Sunday, June 2, 2019

The two poems I am going to compare are Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney

The two poems I am going to compare are Mid-Term switching by Seamus Heaney and Death Be Not Proud by trick Donne.The first poem I am going to study is a poem by Seamus Heaney calledMid-Term Break.Seamus Heaney was born in County Derry into a farming background. He accompanied St. Columbs College in Derry where he was a border. Heaneywent on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.The poets title Mid-Term Break is somewhat ambiguous as it wouldsuggest a holiday of some sort, whereas, the poem is actually aboutthe death of Heaneys young brother who was killed in a tragicaccident.The thoughts of death are brought to the bowknot almost immediately asthe poem begins with a funeral note in line twocounting bells knelling classes to a close.The word knelling reminds the poet of the church bells tolling for afuneral.In the second stanza we are aware that the tragedy which has occurredis different as funerals usually did not disturb his father in the waythat this one had.Heaney recalls the embarrassment he felt when the adults sympathisedwith him and paid his deference saying they were sorry for mytrouble. This seemed to perplex him as it was a reversal of roles.There is a sense of alienation in the frontward stanza when he heard thewhispers of the neighbours, apart from his mothers hand in his. Hismother seems to be trying to control her emotions but is clearlyoutraged by what has happened.When Heaneys brother is returned home, the poet refers to his brotheras a corpse. This seems to suggest that Heaney is emotionallydetached but it could just be a case of denial.Heaney injects a note of tranquillity to the poem when he describesthe snowdrops and candles. ... ... hand, deals with the mystery and fear that soundsdeath. Although we will all have to die eventually it is stillsomething that scares us but Donne tries to lighten those fears bytelling us that death is just another part of life that will lead usto eternity.Heaney seemed to be emotionally detached passim his poem until thefinal line whereas Donne was very passionate about his feeling fromthe start.When I first read both poems I was drawn instantly towards Mid-TermBreak only because of the simplicity of the language. However, aftercarefully stu dying(p) both poems my preference now lies with Death Be NotProud. It is an interesting poem that expresses the act of dying assomething natural and pleasant abandoning the reputation it has forbeing frightening or powerful. It expresses that death is not the endof life, but only the beginning.

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