How do the poets present grief, loss and death in the two poems, Mid-term break and Funeral Blues?
The two poets Seamus Heaney and W.H Auden present grief, loss and death in their poems Mid-Term Break and Funeral Blues. Mid-Term Break is composed by Seamus Heaney; his poem is a perspective poem, that the poet observes the misery and loss in others. However, it varies from Funeral Blues which is written by W.H Auden. Auden used hyperbole to capture his grief and his tragedy and convey them to the world.
Mid-term Break is an elegy to Seamus Heaney’s brother who died in a car accident; the poet exposed the impact of his brother’s death on his family and outsiders. But the opening stanza starts with the poet at the sickbay ordinary kid who is
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This sentence portrays his wish for time to stand still and shows that he is refusing to communicate. He is inconsolable and perhaps there are many people around him trying to comfort him but they are unsuccessful. He also says "Let the policemen wear black cotton gloves". This is a mark of respect and he feels that everyone should be sorry that his partner is now gone. In the third stanza, he describes how important his partner role was in his life was. He says "He was my north, my south, my east and west." This shows that his partner was someone who provided guidance and support. Now that his partner is gone he has lost his way and his life is lacking direction. “My working week and my Sunday rest" tells us that he spent a lot of his time with him and that without him he has no longer has control in his life and he has lost purpose and reason.” Because of his death, his world is now falling apart. “Pour away the ocean" could convey how he feels, that he is drowning in his grief, and pouring away the grief will allow him to carry on with his life. His view of the world has now changed, and it has become a sinister and lonely place. Also, the last stanza is a metaphor for how his partner 's death was a waste of beauty. “The stars are not wanted