April 30, 2009- Internal Oral Assessment
Death of a Naturalist
Good afternoon everyone, my name is Hoh Tjun Yee.
I have just finished reading Death of a Naturalist, a collection of poems written by Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. Two poems in particular have caught my eye, which are “Death of a Naturalist” and “Mid-Term Break”. Both of these poems are in essence a fundamental reflection of Heaney’s childhood experiences and a reconstruction of events that had taken place during that time.
Here, I would like to make an analysis and comparison between these two poems, and how the theme of death is explored throughout the poems.
In both of these poems, death itself is presented ambiguously. Taken literally, death means the absence of life or the state of being dead, as shown in Mid-Term Break. Figuratively, however, it means the time at which something ends. In the case of Death of a Naturalist, the curiosity and enthusiasm for nature within Heaney is brought to an abrupt end.
Now, let us first look at the second poem in the collection, Death of a Naturalist, one of Heaney’s most acclaimed poems. In a way, the two words “death” and “naturalist” create juxtaposing images. One refers to death as something sad and painful, whereas a naturalist is someone who knows a lot about nature and loves nature, someone who has positive feelings towards nature. Contrary to the title, there is no loss of life; instead, there is the loss of one’s most precious virtue, the innocence of a child whose enthusiasm for nature transforms into horror.
Here we touch upon the loss of innocence, passion and care freeness as a result of growing up.
This poem details the exploits of Heaney as a young boy collecting frogspawn from a beautifully described flax-dam. We also hear about a trip to the flax-dam that went wrong. During that trip, he felt threatened by the frogs and flees; his interest in nature gone.
The poem begins with the description of a flax-dam, with the use of diction such as “heavy headed”, “weighted down”, “huge sods” and “punishing sun” creating a vividly dense and stifling mood. This is surprisingly balanced by the young boy’s enthusiasm, where even the disgusting “gargle” of bubbles, “warm thick slobber” and “clotted water” serves to enhance his love of the environment, and most particularly, his love for the frogs. These serve to relax the whole atmosphere and providing a contradiction. All of this is shown through the perspective of a child.
Much trivia is used to describe the frogs, as if the boy was flaunting his knowledge about the frogs. He knows that he can “tell the weather by frogs”. He also affectionately refers to bullfrogs as “daddy frogs” and females as “mammy frogs”, reveling in his childish, and naïve state of mind. He is empowered by his curiosity and interest for the frogs, going as far as to collect “jampotfuls” of frog spawn, colourfully described as “jellied specks”, and “watch until the fattening dots burst into nimble-swimming tadpoles”, for they give him enjoyment. It is interesting to note that this birth of new lives serves as a contrast towards the sudden loss of passion at the end of the poem.
As one reads on, the next stanza projects a negative connotation, as if life is not the same as it was at the flax-dam. To him, the frogs acted as if they are angry and invaded the flax-dam intent on driving him out of their home. “Angry frogs”, “ducked”, “mud grenades”, “kings” and “vengeance” create a strong visual image, as if the boy was in a war scene with his life in peril. Similarly, the cacophony of “coarse croaking”, “bass chorus”, “slap and plop”s and “farting” sickens him and turns him away.
It is here at the very end of the poem that the loss of innocence is implied. His inner child has in a sense died, leaving behind a grown up in its place. “I knew that if I slipped my hand the spawn would clutch it”. The reversal of roles from where the boy was first shown collecting frogspawn is very disturbing. The bad experience with the frogs leads towards the “death” of the “naturalist” within him; his intention of becoming a naturalist vanished, scarring him forever.
On the other hand, we have the poem Mid-Term Break, a recounting of the death of Heaney’s younger brother, Christopher. This poem is as haunting as it is brilliantly executed, where ideas of death, trauma, grief and finality are explored. Similarly, the impenetrable life-altering consequences of death bring the poem to life.
The elegy depicts a boy informed of his younger brother’s tragic death while he was still at school, and consequently sent home. The boy recounts the experience of seeing visitors paying their respects and of his encounter of his brother’s corpse in its coffin the next morning.
The subject of death is subtly projected throughout the poem, with an almost childlike innocence. The theme is set out in a simple manner, yet pays much attention to detail. Compared to Death of a Naturalist, Mid-Term Break is far more subdued and almost conversational in tone and style. At the beginning of the poem, we have “school bells knelling to a close”. Though seemingly innocent, this is normally used to illustrate the ringing of funeral bells, thus giving out a sinister tone and foreshadows Heaney’s brother’s death. As a result, the atmosphere of death is maintained throughout.
The boy is not shown to be very emotional. This further reinforces the notion that he is somehow removed from reality. We can contribute this as the initial shock and blunt trauma of receiving the grave news.
His parents were visibly upset by his brother’s death, with his father “crying and his mother’s subdued grief and bitterness expressed by “angry tearless sighs”. This shows how death can cause so much trauma and sadness, as well as confusion. Here we can see that the stereotypical roles of the parents have been reversed. It is evident that deaths were quite common for them, especially the father, for “He had always taken funerals in his stride.” But no one expects the death to hit quite so close to home, to the heart. No longer spectators at funerals, the parents suffered from seeing their own flesh and blood taken away from them. On the other hand, the baby which “cooed and laughed and rocked the pram” is an embodiment of innocence, unaware of the miseries of life and death.
There is also an ongoing contrast between the young and old; life and death. The boy “was embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand”, suggesting a contrast between his brother’s death while still a child- young, full of potentials- and the old men who continue living on to a ripe old age.
The next morning, we have “snowdrops and candles” soothing the bedside, which implies a tranquil image, and may as well reflect the boy’s calmer state of mind after the raw shock has passed. However, he describes his brother as sporting a “poppy bruise”. The “poppy” symbolizes death, showing that he still has remnants of bitterness and grief under the reflective atmosphere. His anguish has not passed away, but is instead trapped inside him, waiting to burst out.
At the end of the poem, the last line expresses entirely Heaney’s grief and anger at death’s finality, “A four foot box, a foot for every year.” The poem is brought to an end, and for the first time we find out that his brother died at the tender age of four years old. This line serves as a surprising climax and stresses the point that Heaney will never recover from the trauma his brother’s death has caused, and that the memories and sadness of death will forever become a part of him.
The result is a hauntingly, beautiful poem, in which Seamus Heaney articulates his experience of the death of a loved one with his poetry, and relates it to us, today, in the present.
Now let us look at both of these poems together. Both poems have misleading titles. Death of a Naturalist blatantly states “death” while it does not literally happen in the poem. Likewise, the phrase Mid-Term Break suggests a relaxing holiday experience, instead we are presented with the dreadful recounting of Heaney’s brother’s death.
The mood and style of the poems are presented differently. Death of a Naturalist features a forceful and vivid description of events, while Mid-Term Break adheres to a more subdued and gentle approach.
In Death of a Naturalist, Heaney was immersed and absorbed by the environment, and savoured every moment of it, until it became too much for him. However, in Mid-Term Break, he is detached and seeks solace in the details surrounding him out of need, if only to escape the reality of his brother’s death.
Likewise, while Death of a Naturalist has a contrast between passion and the loss of it, Mid-Term Break contrasts between the young and old, life and death.
Most importantly, we mourn the loss of not only Heaney’s childhood innocence in both poems, but also mourn the loss of a potential naturalist and of course his brother’s death.
You may ask why I have chosen these two poems, so I will tell you now. The reason is simple; I was very touched when I first read them, and wished to share my understanding of the poems with all of you. I do hope I have succeeded in doing so. Thank you.
