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Death of a Naturalist is a poem from the DOAN collection which is a…
Death of a Naturalist is a poem from the DOAN collection which is a collection written mainly about childhood innocence and the loss of childhood. Death of the naturalist is about that exactly. The loss of passion presented throughout the poem signifies the loss of childhood innocence. The personification of nature portrays the excitement of childhood and the loss of childhood innocence. The visual imagery of war and conflict is used to develop the loss of innocence and to portray the awareness of the real world, as if the speaker has grown up. The poem is split into two, where the first half is still relatively about childhood and the speakers excitement about childhood and the second half of the poem sounds more mature, where the childhood innocence has been lost. The tone shifts in the poem significantly to showcase the child's emotions as he loses his innocence.
Language
• ‘Frogspawn that grew like clotted water’ Portrays unwanted and uncontrolled growth that is disgusting yet evokes curiosity from the child.
• ‘Bubbles gargled delicately’ ○ This personification is juxtaposed by the softness of ‘delicately’ and the harsh sound of ‘gargled’ this highlights the curiosity of the child and how he finds these possibly disgusting bubbles to be fascinating. It is oxymoronic.
• ‘Punishing sun’ Personification of the sun with the harshness of the sun. the punishing sun is pathetic fallacy as it is shown to be so aggressive and hot that the frogspawn ‘sweltered’.
• ‘Bluebottles wove a gauze of sound around the smell’ ○ This conveys a sense of fascination from the child and creates an inspired tone as a result of his curiosity and need for adventure. However the bluebottles seem to be hiding something more sinister which creates a sense of foreboding.
• ‘Flax-dam festered in the heart of the townland’ The town is all the child knows and he explores within it. This creates a sense of childhood innocence because the child is naive to the world outside its town.
• ‘The fattening dots burst’ ○ This is a childish description of the birth of tadpoles and conveys the innocence of the child who simply learns from observing things happening and having to trust what he is being told. Sounds violent but exciting.
Structure
• ‘I ducked through hedges’ ○ Instead of being unafraid of the frogspawn and frogs like he used to he is now fearful of them and looking to protect himself from them. His fascination has stopped. He is describing them negatively.
• ‘A course croaking i had not heard before’ ○ Negative approach to the unknown which once again juxtaposes his usual curious approach. Conveys a sense of loss of innocence and a shift in emotion.
• ‘You could tell the weather by frogs too’ ○ He learns about new things through associating them with things he already knows and is fascinated by. His life seems to revolve around the times at which he collects frogspawn and seeks adventure.
• ‘I sickened, turned and ran’ ○ This list of three appears to be a turning point in which it signifies the ‘death of a naturalist’. He no longer wants to be around these creatures.
• ‘The daddy frog’ ‘mammy frog’ ○ A narrative story structure which is how children talk. This is shown through the explanation of the ‘daddy frog’ and the ‘mammy frog’.
• ‘If i dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it’ ○ They can harm the child. The frogs are also viewed to be evil offspring they are personified. Conveys the panic and reasoning behind the child running away.
• ‘On shelves at school and wait and watch’ ○ Alliteration of the W conveys a sense of childishness. It also explores how patient the child is and suggests he is full of wonder because of the frogspawn.
• ‘Here, every spring i would fill jampotfuls of jellied specks’ ○ Hyperbole shows childishness and his excitement for the frogspawn. Portmanteau of jampotfuls also shows excitement and childishness as well as the alliteration. It is past tense as if he no longer does it anymore.
• ‘Dragon flies, spotted butterflies and the warm thick slobber of frogspawn’ ○ The list of three is descriptive of what the child sees and conveys how in his youth he finds typically disgusting things fascinating and evoke a sense of awe from him.
Imagery
• ‘The slap and plop were obscene threats’ ○ This onomatopoeia conveys that this story is still a child’s recollection through the creation of an immature tone in the presence
• ‘Gross-bellied frogs were cocked on sods’ ○ The frogs are shown to be threats to the child which is great change from how he used to actively seek them each Spring. It seems like they are ready to fight back and get revenge on the child.
• ‘Poised like mud grenades’ ○ Simile which shows how the child is now viewing these frogs with terror rather than the fascination he used to.
• ‘The air was thick with a bass chorus’ ‘coarse croaking’ ○ The atmosphere is less light-hearted and much more intense. A suspenseful tone is created. The sounds show a tone change and the child is no longer as innocent. This shows personal growth.
• ‘Blunt heads farting’ ○ This is monosyllabic which conveys the youth of the child but also the personal growth he is experiencing by this sudden wave of reality crashing down on him.
• ‘Angry frogs invaded the flax-dam’ ○ They have entered his safe environment and seem to be aggressive. Creates a negative tone and allows readers to assume they want revenge. Sense of setting is created.
• ‘The great slime kings’ A metaphor for the frogs. Conveys how much power they have and convey how they rule the area. The child now appears to be in their territory when he believes it to be his own.
• ‘When fields were rank’ ○ The fields seem to disgust the child which juxtaposes his usual curiosity. This sets a negative tone in the beginning of the third stanza. ‘Angry frogs invaded the flax-dam’
• ‘Gathered for vengeance’ ○ The frogs seem to want revenge and are a threat to the child. This may be because he took them from their homes when they were eggs. A sinister tone is created through the foreboding.