Seamus Heaney- sample Essay Example
Seamus Heaney Essay- personal and political?
Seamus Heaney is both a personal and political poet. He has written deeply personal poems such as “The Underground”, “Skunk”, and “A Call”, captivatingly political poems, such as “The Tollund Man” and “The Forge” or some that lie in-between, such as “A Constable Calls”. Either way, Heaney has a unique ability to capture a wide audience with his poems which might take place in ordinary settings, but which are extraordinarily imaginative.
One of Heaney’s most personal poems, in my opinion, is “the underground”. Here he tells of the excitements and fears of married life. It is set in London were Heaney and his new wife are on their honey moon rushing to get to a concert on time. He makes this poem deeply personal by showing us the kind of doubts and fears that no-one else would admit to having, but also the anticipation and excitement of it all. The title in itself gives us a huge insight into these feelings. It could have many meanings, but to me “The Underground” suggests a journey, in this case the journey of marriage. The fast moving nature of trains suggests a sense of excitement and anxiety and conjures up images of abandonment. The darkness of the tunnels enforces a sense of fear, the fear of the unknown and a fear of failure.
The first half of the poem captures the joy, excitement and energy of an early married life. The description of his wife’s buttons as they, “sprang off and fell in a trail” suggests the joy and abandonment of the young couple. The use of the present participle in words- “running”, “mooning” lends it a never-ending quality and a sense of immediacy.
Heaney uses various references of Greek myths and fairytales to convey his feelings of excitement and uncertainty; this gives the poem a sense of timelessness and universality, opening it up to a wide audience.
The honesty with which Heaney writes this incredibly personal poem is to me very admirable. In the last verse he says “all
Seamus Heaney is both a personal and political poet. He has written deeply personal poems such as “The Underground”, “Skunk”, and “A Call”, captivatingly political poems, such as “The Tollund Man” and “The Forge” or some that lie in-between, such as “A Constable Calls”. Either way, Heaney has a unique ability to capture a wide audience with his poems which might take place in ordinary settings, but which are extraordinarily imaginative.
One of Heaney’s most personal poems, in my opinion, is “the underground”. Here he tells of the excitements and fears of married life. It is set in London were Heaney and his new wife are on their honey moon rushing to get to a concert on time. He makes this poem deeply personal by showing us the kind of doubts and fears that no-one else would admit to having, but also the anticipation and excitement of it all. The title in itself gives us a huge insight into these feelings. It could have many meanings, but to me “The Underground” suggests a journey, in this case the journey of marriage. The fast moving nature of trains suggests a sense of excitement and anxiety and conjures up images of abandonment. The darkness of the tunnels enforces a sense of fear, the fear of the unknown and a fear of failure.
The first half of the poem captures the joy, excitement and energy of an early married life. The description of his wife’s buttons as they, “sprang off and fell in a trail” suggests the joy and abandonment of the young couple. The use of the present participle in words- “running”, “mooning” lends it a never-ending quality and a sense of immediacy.
Heaney uses various references of Greek myths and fairytales to convey his feelings of excitement and uncertainty; this gives the poem a sense of timelessness and universality, opening it up to a wide audience.
The honesty with which Heaney writes this incredibly personal poem is to me very admirable. In the last verse he says “all