Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Mid Term Break
- Form and Structure
- Autobiographical - 1st person account of
young Heaney experiencing the death of
his younger brother
- 7 stanzas, 3 lines per stanza
- Last line alone - creates a shocking effect -
emphasizes the youth of the young boy - emphasizes
the poignancy of the situation
- Rhyming Scheme
- No specific rhythm
- 5th Stanza - there are instances
of half rhyme (sign/arrived)
(corpse/nurses)
- 3rd Stanza - quick pace of the line 'The baby cooed and laughed and
rocked the pram" shows a moment of light-heartiness then the poem
returns to the room of mourners and the lines become slow and heavy
- Heaney's skilful use of imabic pentameter emphasizes the
family drama
- Full Rhyme is found in the final two lines of the
poem - clear emphasis on how tragic and
shocking the event is - stands out inescapably
- Also gives a sense of finality
- Reminds us both of the small stature of the child
and the brevity of his young life
- 1st Stanza - rhythm reinforces the mournful tone
- Emotive lyric, commemorating a terrible
event
- The title suggests a holiday of sorts, a time of enjoyment but
the poem deals with a time of grief - ironic
- Language
- 1st Stanza
- "college sick bay" - immediate suggestion to
sickness and perhaps death
- Ominous atmosphere - "bells knelling"
-Onomatopoeia - hint of the mood - reflective of the
idea of funeral bells
- 2nd Stanza
- "Hard blow" - Double meaning - referring to the
emotional impact of the death and Heaney uses the
language to recall the impact of the car
- Heaney uses the language to evoke a
feeling of sadness for the reader as we
see his "father crying" - we see the effect
of this unknown event has on the family
members
- 3rd Stanza
- "the baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram" -
contrast - reflects the baby's innocence and the bouncy
emphatic rhythm is in direct contrast to the opening
stanza's measured pace.
- Feeling of awkwardness at being expected to act
as the "eldest" - he is the only member of the
family not crying - perhaps out of confusion or to
support his family
- 4th Stanza
- Sibilant alliteration - "Whispers informed strangers I
was the eldest" - captures the hushed atmosphere in
the house
- Euphemism "Sorry for my trouble" - people
are almost afraid to mention the real truth to
young Heaney
- 5th Stanza
- "the corpse" - first connection to what the "trouble" is
connected with
- Assonance - in the repetition of the "a"
sound - "At", "Ambulance", "arrived" -
emphasising the stopping blood and life
- 6th Stanza
- "Snowdrops and candles" symbolic of
life but hey are also ritualistically
funereal.
- "Soothed" they are placed to comfort the
dead boy
- Surroundings reflect the quiet atmosphere
- 7th Stanza (penultimate)
- "Poppy Bruise" - creates a sense of frustration
and impotence that such a small looking blow
could have such a devastating effect
- The flower Poppy associated with death and
remembrance
- Simile - "as in his cot" - used to
describe the bed like a child's cot as it
is so small and he is so young
- Assonance - "A four foot box, a foot for every year" -
heart-breaking logic in the statement that reminds us of the age of
the child - great tenderness as he is looking at his little brother for
the last time