Storm on the Island

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  • Storm on the Island
    • Seamus Heaney
      • Northern Irish
      • Won a nobel prize for literature
      • wrote about themes such as childhood, nature and his homeland
      • worked on a farm with father as a child
    • Structure & Form
      • blank verse
        • it’s compact and sturdy, like the "squat" houses
      • First person plural “we”
        • a collective, communal experience
      • storm not happen at start
        • builds tension
          • enjambment emphasises tension
      • monosyllabic words and repetition
        • mirror simple life of islanders
      • The title
        • the first 8 letters of the title spell STORMONT. The name given to N.Irelands parliamentary buildings
          • storm could represent the violent political disturbances at the time
            • e.g protestants vs Catholics
            • e.g Republicans want independance
    • Violent Imagery
      • Simile
        • “spits like a tame cat turned savage”
          • shows how familiar things become frightening during the storm
      • War language
        • “salvo” and “bombarded”
          • usually used to describe war
          • The wind is compared to a fighter plane attacking the island
            • Nature is attacking the island
      • Nature is a powerful, relentless force
    • Sounds
      • Assonance of "i" sounds
        • “it begins”, “spray hits”, “sit”
      • Sibilance
        • ”spits”, “savage” “space” and “salvo”
          • together  imitate the hissing and spitting of the sea.
            • “it begins”, “spray hits”, “sit”
    • Fear
      • Oxymoron
        • “exploding comfortably”
          • juxtaposes feelings of fear and safety
      • “It is a huge nothing that we fear”
        • nature is an invisible abstract force - islanders can’t do anything to combat it

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