The universal theme of the loss of childhood innocence and the coming of age is explored in the two poems ‘Blackberry Picking’ and ‘The Early Purges’. Both poems express a sense of change and maturity as the harshness of reality hits the speaker. In the poem ‘Blackberry Picking’ the sense of the loss of childhood innocence, is conveyed through the speaker’s delusion as the speaker comes to age and matures from an idealistic child, to a more realistic adult. In ‘the Early Purges’, this motif is expressed as the poet looks back at the speaker’s childhood. The speaker starts off as being young, idealistic and impressionable and then matures, taking on the persona of a stoic, practical adult. ‘Blackberry Picking’ is a reflective poem that recounts Heaney’s childhood memories and the delusion he faces as he loses his childhood innocence. ‘The Early Purges’ is also a reflective poem that looks back at Heaney’s younger self, however, the poem recounts his experiences of death and the way he loses his childhood innocence as a cause of his experiences. Towards the end of the poem, Heaney matures and takes on the persona of a stoic, practical adult. On the surface, ‘Blackberry Picking’ is a simple poem about two young boys picking blackberries late in August. The poem expresses the childish excitement the two young boys face whilst picking the blackberries and later, the disappointment faced when their harvest fails. However, a larger issue is explored; the loss of