to remember his ancestors and his childhood. The speaker recalls specific encounters that he reflects on and how they affect him. He then snaps out of the flashback and continues to write at his desk. In Digging, the poet, Heaney, uses imagery, diction, and enjambment to reveal the theme that one pursues a unique work that is best for them, but their work ethic is instilled by one’s interactions and through one’s ancestors.
Heaney uses imagery to show how hard his father and grandfather worked and their skill in their field. In line 10 and 11 the speaker says, “The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against
The first two lines of the poem are, “Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun” (Heaney, pg. 3). The speaker is literally referring to him writing the poem, but is also referencing his ancestors and them working in the fields with shovels. The poem ends with, “Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it.” (Heaney, pg. 3). He went into such great depths to describe how hard his ancestors have worked in the fields and passed down the tradition from generation to generation. Even though the speaker isn’t a farmer and doesn’t work with a shovel, he still requires the same skills that his ancestors used out on the fields. The speaker will dig, but he will do it on paper with his words instead of out on a field. He will use a pen instead of a shovel, but he will have the same work ethic that his ancestors
The imagery shows that the father and grandfather worked very hard to provide for their family, but were very skilled at their occupation. The enjambment used showed a literal element to make a comparison between the work that the speaker does and the work the speaker’s ancestors have done. The diction to the start and to the end of the play tie the play together to show that the speaker is not doing the literal job that his father and grandfather did, but he is going to work hard and provide for his family the same way his ancestors did for their children and for the speaker. He will do his calling and dig the same way his ancestors have, only his digging will be on paper with a pen in the form of