storm on the island
written by seamus heaney
key quotes
"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."
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"This wizened earth has never troubled us"
his father was a cattle dealer in northern ireland which influenced his poems
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key themes
poems to compare with
title analysis
context
exposure
ozymandias
similarities
differences
both poems connect power and isolation
both poems suggest the power of nature is greater than the power of humans
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nature against humans and how powerful nature is in comparisons to the locals on the island
isolation as the people are isolated against anyone else from saving them or better protecting them
violence in the terms of ferocity of nature and how ferocious it is in comparison to the helpless people
the title doesn't begin with 'A' or 'The' which suggests he is writing about storm's power in general and not a specific poem
'stormont' is the name of the parliament buildings in Belfast
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they no longer have any control and they are fearful of the storm and what may happen next
the storm can't be seen so know one knows what to expect next however the effects are very real and tangible
the tone has shifted it is a declimax and the ending is unexpected as it is deflated and seems almost unfinished
the unfinished ending alludes to how storms will always happen and nature will always over power people no matter how much they think they will be able to control it or prevent it from happening
'wizened' connotes
juxtaposes the people who aren't as smart as they foolishly believe that they can out power the storm and they underestimate it's power