Seamus Heaney

I enjoyed most of Seamus Heaney, but I was a little confused. In some cases, the footnotes were not enough, and I had to do a little extra research. “A Hazel Stick for Catherine Ann” had me very confused! Catherine Ann is his daughter, and it seems like she is becoming her mother in this poem. In the poem, it sounds like her mother died, but I could not find any information stating if this is why he wrote it.

Another poem that I found interesting is “Punishment.” Heaney uses vivid, disturbing imagery in this poem. “Brain’s exposed.” “I can see her drowned body in the bog.” “Shakes the frail rigging of her ribs.” These are all terrible images! You can just imagine this awful scene. The girl did not do anything but love. This punishment is unjust. It doesn’t seem like Heaney agrees with this punishment, but he didn’t do anything to try to stop it. “I who stood dumb” makes me think that he regrets doing nothing. The title could refer to both the girls who are being punished and the people who are watching them being punished.

I liked the way Heaney wrote “Station Island” with the ghosts from his past visiting him and giving advice. It read more like a story rather than a poem. Heaney seems to doubt himself in this poem. He is given advice, but will he follow through?