Seamus Heaney

1. Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney was a Northern Irish poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and died in 2013. He often wrote about themes such as childhood, nature and his homeland. This poem was published in 1996.

2. You’ve got to know what the poem’s about • The narrator describes how a community thinks it’s well-prepared for a coming storm. • As the poem goes on, their confidence starts to disappear as the storm develops. The power and the sounds of the storm are described. • The ending of the poem describes the fear as the storm hits the island.

3. Thoughtfully develop responses, making apt references for support. (Level 4-5- 5-7) Judiciously use precise references to support critical analysis. (Level 6- 8/9) Explain responses, using references to support generic comments. (Level 2-3- 3/4) As we read the poem, consider what image Heaney is trying to create. Vocabulary Wizened= Dried up/Shrivelled Stacks/stooks= haystacks / shocks of corn sheaves Strafes= Bombards, harasses with artillery shells Salvo= Simultaneous firing of artillery

4. Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s) • Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support interpretation(s) • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation We are prepared: we build our houses squat, Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate. This wizened earth has never troubled us With hay, so, as you see, there are no stacks Or stooks that can be lost. Nor are there trees Which might prove company when it blows full Blast: you know what I mean – leaves and branches Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale So that you listen to the thing you fear Forgetting that it pummels your house too. But there are no trees, no natural shelter. You might think that the sea is company, Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs But no: when it begins, the flung spray hits The very windows, spits like a tame cat Turned savage. We just sit tight while wind dives And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo, We are bombarded with the empty air. Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear. READTHE POEM Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts.

5. Why is the title so blunt? It only references storm, not a particular storm. What does this suggest? How does this link to the closing line and the meaning?

6. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE POEM? • Discuss the poem with another person from the class. • Consider: • Line length • Language use • Ideas • Rhyme schemes • Poetic techniques Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

7. Go a step further and give a personal response Have a go at answering these questions to help you come up with your own ideas about the poem: Q1. Do you think the speaker likes living on the island? Why/ why not? Q2. What’s the effect of describing the “leaves and branches” as a “tragic chorus?” Q3. Why do you think the poem addresses the reader directly? What effect does it have on you? Q4. What is the effect of comparing the sea to a “tame cat . Turned savage”? Power of nature, fear, individual experiences of place ... If you’re writing about fear or the power of nature, look at ‘Bayonet Charge’ or ‘The Prelude’. You could consider how feelings for a place are presented in this poem compared with ‘The Emigree’ or ‘London’. KEY THEMES

8. Learn about the form, structure and language • FORM – The poem is written in blank verse, which mirrors the patterns of everyday speech and makes the poem sound like part of a conversation. The first person plural (“We”) is used, showing how this is a collective, communal experience, The poem is all in one stanza – it’s compact and sturdy like the houses. • STRUCTURE- The poem shifts from security to fear. “But no:” seems to be a turning point (volta), with the slow pace of the monosyllabic phrase and the caesura reflecting the last moments of the calm before the storm. • Structure • The poem consists of nineteen lines of blank verse - unrhyming lines each containing five beats or feet. • This verse form (much used by Shakespeare) follows the natural patterns of spoken English, so we feel that Heaney is talking to us. How does this help you to engage with the ideas in this poem?

9. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE POEM? Enjambment The poem uses enjambment. This means that some of the lines in the poem run on over more than one line. • Task: • Annotate the use of ‘Enjambment’ in the poem. • What is the poem describing when the enjambment is used? • What effect might this have on the reader? Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

10. What is the effect of enjambment in the poem? Why is caesura so important in this poem?

11. Why do you think the poem is structured in one verse, despite having two distinct sections? How does it affect our reading that this is in blank verse(unrhyming lines each containing five beats)?

