The Underground The poem opens with an honest depiction of their honeymoon in London There we were in the vaulted tunnel running You in your goingaway coat speeding ahead It is clearly simply an honest description of an even during the honeymoon of Heaney and ID: 547282
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Slide1
Seamus Heaney RevisionSlide2
‘The Underground
The poem opens with an honest depiction of their honeymoon in London
‘There we were in the vaulted tunnel running,
You in your going-away coat speeding ahead’
It
is clearly simply an honest description of an even during the honeymoon of Heaney and
his
wife Marie. Slide3
The Underground
They appear to be running late for the ‘Proms’ because they are too busy ‘mooning around’
on
their honeymoon
.
They are love’s young dream, unable to keep their hands and eyes off
one
another.
Heaney refers to the ‘new white flower’ which suggests his new and innocent bride. He
contrasts
this with ‘crimson’ a vibrant colour which in my opinion indicates their sexual
desire and activity. The inclusion of ‘you’ and ‘me’ reveals their intimacy and closeness. Slide4
The Underground
The
tone in the initial stanzas is playful and fun like their relationship early in their marriage.
Heaney
adopts a very personal tone ‘There we were’. He shares an intimate moment with
the
reader and is honest in his description. He reveals that he was following her
‘
like a fleet god gaining’ Slide5
The Underground
The poet cleverly uses verbs and words that are full of energy to reflect the level of energy in
the
chase and their relationship ‘running’, ‘gaining’ and ‘speeding’. As the newly married
couple
ran to catch the ‘Proms’, his wife’s jacket ‘flapped’ causing the buttons to come loose
‘button after button/Sprang off and fell in a trail’ Slide6
The Underground
Heaney returns to this location many years later to a ‘draughty
lamplit
station’ where he
feels
‘tensed’ and ‘bared’. Things have changed dramatically, he is alone in the station
where they
were together, waiting for his wife’s ‘step’, where previously he was running behind
her
.
Heaney
compares himself to Orpheus when returning from the underground, only this
time
Heaney does not look behind him. Perhaps the poet is afraid of looking into the past or
hidden
memories. The final stanza is not energetic, it is closed, Heaney does not share these
feelings
with the reader. Slide7
The Underground
He is tense as he waits for his wife to return but he reveals he would be ‘damned’ if he looks
back
. Thus suggesting hostility or damage to their marriage over time.
This poem provides us with an interesting mix of mythology and fairy tale. Heaney refers to
the
Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice dies from a snake bike and is trapped
inthe
underworld. Her husband was devastated and begged for her release, which unusually
was
granted. However, when they were being freed, Orpheus looked back in order to check
his
wife was behind him, she was condemned to remain in the underworld forever. Slide8
The Underground
It appears that Heaney also refers to the Greek myth of
Syrinx
, who was being chased by
Pan
. Terrified she called out for her father
Ladon
who turned her into a water reed just as
Pan
was about to grab her.
Heaney also includes the fairy tale ‘Hansel’ and Gretel where the children used pebbles to
find
their way. Slide9
Key Points
Love
is clearly depicted in the
poem and is a key theme.
It includes attraction, desire and excitement.
Heaney
refers to an ordinary human experience.
.Heaney
uses colloquial language and casual tones throughout the poem.
.Heaney
refers to the moon several times, which is associated with tides and the passing of
time
.
There
is a clear contrast between the opening ‘There we were’ with the ‘now’ of the stanza
that retraces their steps to the ‘path back, lifting the buttons’. There is a clear change in the
relationship.
The
atmosphere and mood of this poem are both exciting and gloomy at the same time.
The
poem is based on an allusion to at least one ancient Greek myth.
The
Underground’ provides the opportunity for an interesting glimpse of a normally private
time
in a couple’s time together. Slide10
A Call
The poem opens with an utterly familiar scene.
The son (Heaney) calls his father who happens to be outside weeding the garden. We are introduced to an unidentified ‘she’. It is like we are overhearing a telephone conversation.
We the reader, get a sense that we are eavesdropping (overhearing) on a private phone call
.
The tone is conversational, realistic and reflects the mundane moment being described.Slide11
A Call
While he is waiting for his father to come to the phone, Heaney imagines what his father is doing in the garden ‘ Down on his hands and knees’, he works ‘gently’, ‘Touching, inspecting’. It is clear that the poet knew the man as he is able to imagine his movements.
He describes a gentle, caring individual who feels sorry ‘rueful’ for destroying weeds despite the necessity of having to remove them.
The poet describes his father’s movements in great detail ‘Touching, inspecting, separating, one/ Stalk from the other. Slide12
A Call
He reveals his father is ageing ‘ frail’.
The back garden is replaced by the deserted hall way, indicating a significant change in the tone of the poem; where the sounds are ‘amplified’ due to the quiet nature of the location and the long wait to hear his father’s voice.
The tone changes significantly and the poem becomes emotionalSlide13
A Call
The inclusion of the word ‘grave’ reminds us that death is edging closer from the moment we are born, even while we wait.
As the clock ticks away all living things are eventually called to the ‘grave’.
