Seamus Heaney- Death of a Naturalist

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What are the context and ideas behind the poem?
Heaney's younger self's fascination with nature and tadpoles, memory of his childhood, homodiegetic, autobiographical.
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How are personification, onomatopoeia and sibilance used?
P- 'punishing sun'- making the sun appear as a cruel figure. O- 'bubbles gargled delicately'- creates a calm image, active verb 'gurgled' contrast to the modifier 'delicately'. S- 'strong gauze'- adds to creation of image in reader's mind.
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How are declaratives, colloquialisms and phonology used?
D- 'the daddy frog'- childish recollection of events. C- 'mammy'- childish language, term from society he grew up in, innocent. P- 'coarse croaking'- harsh consonant 'c', sound gives the stanza a sense of violence and adds to the unpleasant nature.
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How are similes and metaphors used?
S- 'their loose necks pulsed like sails'- sense of movement, exaggerated. S- 'poised like mud grenades'- comparison emphasises how dangerous he perceives them to be. M- 'blunt heads farting'- Rude and indecent language.
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Discuss the structure of Death of a Naturalist.
Enjambment- Heaney's childlike self's never ending thoughts and story-telling. 1st stanza- excitement, positive, fascinated by nature. 2nd stanza- negative, full of disgust, frightened and falling out of love with nature (links to title).
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Discuss the themes that are explored within Death of a Naturalist.
Growing up and falling out of love with nature, childhood innocence, nature, use of imagination ('slime kings'), religious imagery (frogs appear to be a reference to the story of Moses from the Bible.
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Card 2

Front

How are personification, onomatopoeia and sibilance used?

Back

P- 'punishing sun'- making the sun appear as a cruel figure. O- 'bubbles gargled delicately'- creates a calm image, active verb 'gurgled' contrast to the modifier 'delicately'. S- 'strong gauze'- adds to creation of image in reader's mind.

Card 3

Front

How are declaratives, colloquialisms and phonology used?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How are similes and metaphors used?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Discuss the structure of Death of a Naturalist.

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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