Seamus Heaney - Follower

The title of the poem is ambiguous - it shows how the young Heaney followed his father literally and metaphorically. The child sees farming as simply imitating his fathers actions, but later learns how skilled the work is. He recalls his admiration of his father; then but now his father walks behind.

Effectiviely their positions are reversed. His father is not literalyl behind him, but the poet is troubled by his memory: perhaps he feels guilt at not carrying on the tradition of farming, or feels he cannot live up to his fathers example.

The poem has several developed metaphors, such as the child following in his father's footsteps and wanting to be like him. The father is sturdy while the child falls - his feet are not big enough for him to be steady on the uneven land. There are many nautical references:
-The fathers shoulders are like the billowing sail of a ship
-The 'sod' rolls over 'without breaking'
-The child stumbles 'in his wake' and dips and rises on his fathers back.
-'Mapping the furrow' is like navigating a ship.

In these images, the father is not shown as simply but highly skilled. Heaney uses specialised terms from ploughing - terms such as 'wing', 'sock' and 'headrig'. There are many active verbs - 'rolled', 'stumbled', 'tripping', 'falling' and 'yapping'. There are alot of monosyllables and colloquial vocabulary, frequently as the rhyme word at the end of the line. Some of these terms sound like their meaning (Onomatopoeia) like 'clicking', 'pluck' and 'yapping'.

The poem uses rhymed quatrains. The poet uses contrast - apart from the general contrast of past and present we note how the father's control is effortless, while the powerful horses strain, and how the young Seamus 'wanted to grow up and plough' but all he 'ever did was follow'.

Seamus Heaney - Follower

Seamus Heaney - Follower

Seamus Heaney - First Impressions

This poem is like Follower, as it shows how the young Heaney looked up to his elders - in this case both father and grandfather. Seeing his father straining to dig, the poet recalls him in his prime, digging potato drills. And even earlier he remembers his grandfather, digging peat. He cannot match men like that but he sees the pen as being mighty and with it, he will dig further into his past and celebrate them.

The words or phrases which stuck to me most were as follows;
'By God, the old man could handle a spade, Just like his old man.' - here he is proud of his father and expressing that he has took after his father in a sense.
'Once I carried him milk in a bottle, Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up to drink it, then fell to right away.' - here he is explaining what a dedicated worker his grandfather was when it came to potato digging - his skill.'I'll dig with it.' - here he is describing the he, himself will dig into the past or the future with his pen to write about his memories.

Heaney is different from his father as his skill is writing and this is what he does for a living. Whereas, his fathers job is potato digging. Both of their job roles are very different from eachother but the meaning behind this is that - it doesnt matter what your particular job may be, you are no different to everyone else and the dedication to it is the most important aspect.

Seamus Heaney - Reading for Meaning;

Where is the writer at the start of the poem?

At the begininng of the poem, it suggests to me that Heaney is sitting somewhere in his home writing this poem; according to his comparison between a pen and a gun and mentions his window as if he is looking out.

What does the sight of his father digging in the flower bed remind him of?
When his father is digging, it reminds him of 20 years ago when his father was younger, digging potatoes; this brings back memories of his childhood.

Who else does the writer associate with skill at digging?
The writer associates the skill of digging from his father - to his grandfather many years ago.

What memory is he associated with?
The one memory that Heaney will not forget it the particular one he describes in the poem. He is telling us how dedicated his grandfather was to his hobby as he took one drink from a milk bottle then went straight back to work.

What skill does the writer decide to use?
The writer is comparing his passion to his fathers and grandfathers. He is explaining that his skill is writing which is something very different to potato digging. Although the two hobbies are different and dont come under the same catagory; there is nothing wrong with being slightly different from others.

Seamus Heaney

http://www.seamusheaney.org/

Heaney was born in Northern Ireland, not far from Belfast. As well as being a farmer, his father Patrick was a cattle dealer and his mother Margaret worked in a local Clarks linen factory. His family were catholic and he was raised in the Irish Nationalist Tradition. Seamus got his early education at Anahorish Primary School a short distance from his home.

 His teachers Master Murphy and Miss Walls were to feature in his poems Death of a Naturalist and Station Island. In 1957 Heaney travelled to Belfast to study English Language and Literature at Queen's University of Belfast. He began to write and during his third year at university his poems began to appear in the Queen’s literary magazines.

Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney - Digging