Seamus Heaney Revision

Seamus Heaney RevisionThe Underground The poem opens with an honest depiction of their honeymoon in London

There we were in the vaulted tunnel running,

You in your going-away coat speeding ahead

It is clearly simply an honest description of an even during the honeymoon of Heaney and his wife Marie.

The Underground They appear to be running late for the Proms because they are too busy mooning around on their honeymoon.

They are loves young dream, unable to keep their hands and eyes off one another.

Heaney refers to the new white flower which suggests his new and innocent bride. He contrasts this with crimson a vibrant colour which in my opinion indicates their sexual desire and activity. The inclusion of you and me reveals their intimacy and closeness.

The UndergroundThe tone in the initial stanzas is playful and fun like their relationship early in their marriage.

Heaney adopts a very personal tone There we were. He shares an intimate moment with the reader and is honest in his description. He reveals that he was following her like a fleet god gaining

The UndergroundThe poet cleverly uses verbs and words that are full of energy to reflect the level of energy in the chase and their relationship running, gaining and speeding. As the newly married couple ran to catch the Proms, his wifes jacket flapped causing the buttons to come loose

button after button/Sprang off and fell in a trail The UndergroundHeaney returns to this location many years later to a draughty lamplit station where he feels tensed and bared. Things have changed dramatically, he is alone in the station where they were together, waiting for his wifes step, where previously he was running behind her.

Heaney compares himself to Orpheus when returning from the underground, only this time Heaney does not look behind him. Perhaps the poet is afraid of looking into the past or hidden memories. The final stanza is not energetic, it is closed, Heaney does not share these feelings with the reader. The Underground He is tense as he waits for his wife to return but he reveals he would be damned if he looks back. Thus suggesting hostility or damage to their marriage over time.

This poem provides us with an interesting mix of mythology and fairy tale. Heaney refers to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice dies from a snake bike and is trapped inthe underworld. Her husband was devastated and begged for her release, which unusually was granted. However, when they were being freed, Orpheus looked back in order to check his wife was behind him, she was condemned to remain in the underworld forever.

The UndergroundIt appears that Heaney also refers to the Greek myth of Syrinx , who was being chased by Pan . Terrified she called out for her father Ladon who turned her into a water reed just as Pan was about to grab her.

Heaney also includes the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel where the children used pebbles to find their way.

Key PointsLove is clearly depicted in the poem and is a key theme. It includes attraction, desire and excitement. Heaney refers to an ordinary human experience.

.Heaney uses colloquial language and casual tones throughout the poem. .Heaney refers to the moon several times, which is associated with tides and the passing of time. There is a clear contrast between the opening There we were with the now of the stanza that retraces their steps to the path back, lifting the buttons. There is a clear change in the relationship. The atmosphere and mood of this poem are both exciting and gloomy at the same time. The poem is based on an allusion to at least one ancient Greek myth. The Underground provides the opportunity for an interesting glimpse of a normally private time in a couples time together.

A CallThe poem opens with an utterly familiar scene.The son (Heaney) calls his father who happens to be outside weeding the garden. We are introduced to an unidentified she. It is like we are overhearing a telephone conversation.

We the reader, get a sense that we are eavesdropping (overhearing) on a private phone call.

The tone is conversational, realistic and reflects the mundane moment being described.

A CallWhile he is waiting for his father to come to the phone, Heaney imagines what his father is doing in the garden Down on his hands and knees, he works gently, Touching, inspecting. It is clear that the poet knew the man as he is able to imagine his movements.He describes a gentle, caring individual who feels sorry rueful for destroying weeds despite the necessity of having to remove them. The poet describes his fathers movements in great detail Touching, inspecting, separating, one/ Stalk from the other.

A CallHe reveals his father is ageing frail.

The back garden is replaced by the deserted hall way, indicating a significant change in the tone of the poem; where the sounds are amplified due to the quiet nature of the location and the long wait to hear his fathers voice.

The tone changes significantly and the poem becomes emotionalA CallThe inclusion of the word grave reminds us that death is edging closer from the moment we are born, even while we wait. As the clock ticks away all living things are eventually called to the grave. The poet finds himself thinking about death, how death calls each of us from life, like the simplicity of making a simple phone call. Death is depicted as a personal call, like a phone call from a loved one.

