The beginning of this poem starts out with Heaney describing what he might do before he starts to write a poem. Heaney writes, "Between my finger and my thumb, The squat pen rests; snug as a gun". I feel this refers to how he picks up the pen and gently rests it in his hand waiting to write, but at the same time he has a firm enough grip on it that nobody can break his concentration. The next lines indicate that Heaney is in his bedroom waiting for thoughts to come into his head, so he can write his poetry, when he hears his father start to work "When the spade sinks into the gravely ground". When his father is beginning his dig, he has to really work hard to tear into the tough ground. This is similar to when Heaney starts to write a poem. Heaney may have some good ideas to write about, but they are buried deep in his mind. He must somehow dig them out in order to use them. The poet must really concentrate to think of ideas and wor

Heaney works hard like his father and grandfather, except instead of physical labor he uses his thoughts and feelings. Heaney, like his ancestors, has been very successful at his particular career, and he is hoping to be respected by others for his hard work. His career is really not much different than that of his ancestors in the field. Even though he has escaped the physical labor, hard work and "Digging" are still very much an important and required part of his life

ds to use. The mind is similar to the fields because it is very fertile, and with some work to it, it will produce great results just like the field produces new crops. Heaney's attention is now drawn out the window to his father working hard in the fields. Digging in the harsh fields of the homeland was very straining to his father, as illustrated in the line, "Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds". It seems as if Heaney's father is very experienced at digging and preparing the soil for the growing season. He has become an expert at preparing the fields and the phrase "bends low, comes up twenty years away" seems to indicate that he has spent many years producing successful crops in the field. Heaney has also become very proficient at writing his poetry. The line, "stooping in rhythm through potato drills" shows that he can get the rhythm of the poetry down like he wants it, just like the rhythm his father is using when he digs down into the soil. Both Heaney and his father are now very hard at work, and although they are doing two totally different kinds of work, it is really quite similar. Heaney's father is actually digging a lon

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1095
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)