Here's one for Heaney's poetry,
(If anyone could provide feedback, please do)
Throughout Opened Ground, the celebrated poetry of Seamus Heaney commentates on life, death, and the state of the Irish culture. His poems, “Follower” and “Requiem for the Croppies”, reflect on his own regrets and remorse, as well as the power to change and abide to the societal norms that had been built for him. His own takes and liberties on Irish history as well as his own personal history make these poems shattering in its emotional complexity.
In the poem “Follower”, Heaney states that children grow up, they seek to follow the footsteps of their parents and as a result, they end up inheriting many values and characteristics from their parents. Heaney seems to have been so close and admiring to the father. In fact he says "His shoulders globed like a full sail string”. This is an indication of how detailed the boy's admiration was to the father. Heaney further reveals the moments that he stumbled behind the father as he ploughed and he says "I was a nuisance, tripping, falling”, dramatizing the transformation that took place from childhood to manhood. In the poem “Requiem for the Croppies”, Heaney recollects on the war “…On Vinegar Hill…”, as Irish rebels lost their lives in the battle against British military. The poem both opens and closes with the image of “barley”. This is the small amount that the fighters have gathered and that they devote their pockets to. It is closely related to them, an image of their native environment, and their reason for fighting. The opening two lines of the poem indicate the nomadic and yet, natural lifestyle of the rebels, who must carry food, in the form of barley, in their coats and who have “no kitchens on the run” and few if any possibilities of setting up permanent camps show that the rebels were disorganized and hurried. Here, Heaney is stripping heroism down to its essentials, an idea and an action.
Heaney's “Follower” depicts the image of his own father. The poem has been related to a setting of the boy in his childhood reflecting on the relationship that he had with the father. Furthermore, the boy describes the different things that the father did on the farm of which it is evident that he describes them with admiration. The father's work in the farm has been described as one that was done with precision and accuracy. This is strengthened by the word that begins the second stanza of the poem; "An Expert" which is then followed by a full stop to show that the father's work was done carefully and accurately. So to speak, it was actually a perfect work. He also describes how the father's eye narrowed and angled at the ground along with an aspect of mapping the furrow exactly. The image of priests and war in “Requiem” is also a sign of the significance that God and the priesthood played in Heaney’s youth. As “the priest [laid] behind ditches”, this shows even Catholic priests must hide from the English. Heaney shows that their uprising is communal and shared by including the “priest” and the “tramp”, contrasting the faithless with the faithful. It shows the opposing views that have plagued Heaney his entire life, the father in his life that he aspired to be and ended up left to be behind, with the mythical idea of God, plaguing the young Heaney in it’s ambiguity. This is emphasised through “the scythes at cannon”, as the death and reality that plunges into the heart of Heaney.
The last three verses of “Follower” reflect on the present happenings whereby the boy says that in the present time the roles have reversed. Moreover, he says that the father is presently stumbling owing to the dictates of time. As a matter of fact he says "It is my father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away". From this perspective, it seems that the father is the one who is currently relying on the boy and seeking for the boy's protection since he can no longer support himself due to the weaknesses that come along with age.The last 2 lines of “Requiem” brings the work full-circle, explaining how the barley seeds carried by the Irish eventually blossomed, out of the Irish graves, into new-born barley plants. Thus, in the closing line (the “barley grew up out of the grave”) the symbol of the countryside and the image of their struggle is left behind them. This symbolizes the determined “we’ll be back” nature of the Irish, who do not give in easily. There is no death or burial here, but growth in the summer sun.
Throughout Opened Ground, the celebrated poetry of Seamus Heaney commentates on life, death, and the state of the Irish culture.
(try opening with something with a little more impact to show assessor that you have an idiosyncratic interpretation, definitely check out the VCAA past examination reports for some sophisticated opening lines) His poems, “Follower” and “Requiem for the Croppies”,
(I know this is not a hard and fast rule but I would try and aim to discuss all three passages even if you just make a reference to the third, it would also make your analysis longer which would be good) reflect on his own regrets and remorse, as well as the power to change and abide to the societal norms that had been built for him.
(this sentence is a little bit wordy - trying being a bit more sophisticated and succient) His own takes and liberties on Irish history as well as his own personal history make these poems shattering in its emotional complexity.
(I know some people like to have introductions but if you are being too general then assessor will not be happy, try in your next essay to delve immediately into the analysis or just have one broad opening sentence and see if you think you need a full introduction)In the poem “Follower”, Heaney states that children grow up, they seek to follow the footsteps of their parents and as a result, they end up inheriting many values and characteristics from their parents.
