FREE ESSAY ON HEANEY POEMS

HEANEY POEMS

Question: On the surface, Heaney's poems are very simple. This simplicity however is
deceptive, for the poems are usually most subtle and complex. What do you think of this
response to Heaney's poems? Heaney's poetry may at first, initially seem simple, yet his
poems do contain more complex underlying themes and ideas. Heaney has refined his poetry
to such a simple state, such as in 'Punishment', Blackberry Picking' and Death of a
Naturalist', that his poems are superficially simple, yet have complex, thought provoking
ideas seeded deeper below. This initial simplicity is seen in the poem 'Punishment', yet
is deceptive, as the poem deals with many other complicated and sophisticated ideas in
relation to human nature and anthropology. The poem may seem simple at first such as;
your brains exposed and darkened combs your muscles webbing and all your numbered bones
(Stanza 9) These lines indicated the straight forward almost scientific nature of the
poem, through Heaneys choice of unemotive words. This simplicity is seen throughout the
poem, where the reader initially could perceive the poem to solely be about the life, and
appearance of a 'bog woman'. However at a deeper level, Heaney looks at the very human
society functions, both in ancient and present times. This us summed up at the end of the
poem; who would connive in civilized outrage yet understand the exact and tribal,
intimate revenge (Stanza 11) Heaney here, writes that he does not only feel empathy and
sympathy towards the little Adulteress, but is also able to detach himself from his
emotions and look at her death as a function of an ancient tribal system. The role which
the bog woman played in her society is further elaborated to the role in which she would
have played in contemporary society; When your betraying sisters, cauled in tar, wept by
the railings (Stanza 10) This comparison of the woman's sacrificial death in the past,
and in modern Ireland in the present, is a concept which is far more complex than the
poem initially portrays. Heaney recognizes that the death of the woman in the past was
necessary to keep their society functioning which is seen in his choice of words exact
tribal and intimate are the words used to describe the murder, which in no way convey a
negative connotation. This is detached, anthropological view, is presented in a very
simple manner through the use of shunt, concise words and stanzas as seen earlier. Thus
the poem appear simple, however very serious, sophisticated ideas are embedded within
This underlying complexity of themes is also seen in the poem Death of a Naturalist. This
poem, again may seem like a simple descriptive passage at first, however this view is
deceptive. Heaney recollects his youth, when he collected 'frog spawn' in jars and
watched the tadpoles hatch into frogs. This is seen in I would fill jampotfuls of the
jellied specks and wait and watch until the fattening dots burst into nimble swimming
tadpoles Further on, Heaney recreates the sense of anticipation of the frogs as a child,
through describing the teachings of Miss Walls, in a child like tone: The Mammy frog laid
hundreds of little eggs and this was frog spawn However, Heaney then continues to
describe his shock, when he found out the frogs grew to be the gross disgusting slime
kings , such as Gross- bellied frogs were cocked on sods; their loose necks pulsed like
sails ... Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting The way in which Heaney
describes his shock of the frogs gross nature, is therefore very simplistic, as he
recreates the experience of the child, through writing like the child, and using child
like metaphors. However this simplicity is superficial, as the writing style does not
truly represent the theme of the poem. The main theme of the poem is that of childhood
innocence, through ignorance. Heaney in the first part of the poem, describes his
optimistic, yet false perception of frogs, which is strongly contrasted by the gross
disgusting reality of nature. The contrast between childhood fantasy and reality is a
theme which is far more complex, than the simplistic 'nature poem' impression the poem
initially gives. This idea of childhood innocence is further seen in the poem Blackberry
Picking This poem is similar to that of Death of a Naturalist in that they both recreate
childhood experiences in connection to nature. Blackberry Picking describes Heaneys days
as a child, when he collected blackberries for the first time in August. This
anticipation of the berries is seen It's flesh was sweet Like thickened wine..... Then
red ones inked up that hunger Sent us out with milk can, pea tins, jam pots However after
collecting the berries, they rotted; A rat gray fungus. glutting on our cache The
optimistic anticipation of the blackberries contrasts strongly with reality, just as in
:Death of a Naturalist. Therefore similarly, the simplistic, child like description in
the poem is deceptive in that its ideas transcend its writing. Furthermore Heaney
describes the berries as; Its flesh was sweet... like summers ... stains open the tongue
and lust Heaney here gives the blackberries sexual implications, through likening the
lusting for berries with the lust in reference to sex. However, when the berries rot,
Henaey writes; The sweet flesh would turn sour This implies that Heaney felt he had lost
some sexual innocence, through the sweet flesh of the berries, or of a woman, turning
sense, as a result of the passing of time, or growing up. This in combination with the
last line; Each year I hoped they' deep , knew they would not gives a sense of loss of
childhood innocence just like Hopkins Spriny and Fall It is blight man was born fire It
is Margaret you mourn for This loss of innocence, through the growing years results from
the exposure to reality as seen in both Blackberry Picking and Death of a Naturalist.
Both of these concepts are far more complex, than the impression which the poems give
initially. Thus through Heaneys poetry, he conveys complex, sophisticated issues through
means of a simplification process. Through use of simplified word structure and the child
like tone and imagery, Heaney presents a quite simple impression initially. However this
simplicity is deceptive as beneath lies a wide range of complex ideas and issues such as
childhood and sexual innocence, as well as an anthropological view of human society. This
complexity is subtly integrated into the simple impression the poems initially give. 
Bibliography
seamus heanye