Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney

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  • Created by: randall04
  • Created on: 28-10-19 16:19
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  • Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney
    • context
      • heaney was born in 1939 and died in 2013 his early poetry focused on rural life and identity.
      • written in 1966 it is set in a remote community during a storm similar to those faced by the people living on islands in ireland
      • STORM ON T he island. stormont is the name of the northern Irish parliamentary building
      • in the 1960s the IRA were carrying out bombingsin northern island in order to make ireland seperate from england
    • form and structure
      • made up of one long stanza w/ lots of long sentences
        • can reflect the uncontrollable and overwhelming aspects of the storm and nature OR the conflict that was occuring in northern island (sentences). the long stanza can reflect the isolation of the island during the storm
      • free verse (no rhyme)
        • the power and freedom in the weather
      • use of emjambment can reflect the repetiveness of the storm which the islands people face too often
      • caesurea slows down the pace so the devestation is prolonged
      • iambic metre reflects the relentless power of the storm
    • quotes
      • the title - Storm on the island
        • stormont is the name of the northern irish parliment building. the island is a homophone for ireland implying that this is a political poem
      • We are prepared: we build our houses squat,
        • we highlights the fact that they are part of a community. by the use of prepared it also highlights that they are ready to withstand anything whether it is a storm or a metaphor for bombings. the short and simple phrase also indicates confidence. squat means they are built to last. the imabic pentametre highlights the strong and regular beat highlighting the solidarity of the building
      • when it blows fullBlast: you know what I mean -
        • the plosive Bs provide empahsie to blow and blast which could be talking about wind or bombings. the colloquial tone with you know what i mean enforces the relationship between poet and reader and also allows heaney to empahsize the fact that this poem has a double meaning
      • Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale
        • is a reference to greek tragedywhich tells the irish people what risk they are at. the chorus is made up of trees creating an image an sentient being gathered together. its warning the community to prepare
      • We are bombarded with the empty air.Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.
        • they fear a non-identity. bombarded is a dynamic verb which creates images of violent attacks also linking to the lexical field of war. being hit by empty air. the use of caesura by pausing between strange emphasizes the strangeness of this conflict/storm . the oxymoronic phrase huge nothing

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