pmc mid-term break

8/9/2019 PMc Mid-term Break

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Mid-term Break

by Seamus Heaney


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Mid-term Break

by Seamus Heaney

Think about what the title implies. What will thispoem be about? And don’t say potatoes!


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Context

• n "# $ Seamus Heaney was % yea&s o' a(eand he went to St. Columb’s Colle(e in )e&&ywhe&e he was a boa&din( pupil.

• Whilst attendin( the *olle(e$ Heaney’s youn(e&b&othe& Ch&istophe& was killed in a &oad a**identand this poem in+ol+es the poet &e*allin( thee+ents that happened to him a'te& this.

n what sense is the title misleadin(?

What e''e*t does this ha+e on the &eade& when they &ealise

what the sub,e*t &eally is?


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sat all mo&nin( in the *olle(e si*k bayCountin( bells knellin( *lasses to a *lose$

At two o-*lo*k ou& nei(hbo&s d&o+e me home.

n the po&*h met my 'athe& *&yin(

He had always taken 'une&als in his st&ide And /i( 0im 1+ans sayin( it was a ha&d blow.

The baby *ooed and lau(hed and &o*ked the p&amWhen *ame in$ and was emba&&assed/y old men standin( up to shake my hand

And tell me they we&e 2so&&y 'o& my t&ouble$2Whispe&s in'o&med st&an(e&s was the eldest$

Away at s*hool$ as my mothe& held my hand

n he&s and *ou(hed out an(&y tea&less si(hs. At ten o-*lo*k the ambulan*e a&&i+edWith the *o&pse$ stan*hed and banda(ed by the nu&ses.

3ext mo&nin( went up into the &oom. Snowd&ops And *andles soothed the bedside4 saw himFo& the 'i&st time in six weeks. 5ale& now$

Wea&in( a poppy b&uise on the le't temple$He lay in the 'ou& 'oot box as in a *ot.3o (audy s*a&s$ the bumpe& kno*ked him *lea&.

A 'ou& 'oot box$ a 'oot 'o& e+e&y yea&.

The poem beginswith the narratorrecalling being achild in the collegesick bay – he was not

ill and had beentaken there assomething hadhappened.

A nei(hbou& thena&&i+ed and took thepoet home$ whe&e it

be*omes *lea& thatsomethin(te&&ible hashappened. His 'athe&was *&yin( and thiswas enti&ely out o'

*ha&a*te& andthe 'amily '&iend 0im1+ans was the&e.6ld men (&eet the*hild and shake hishand.

Then the bodya&&i+es.

The poem endswith a *han(e o's*ene and time$as the *hild ente&sthe &oom o' hisdeadb&othe& the nextmo&nin( and heattempts to make

sense o' what hashappened.


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Why is he in si*kbay?

7knellin(’ su((ests 'une&ealbells &athe& than a *han(eo' lessons. Fo&e shadowin(e+ents to *ome

Su((ests thebo&edom o'waitin($ the*on'used *almbe'o&e the sto&m

Sta&k ima(e o' adist&au(ht pa&ent.He’s unable to *opeas at othe& 'une&als.Why?

7ha&d blow’ has adouble meanin(and emphasisesthe natu&e o' thes*ene.

What a&e the twomeanin(s?

Allite&ation st&esses the'eelin( o' somethin(endin(

1mphasises the passa(eo' time and *ont&asts withthe slowness with whi*hthe poet expe&ien*ed it


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The baby doesn’t knowwhat’s happenin( andthis is in *ont&ast toHeaney’s &ea*tions

Heaney d&aws the&eade& th&ou(h thisunusual s*ene.

Heaney himsel' is

7emba&&assed’ bythe attention o' the7old men’

What &ea*tionwould he ha+e to

his mothe&’s 7an(&ytea&less si(hs’

Assonan*e used byHeaney. The sho&t 7a’sounds *ould su((estthe ab&upt end to hisb&othe&’s li'e.

Heaney doesn’t seemto see his b&othe&4 hesees a *o&pse w&appedin the 'ailed attempts tosa+e him.


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Chan(e o' s*ene'&om the he*ti*$

emba&&assin(business o'Heaney’s &etu&nhome.

They lite&ally soothHeaney and allowhim to sta&t the(&ie+in( p&o*ess.

These ima(es a&esymboli*$ both 'o&the 'amily and the&eade&$ o' new li'e

andHeaney *omes tote&ms with the lossand a**epts 7the*o&pse’ as hisb&othe&.

Sta&k ima(e is le'than(in( at the end o'the stan8a


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The b&uise is not apa&t o' his b&othe&.Heaney sees him as

metapho&i*ally7wea&in(’ it$ as i' it*ould be &emo+ed

Why has Heaney*hosen a poppy?

Think about thesymbolism asso*iatedwith poppies and thinko' it as a +isual ima(eas well

Cont&ast between thepea*e'ul$ *lean ima(ewith that o' ea&lie&

As a baby mi(ht$sleepin(. A(ainthe *ont&astbetween the he*ti*sta&t and *alm endis ob+ious


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Clea& 'a*tualunde&standin( o' whathas happened andHeaney doesn’t shy

away '&om that

Final line stands

alone and d&aws the&eade&s 'ullattention.

A(ain the poi(nantlyhumo&ous &e'e&en*eto the *o''in as abox st&essesHeaney’s *hildlikebitte&ness

Fo& the 'i&st time welea&n the *hild’s a(e asHeaney bitte&ly ,okes thatthe *o''in is a measu&e

'o& his li'e

The &hymin( *oupletse&+es to st&ess thet&a(edy in the &eade&’smind


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1n,ambment and*aesu&a useduntil the the 'inaltwo stan8as. This

*ould su((est the*on'usion o' thee+entssu&&oundin( thedeath andHeaney’s a&&i+al

home

1nd stoppin( o' the 'inalstan8a st&esses the*alm$ *ontemplati+enatu&e o' the youn(Heaney’s p&i+ate(&ie+in(

Heaney uses*ont&astin( ima(esand emotionsth&ou(hout this poem.

Why mi(ht this be?

This is an in*&ediblype&sonal pie*e o'poet&y.

As a &eade&$ what isyou& &ea*tion to&eadin( this poem?


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Compa&isons

• Cold Knap Lake / On the Train 9 /oth o' these poemsdeal with the idea o' loss and the way death o& thep&ospe*t o' death *an a''e*t people.

• • The Field-Mouse / The Man He Killed 9 These poemsdeal with loss and also :uestion the su''e&in( that hastaken pla*e and its pointlessness.

• • On My First Sonne 9 This poem *on*e&ns the loss o' a*hild and has been w&itten to make sense o' what has

happened 9 mo&e positi+e than 7;id Te&m /&eak’.

A&e the&e any othe& *ompa&isons you *an think o'?


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Themes

• Childhood 9 The poem in+ol+es the poet &e*allin( ane+ent '&om his own *hildhood.

• t in+ol+es the na&&ato& 7(&owin( up’ due to the te&&iblenatu&e o' the expe&ien*e.

• Death / Loss 9 The 'a*t that the poem deals with thedeath o' a *hild$ en*ou&a(es the &eade& and na&&ato& to:uestion the pointlessness o' death.

• Fo*us o' the poem is on the &ea*tions o' people to deathand the way people attempt to make sense o' the loss.

• Memory 9 5oem &e*alls an e+ent '&om the past and thislinks it to othe& poems in the *olle*tion that in+ol+elookin( ba*k in o&de& to see the p&esent and 'utu&e*lea&ly.


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