Seamus Justin Heaney

A detailed Summary of Seamus Justin Heaney

Seamus Justin Heaney, the Irish poet, was born on April 13, 1939(Seamus). He was raised on a farm and was educated in parochial schools and later attended Queen's College in Belfast. Being from Ireland has been an enormous part of Heaney's writings. Much of his poetry is well grounded in the very basic aspects of Irish farm life such as plowing and growing potatoes. Heaney won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995(Basney). Heaney occasionally presents the poet passively, as he is connected with Ireland and his natives, yet very concerned as an individual.

In Heaney's poem 'Casualty' from Field Work (1979), Heaney illustrates the memories of a friend who has just been killed in a bomb attack. The victim is not named in the poem but Heaney has previously pointed out in an interview that it is about Louis O'Neill (Curtis 112). This poem helps people realize that each person killed in war has a background and should not be dismissed lightly. Heaney develops a greater sense of loss by describing Louis's lifestyle and the interactions that the two shared together. The beginning of the poem lets the reader know that this particular man liked to drink alone, which more than likely means that he had either become involved in fu

Heaney moves from here to the memory of a fishing trip with Louis in which they had left in the morning and taken Louis's boat. Heaney includes images of the boat treading water which generate a nostalgic feeling. Heaney mentions that he "tasted freedom with (Louis)", and goes on to exemplify that he did so in finding a rhythm 'working' him while fishing. Poetry is also affected by rhythm, therefore the act of fishing could be the place where Heaney and Louis's separate worlds converged in perfect harmony. At the end of the poem Heaney refers to the earlier quote as he calls out to his deceased friend asking him to "Question me again", describing Louis as a resurrected soul trudging laboriously through the rain at midnight.

Curtis, Tony. The Art Of Seamus Heaney. United Kingdom: Poetry Wales Press, 1985

Basney, Lionel. Down To The Center: Seamus Heaney And His Place. 10 Apr. 1996 The Christian Century. 18 Apr. 2001

Images seem to flash at the reader as Heaney points them out "The line lifted, hand over fist,". These could easily be taken as either a part of the funeral or a part of the memory of a fishing trip with Louis. "The line lifted," for example could either mean the line that lowers the coffin into the ground, or it could be speaking of fishing line lifted to secure the hook. "...hand over fist," could mean the way in which people stand at a funeral procession, yet it could also mean the manner in which one would pull in a big fish on the line. Heaney includes the image of "...cold sunshine on the water," which might suggest a childlike way of perceiving the reflection of the sun on the water, because it is not hot to the touch. This image could also mean that there is something very wrong because there is no such thing as "cold sunshine".

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ll blown alcoholism or he just didn't care to keep company even when he would go out. Louis is described as a good worker, involved in freemasonry and also a skilled fisherman with a quick eye.

Heaney envisions Louis in his final moments and recalls the look on his face as "Remorse fused with terror". Heaney might view Louis at this point as thinking that things may have been different had he not become a habitual drinker. Heaney asks if it was Louis's fault the n

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Approximate Word count = 1564
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English