North By Seamus Heaney Analysis

To convey the brutality and animosity of “The Troubles”, Seamus Heaney expressed his thought-provoking opinions in form of poetry. His collection of poems called “North” specifically portray the violent and hatred of The Troubles during 1968 to 1998. The Troubles refer to the sectarian warfare and division between the United Kingdom and Ireland. During this time period, political infighting occurred and caused conflicts that eventually lead to a bloody and brutal war. The North collection utilises various historical context while also stylistically allude to the bygone era of the Vikings and the discovery of the bog bodies of the Northern Europe in order to emphasis the endless occurrence of brutality and violent events. Furthermore, the poems

In the poem, the poet struggles to find his purpose and questions whether his literary accomplishments helped alleviate the conflict. Heaney metaphorically compare himself to “a comet that was lost” in order to justify his current position within the society. Furthermore, this poem marks the movement of the poet. During this time period, Heaney decided to move south away for the ongoing conflict of the Troubles. This act of decision serves as a retreat from the urban horror of the sectarian warfare. While away, Heaney progressively understand his role in the society. The structure of the poem begins with the poet wandering around during a winter season. It can also be seen that the poet describes his surroundings in a first person point of view. “And I sometimes see a falling star. If I could come on meteorite! Instead I walk through damp leaves, husks, the spent flukes of autumn”. This stanza conveys a feel of solitary and loneliness. The poet wishes to influence his fellow friends to end the ongoing brutality but find himself lost in his quest to stop the conflict. Thus, like a “comet” that is lost in the vast space, Heaney is struggling to find his purpose within his society. As the poem progresses readers can acknowledge the awakening point of the poet. The poet mentions “wood-kerne”, which are the Irish soldiers who try to keep out the British, in

The ongoing violent and brutal act from the past to the present is an important message that the poet is trying to convey to the readers. Similarly, the poems “The Grauballe Man” and “Exposure” both have the message the poet implemented. In The Grauballe Man, the bog body that was discovered serve to be a symbol for a bygone era. Furthermore, the Heaney utilises the bog body and its preserved condition as a symbol to represent the brutality act in the past. Progressively, the poet uses liquid imagery and enjambment in order to convey how the past brutality act flows like a river to the present. Thus, it can be acknowledge that the poet’s message serves to depict how violent and atrocious act is endless. In the “Exposure” the poet conveys his message differently. Unlike The Grauballe Man, Heaney progressively come to an understanding that poetry is a tool that can voice his opinions with the society. The final stanza of the poem, “who, blowing up these sparks for their meagre heat, have missed the once-in-a-lifetime portent, the comet’s pulsing rose”, represent the poet’s message about time. The poet came to an understanding that learning is the key to end the ongoing brutality. In other words, the poet understands that he has to learn from the past in order to improve the