(Be careful of over-using commas) Heaney seems to have been so close and admiring to the father.
(This sentence seems a bit too opinion based, try something like ‘The boy describes his father as “an expert” at ploughing, illustrating his admiration for him and the potential for the boy to follow in his father’s “hobnailed wake” and take up his farming position as a man’) In fact he says "His shoulders globed like a full sail string”.
(I would add analysis on to the end of the sentence otherwise it just looks like you are using evidence for the sake of it) This is an indication of how detailed the boy's admiration was to the father.
(This is a bit vague, try being more specific) Heaney further reveals the moments that he stumbled behind the father as he ploughed and he says "I was a nuisance, tripping, falling”, dramatizing the transformation that took place from childhood to manhood. (
Remember to discuss views and values, what is Heaney trying to say about the transition from childhood to adulthood?) In the poem “Requiem for the Croppies”,
(It would be nice here to link Follower with Requiem by either referencing a similarity or difference between the two, this also allows your analyse to progress fluidly) Heaney recollects
(?) on the war “…On Vinegar Hill…”, (
This quotation is a bit pointless, as the assessor is aware of the social/political context of the poem, use quotes that offer insight and develop your contention) as Irish rebels lost their lives in the battle against British military. (This seems like retell, try to include more analysis) The poem both opens and closes with the image of “barley”.
(add something like ‘to convey…’, you need to offer more insight into why Heaney has opened and closed with the image of the barley) This is the small amount that the fighters have gathered and that they devote their pockets to. It is closely related to them, an image of their native environment, and
(thus,) their reason for fighting. The opening two lines of the poem indicate the nomadic and yet, natural lifestyle of the rebels, who must carry food, in the form of barley, in their coats and who have “no kitchens on the run” and few if any possibilities of setting up permanent camps show that the rebels were disorganized and hurried.
(Again, watch the frequent use of commas) Here, Heaney is stripping heroism down to its essentials, an idea and an action.
(Too vague, why is Heaney stripping their heroism and discussing them as a collective?) Heaney's “Follower” depicts the image of his own father.The poem has been related to a setting of the boy in his childhood reflecting on the relationship that he had with the father.
(You have already established this in the previous paragraph, offer something new) Furthermore, the boy describes the different things that the father did on the farm of which it is evident that he describes them with admiration.
(Again, this has already been stated - avoid repeating ideas) The father's work in the farm has been described as one that was done with precision and accuracy.
(add quotation to end of sentence to demonstrate this) This is strengthened by the word that begins the second stanza of the poem; "An Expert" which is then followed by a full stop to show that the father's work was done carefully and accurately. So to speak, it was actually a perfect work.
(This sentence seems redundant) He also describes how the father's eye narrowed and angled at the ground along with an aspect of mapping the furrow exactly.
(Interesting interpretation) The image of priests and war in “Requiem” is also a sign of the significance that God and the priesthood played in Heaney’s youth.
(Again, by jumping so quickly from one poem to the other your analysis feels disjointed and cut off) As “the priest [laid] behind ditches”, this shows even Catholic priests must hide from the English. Heaney shows that their uprising is communal and shared by including the “priest” and the “tramp”, contrasting the faithless with the faithful.
(I have lost your overall contention) It shows the opposing views that have plagued Heaney his entire life, the father in his life that he aspired to be and ended up left to be behind, with the mythical idea
(I feel like this is an assumption some of the assessors may not take kindly to, remember your audience) of God, plaguing the young Heaney in it’s ambiguity.
(Be more specific) This is emphasised through “the scythes at cannon”, as the death and reality that plunges into the heart of Heaney.
(Nice point) The last three verses of “Follower” reflect on the present happenings whereby the boy says that in the present time the roles
(between father and son) have reversed. Moreover, he says that the father is presently stumbling owing to the dictates of time.
(?) As a matter of fact
(avoid colloquial phrases like this - try to get straight to the point) he says "It is my father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away". From this perspective
(be bold, you overuse the word ‘seems’), it seems that the father is the one who is currently relying on the boy and seeking for the boy's protection since he can no longer support himself due to the weaknesses that come along with age.The last 2 lines of “Requiem” brings the work full-circle, explaining how the barley seeds carried by the Irish eventually blossomed, out of the Irish graves, into new-born barley plants. Thus, in the closing line (the “barley grew up out of the grave”) the symbol of the countryside and the image of their struggle is left behind them. This symbolizes the determined “we’ll be back” nature of the Irish, who do not give in easily. There is no death or burial here, but growth in the summer sun.
(finish with Heaney’s message and refer back to your overall contention)