Blackberry Picking Flashcards
what does Heaney describe is blackberry picking?
physical pleasure of picking the blackberries.
disturbing elements of the hunger
disappointment of inevitable rotting
“you ate the first one and its flesh was sweet” “like thickened wine”
pleasant memory,
similie compares it to “rich” wine, makes it tempting, pleasure for children
what is the significance of the list of utensils that the boys would use?
shows the lengths the boys would go to, driven by their hunger and “lust” spurred on by the taste and promise of sweetness.
“lust for picking”, how does this show the disturbing elements of the blackberry picking?
“lust” suggests uncontrolable passion, boys driven by desire.
“picking” is a violent verb, with connotations of breaking, destruction.
“we trekked and picked until our hands were full”
harsh, violent, verbs listed to show the extent of their hunger and lust.
seems to be hard to stop, insanely greedy
“on top big dark blobs like a plate of eyes.. our plams sticky as blubeards”
“blubeards” includes fantasy children book element, however, this quotation has connotations of massacre. similie suggests violence, the juice residue is like the stain of blood. (bluebeared was a serial killer)
“but when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat grey fungus, glutting on our cache. “
images of decay.
“fur” “fungus” are unappetising again show contrast from earlier.
“glutting” the sickening encroachment of death as it consumes the blackberries.
how is “the lovely canfuls smelt of rot” a juxtaposition?
juxtaposition of the promise of sweetness with the reality of “rot”.
“each year id hope they’d keep, knew they would not”.
cannot learn from mistake, lust always wins (human failing, driven to wilfully destroy beauty.)
difference between the innocent “ hope” and the introduction into adulthood “knew” – shows the transition from innocence to experience.