A CallThe final lines of the poem show the poet lifting the phone. Heaney is delighted to hear his voice after his thinking drifted towards death nearly said I loved him. The inclusion of the word nearly suggests a lack of communication. It may be that Heaney subconsciously views his father as representing an example of how one should choose to live their life.This line could also serve to suggest that love does not need to be expressed in words, there is no need because these feelings can be felt and experienced.

Key Points The tone of the poem celebrates the poets father and his closeness to nature. The poem moves from a description of an ordinary, personal experience to a meditation on universal themes which are relevant to everybody. The poets father is depicted as a good man. The poem centres on the relationship between Heaney and his father. Despite the fact that the poet does not talk directly to his father, it is obvious that the speaker loves him. The descriptions of the speakers father at work tell us a great deal about the mans personality.

A Constable Calls The poem opens with the impersonal once more He- we do not know who he is. All we know is that he is the owner of the bicycle stood at the window sill

The first stanza is a detailed description of the bicycle, with its rubber cowl of a mud-splasher and its fat black handlegrips.

The images created are ugly and unpleasant and may serve to represent the owner of the bicycle.

A Constable CallsTherefore the description we are given of the constable is not a clear one. Our knowledge of him is restricted to his mode of transport. The bicycle stood at the window still creating a strange but yet threatening presence.

The bicycle is now associated with a weapon the spud of the dynamo cocked back as though it were ready to shoot.

A sense of fear is created through this association between the constable and the weapon especially as the boot of the law can stamp people into the ground.

A Constable Calls Heaney appears to be recalling an incident when a member of the RUC (police force) came to his fathers farm to record the areas of tillage into his domesday book. The young child is nervous and afraid as he observes the interaction between his father and the constable, thus highlighting the power the constables held over peopleIn Northern Ireland at this time, the catholic community felt a sense of suspicion from authority figures.

Domesday Book- a land survey commissionedto asses the extent of taxes each farmer/land had to pay.

A Constable CallsIt is clear that the constable is unwelcome in their home. He is not offered a place to put his belongings. Instead his cap was upside down, on the floor next to his chair.

He is not offered any food or drink, the family simply want him out of their home as quickly as possible. This suggests they may fear his presence and the boot of the law.

A Constable CallsHeaney however notices the little details and decides to provide us with the line of pressure ran like a bevel/ In his slightly sweating hair. This could highlight the level of discomfort the constable felt after his long journey or an acute awareness of the feelings toward him and what he stood for.

A Constable CallsThe interaction between the constable and Heaneys father is dominated by images of authority. Once the heavy ledger had been unstrapped, Heaneys father had to provide a precisely accurate account of tillage returns/ In acres, roads, and perches.

It is clear that no inch of land should be excluded or there will be consequences through the boot of the law.

A Constable Calls Arithmetic and fear highlight the fear felt by the child, who is listening to the calculations and interrogations. He fears for his fathers safety as he looks in fascinated horror at the polished holster that holds the policemans revolver. There is an indication of violence here, the potential for violence is created

Stanza six is the first time we the constable speak Any other root crops? He asks an abrupt question and is answered in an equally abrupt manner No.

A Constable CallsThe lack of communication and unwillingness of either the constable or his father to engage in anything but official business is obvious. The poets father is simply trying to get rid of the constable without him finding the line/ Of turnips.

The child is nervous, he does not want his father to get into trouble with the law. But he remembered another line of root crops, that his father had failed to mention. He fears that the constable will find out Imagining the black hole in the barracks.

The child is terrified of what could happen in the black hole. The poet remembers the he looked at me as he said goodbye, perhaps the constable is human after all and is simply trying to reassure the terrified child or maybe he intention is not to threaten his family but simply do his job. Heaney remembered the look which suggests these visits made an impact on him. The constable was simply one of a number of oppressors to the catholic community in Northern Ireland.

However it could also serve to suggest that there is a watchful, controlling presence in his community.

The final lines of the poem depict the constable as a shadow outside their window, he is far less threatening outside. He remains faceless.

Once again there is a reference to his boot reinforcing the power of the law. However the final line is worrying, the bicycle ticked, ticked, ticked as he left, which could suggest a ticking bomb. The bombing that dominated Northern Ireland for many years.

What overall impression of the constable do you get from the above poem? (5)

Where in the language of the poem is that most fully created? (10)

What signs are there in the poem that the constables visit causes tension in the house? (10)