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Mid term break by Seamus Heaney - Coggle Diagram
Mid term break by Seamus Heaney
Favourite line
“A four foot box, a foot for every year”,
I read this poem in primary school and I have never forgotten this line since. It leaves such an impact on the reader. It creates this brutal yet calm image in my head. It is a tragedy that this boy was taken so early in his life yet the way Heaney describes his state creates and image of a peacful young boy with iphis eyes closed. However this was not the case, his eyes were eternally shut as now he was permanently gone.
Poetic devices
Metaphor
“Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,”
(Why) the poppy is a reference to fallen soldiers in a war, taken too soon, just like Heaneys brother.
(Definition) comparing two things, as if one actually is the other
Onomatopoeia
“Counting bells knelling classes to a close”
(Why) It showed the dull repetitive sound of the bell that rung each time a class ended. It was quite similar to a church bell.
(Definition) When the sound of a word echoes or suggests its meaning
Personification
“angry tearless sigh”
(Why) this added depth as it explained how the sigh sounded. It gave it an almost human aroma.
(Definition) when objects are given human characteristics for effect
Alliteration
(Why) Alliteration can draw the viewers attention to a certain line and this is an important moment in the poem as it is when his bother is returned home
“ambulance arrived”
(Definition) repetition of sounds at the beginning of words
Simile
(Definition) comparing two things, using ‘like’ or ‘as’
“He lay in the four foot box as in his cot”
(Why) Heaney compared his brothers coffin to his cot as it appeared that he was only sleeping.
Sibilance
Snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside
(Why) This created a almost hushed silence in the poem. It was almost like a breather so that the reader could take in the previous news about his deceased brother
(Defenition) repetition of the ‘s’ sound at the beginning of words
Connotation
“And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.”
(Why) initially you probably thought that Big Jim Evans was explaining Heaneys fathers emotions towards the death of his son however it may be referencing the hard blow that hit Heaneys brother when the car hit him.
(Definition) the idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to is literal and primary meaning
Euphemism
“Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,”
(Why) Heaney used the word poppy for multiple reasons. One being that he wanted to display his brothers innocence and saying that he had a bloody wound on his temple would oppose this point
(Definition)a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
Enjambent
“and I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand”
(Why) Heaney intended for us to read these two lines as one line to keep the poem flowing
(Definition) a run on line
Main themes
Death
Mid-Term Break’ is a first person account of the experience of facing death for the first time.
This death is especially tragic (the incident in the poem really happened), as the dead boy was only four years old.
As he confronts death for the first time he sees how it affects those he loves.
In the porch he meets his father “crying”, and later his mother holds his hand. She is too upset to cry, instead she, “coughed out angry tearless sighs”.
There were also many subtle references to death throughout this poem. In lines such as “counting bells knelling classes to a close”. This symbolised the boring mono tone bells that are chimed at funerals. This teases the ending for the reader however it doesn’t completely give way the main plot point of the poem
Innocence
In this poem innocence is a major theme. It is particularly used to describe Heaneys brother. However it was also used in a more discrete way in lines such as “wearing a poppy bruise” . This line is supposed to reference the young innocent men that died during the war. They were taken too soon, just like Heaneys brother .
Context
This poem is bout Heaneys first hand experience of death and grief. It is a very personal poem and throughout it we can see Heaneys use of personal pronouns such as “I”, “me”, “my”. As we read this poem we learn that the individual that died was Heaneys younger brother Christopher. I’m assuming that writing this poem was almost therapeutic for Heaney as he was acounting on a very sensitive memory. We also learn from lines such as “next morning I went to the room” that this death took a huge toll on Heaney as he couldn’t even go and see his brother until the morning after he arrived.
Favourite image
“In the porch I met my father crying”
I find this image quite interesting. It displays men of 1950 Ireland in a different light. It showed that they weren’t just muscular and dominant but also expressive and vunrable.