q "Mid-Term Break" by Seamus Heaney is a narrative poem about a little boy, Heaney's brother, who dies when a speeding car strikes him.

q Heaney walks the reader through his childhood day, and his emotions, when his brother died.

q He often uses diction, imagery of death, grief, and peace, and structure to illustrate this day.

q The first stanza almost immediately sets a morbid mood.

q The poem begins with Heaney sitting "all morning in the college sick bay."

q In the third line, his neighbors drive him home "At two o'clock," indicating hours of waiting.

q During this time, Heaney is "Counting bells knelling classes to a close," a metaphor to funeral classes bringing his brother's life to a close and

q The break between stanzas provides a dramatic pause for this phrase, bringing to the reader a feeling of sadness and more imagery of death.

q He takes the reader through the porch with his crying father, past the baby in its pram, the "old men", the whispering "strangers", and finally to his mother.

q Heaney used simple, yet skillful diction to provide imagery of death, grief, and peace.

q Because Heaney's father is portrayed to be a strong man, who takes "funerals in his stride", this first line is very emotional to the reader.

q Through his own experience, he effectively bestows upon the reader the emotions of suddenly losing a loved one.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Heaney Counting, Seamus Heaney, imagery death, death grief peace, imagery death grief, , death grief, image peace, heaney's father, grief peace, takes reader,
Approximate Word count = 534
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)