12. Learn about the form, structure and language • CONTRASTING DESCRIPTIONS OF SAFETY AND FEAR – The narrator uses a lot of words to do with safety and security at the beginning of the poem. The tone changes though, and the sense of danger increases as familiar things become frightening during the storm. • DIRECT ADDRESS - The narrator involves the reader in his fear by speaking directly to “you”. • VIOLENT IMAGERY – The storm is described in violent, often warlike terms, with similes, metaphors and personification combining to emphasise the danger and effects of the storm. • USE OF SOUNDS - Forceful sounds (e.g. “Blast”) are used to demonstrate the strength of nature, and the poem also uses assonant and sibilant sounds to reflect the noise of the wind and waves.

13. Thoughtfully develop responses, making apt references for support. (Level 4-5- 5-7) Judiciously use precise references to support critical analysis. (Level 6- 8/9) Explain responses, using references to support generic comments. (Level 2-3- 3/4) During the poem, the narrator shows that they go from feeling safe to feeling insecure. This changes at the Volta (the word ‘But). Select relevant quotes and explain what it is that makes the narrator feel safe in the first part of the poem and insecure in the second.

14. Who are the main characters of the poem: the wind and waves or the ‘we’? Why do you say this? Why does Heaney use ‘we’?

15. What is the impact of personification in the poem? Especially in reference to the land and nature.

16. How does Heaney use contradictions and comparisons to create effects?

17. How is alliteration and sound used for effect in the poem?

18. Remember the feelings and attitudes in the poem • SAFETY – The first part of the poem shows that the community feels safe, and prepare for the storm. • FEAR – This sense of security soon changes to fear, as familiar things change and become frightening. • HELPLESSNESS – The people can’t do anything about their fear except wait for the storm to finish. Nature is presented as a powerful, relentless force. Steve saw the storm as the perfect opportunity to try out his new kite.

19. Houses are built ‘squat’ (short and fat) so as to protect them against storms. Because of this, Heaney begins confidently. How does his tone change throughout and why is the tone conversational?

20. Thoughtfully develop responses, making apt references for support. (Level 4-5- 5-7) Judiciously use precise references to support critical analysis. (Level 6- 8/9) Explain responses, using references to support generic comments. (Level 2-3- 3/4) Complete the table to explain what is suggested by the changes in tone in the poem.

21. Thoughtfully develop responses, making apt references for support. (Level 4-5- 5-7) Judiciously use precise references to support critical analysis. (Level 6- 8/9) Explain responses, using references to support generic comments. (Level 2-3- 3/4) The first eight letters of the title make the word ‘STORMONT’ and this is the name of the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Considering the unrest in Northern Island, what might Heaney be trying to say by using this title? Answer the question using well-judged (judicious) quotations and explanations. Challenge: Consider how different methods might support your ideas.

22. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. Exam Style Question: How is the power of nature presented in this poem and one other poem from the anthology? Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

23. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. Exam Style Question: How is the power of nature presented in this poem and one other poem from the anthology? Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

24. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. Exam Style Question: How is the power of nature presented in this poem and one other poem from the anthology? Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

25. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. Exam Style Question: How is the power of nature presented in this poem and one other poem from the anthology? Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

26. Level 6 - Critical, exploratory comparison. Judicious use of precise references to support explorative interpretation(s) of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 4 - Clear comparison. Effective use of references to support explanation. Understands the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. • Level 5 - Thoughtful, developed comparison. Apt references integrated into interpretation(s). Examines the effects of the writer’s methods on the reader. Exam Style Question: How is the power of nature presented in this poem and one other poem from the anthology? YOUR TURN POINT - The power of nature is presented in this poem through the way that the writer discusses… EVIDENCE - for example, when the writer chose to use the line/ word “…” EXPLORE - they are suggesting that… DEVELOP - Further, they could be trying to reinforce the fact that… or trying to show the reader that… LINK - This would present nature as being ______________ because… Perhaps the writer wanted to show the audience that… Learning Objective: Read, understand and respond to texts and analyse language, form and structure.

27. How does this poem compare to ideas from other poems which we have read?