break" and was written by Seamus Heaney. The poem is about

the laying out to rest of a four year old told from his older brother's perspective. I will be dealing with and trying to

explain the use of words, images and techniques and their

Starting off with the title. There is a dramatic irony to it

that is noticed when read through a couple of times. It relates to the

Child's position in that his life was broken short i.e. "Mid-term Break". It had not been completed. As one read on one will

realise that when the title is decrypted the atmosphere is amplified

This is achieved through a number of factors. The most

important is the fact that it's told from the brother's point of view. The very first word in the poem is "I". This immediately brings the reader into the poem. It opens our minds by making us think, so that the poem can be appreciated, as it should be.

"I sat all morning". Here the emphasis is directed on all. This simple word makes us think how long, drawn out and boring this morning must've been for the brother (who is presumably the narrator). Also there's

While he was sitting he was "Counting bells". This adds to the continuously surmounting pile of anxiety, fear, expectancy and suspense. This is because he doesn't just hear the bells ringing in the background; he's counting every ring.

"No gaudy scars". The word gaudy suggests excessive colours, so to me this is a good word choice. It shows the image of the very clean pigment lacking skin with the one vivid bruise where the bumper "knocked him clear".

"Angry". This sways me to thinking that she may be mad at the driver or just the fact of coming to terms with the death of her child.

Some indication of the date is given by the "four foot box as in his cot" This tells me that the story must have been set a long time ago. Most likely pre 60's. I say this as funeral parlors selling coffins made by craftsmen only came about after the 50's and became gradually more popular as time passed by. The poem was written in 1966 and because of the layout, tenses, and overall feeling I think it's quite obvious it was written about a personal experience of the writers past. My point being that the box was probably homemade or done by a friend with some kind of carpentry experience.

His mother "coughed out angry tearless sighs". This shows her discomfort about her position. It conveys the forced nature of her sighs.

Some common words found in the essay are:
It's French, Mid-term Break, Remembrance Day, Jim Evans, Seamus Heaney, Paler Emphasis, Break CE, sick bay, 'o' clock, mid-term break, relief contrast, neighbours driving home, coughed angry, waiting sick, grows grows, told brother's, counting bells, line verse, waiting sick bay, Bibliography N/A,
Approximate Word count = 1726
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)