The poet finds himself thinking about death, how death calls each of us from life, like the simplicity of making a simple phone call.
Death is depicted as a personal call, like a phone call from a loved one. Slide14
A Call
The final lines of the poem show the poet lifting the phone. Heaney is delighted to hear his voice after his thinking drifted towards death ‘ nearly said I loved him’.
The inclusion of the word ‘nearly’ suggests a lack of communication.
It may be that Heaney subconsciously views his father as representing an example of how one should choose to live their life.
This line could also serve to suggest that love does not need to be expressed in words, there is no need because these feelings can be felt and experienced.
Slide15
Key Points
The tone of the poem celebrates the poet’s father and his closeness to nature.
The poem moves from a description of an ordinary, personal experience to a meditation on universal themes which are relevant to everybody.
The poet’s father is depicted as a good man.
The poem centres on the relationship between Heaney and his father.
Despite the fact that the poet does not talk directly to his father, it is obvious that the speaker loves him.
The descriptions of the speaker’s father at work tell us a great deal about the man’s personality.
Slide16
A Constable Calls
The poem opens with the impersonal once more ‘He’- we do not know who he is.
All we know is that he is the owner of the ‘bicycle stood at the window sill’
The first stanza is a detailed description of the ‘bicycle’, with its ‘rubber cowl of a mud-
splasher
’ and its ‘fat black
handlegrips
’.
The images created are ugly and unpleasant and may serve to represent the owner of the bicycle. Slide17
A Constable Calls
Therefore the description we are given of the constable is not a clear one. Our knowledge of him is restricted to his mode of transport.
The
bicycle ‘stood at the window still’ creating a strange but yet threatening presence.
The bicycle is now associated with a weapon ‘the spud’ of the dynamo ‘cocked back’ as though it were ready to shoot.
A sense of fear is created through this association between the constable and the weapon especially as the ‘boot of the law’ can stamp people into the ground. Slide18
A Constable Calls
Heaney appears to be recalling an incident when a member of the RUC (police force) came to his father’s farm to record the areas of tillage into his ‘
domesday
book’.
The
young child is nervous and afraid as he observes the interaction between his father and the constable, thus highlighting the power the constables held over
people
In Northern Ireland at this time, the catholic community felt a sense of suspicion from authority figures.
Domesday
Book- a land survey commissioned
to asses the extent of taxes each farmer/land had to pay. Slide19
A Constable Calls
It is clear that the ‘constable’ is unwelcome in their home. He is not offered a place to put his belongings. Instead his ‘cap was upside down, on the floor next to his chair’.
He is not offered any food or drink, the family simply want him out of their home as quickly as possible. This suggests they may fear his presence and the ‘boot of the law’. Slide20
A Constable Calls
Heaney however notices the little details and decides to provide us with ‘the line of pressure ran like a bevel/ In his slightly sweating hair’. This could highlight the level of discomfort the constable felt after his long journey or an acute awareness of the feelings toward him and what he stood for. Slide21
A Constable Calls
The interaction between the constable and
Heaney’s
father is dominated by images of authority. Once the ‘heavy ledger’ had been ‘unstrapped’,
Heaney’s
father had to provide a precisely accurate account of ‘tillage returns/ In acres, roads, and perches’.
It is clear that no inch of land should be excluded or there will be consequences through the boot of the law. Slide22
A Constable Calls
Arithmetic and fear’ highlight the fear felt by the child, who is listening to the calculations and interrogations.
He
fears for his father’s safety as he looks in fascinated horror at the ‘polished holster’ that holds the policeman’s ‘revolver’. There is an indication of violence here, the potential for violence is
created
Stanza six is the first time we the constable speak ‘Any other root crops?’ He asks an abrupt question and is answered in an equally abrupt manner ‘No’.Slide23
A Constable Calls
The lack of communication and unwillingness of either the constable or his father to engage in anything but official business is obvious. The poet’s father is simply trying to get rid of the constable without him finding the ‘line/ Of turnips’.
The child is nervous, he does not want his father to get into trouble with the law. But he remembered another line of ‘root crops’, that his father had failed to mention. He fears that the constable will find out ‘Imagining the black hole in the barracks’. Slide24
The child is terrified of what could happen in the ‘black hole’.
The poet remembers the he ‘looked at me as he said goodbye’, perhaps the constable is human after all and is simply trying to reassure the terrified child or maybe he intention is not to threaten his family but simply do his job.
Heaney remembered the look which suggests these visits made an impact on him. The constable was simply one of a number of oppressors to the catholic community in Northern Ireland.
However it could also serve to suggest that there is a watchful, controlling presence in his community. Slide25
The final lines of the poem depict the constable as a ‘shadow’ outside their window, he is far less threatening outside. He remains faceless.
Once again there is a reference to his ‘boot’ reinforcing the power of the law. However the final line is worrying, ‘ the bicycle ticked, ticked, ticked’ as he left, which could suggest a ticking bomb. The bombing that dominated Northern Ireland for many years. Slide26
What overall impression of the constable do you get from the above poem? (5)
Where in the language of the poem is that most fully created? (10)
What signs are there in the poem that the constable’s visit causes tension in the house?
(10)