Death Of A Naturalist

Question 1

Miss walls would tell us […] daddy frog […] mammy frog […]

Answer 1

• Childlike dialect could be reflective of the naivety and innocence Heaney still possesses at this point in the poem – he is still inquisitive at this stage, a budding naturalist
• The sexual nature of the process of reproduction is side-stepped, as the teacher moved coyly on to how Frogs change colour in different conditions
• ALSO Miss “Walls” = aptly named – she acts as a ‘wall’ or a barrier to symbolise the veil of ignorance that the children are taught under, shielded from reality
• “Miss walls would tell us” – guilelessly believing what teacher says – impressionable nature of children

Question 2

yellow in the sun and brown in the rain

Answer 2

Nothing

Question 3

Bubbles gargled delicately

Answer 3

• Onomatopoeic words used = ‘gargled’ ‘croaked’ ‘slap’ ‘pop’ — auditory imagery vilifies the jousts of nature

‘Gargled delicately’ – oxymoron – highlights how counter-intuitive nature can be — as a child, Heaney finds beauty in nature’s courseness

Question 4

Best of all was the warm thick slobber of frogspawn

Answer 4

• ‘Warm’ and ‘thick’ connote safety and comfort, which juxtaposes ‘slobber’ which paints an unpleasant image, though one a small boy may delight in ; slobber is onomatopoeic, and employs revolting connotations
• Frogspawn hatch into tadpoles, which will become the next generation of frogs – image of new life signifies innocence – collecting frogspawn has in past generations been a source of fascination for children, BUT also linked to reproduction and puberty
• Frogspawn may also represent Heaney himself as a child – this stanza portrays the fascination of children with the gruesome side of nature. The process of wearing for the frogspawn to become frogs mirrors the inevitability of the transition he too must undergo
• “Best of all” = excitable expression – captures the sense of childlike wonder and awe – passion and enthusiasm

Question 5

I sickened, turned, and ran

Answer 5

• ‘I sickened, turned, and ran’ = triplet of action-verbs – climax of the poem
In response to the danger, he there’s and runs – his innocent curiosity in nature has been quelled/suppressed - the ‘naturalist’ has symbolically died

Question 6

If I dipped my hand, the spawn would clutch it

Answer 6

• Final sentence juxtaposes joy he felt when collecting frogspawn 0 reflects the metaphorical ‘death of a naturalist’ – his loss of childhood innocence has altered his view on nature

Question 7

Notes

Answer 7

HEANEYS POEM PERHAPS allegorical - parallels THE STORY OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN - AND ADAM AND EVE GAINING WORTHY KNOWLEDGE

Question 8

Context

Answer 8

• Seamus Heaney’s 4 year old brother died in a car accident when Heaney was a young boy – an event which catalysed/accelerated Heaney’s personal loss of innocence
• His father was a cattle farmer with ordinary means and meagre income; his mother was however a lady with modern tastes and a progressive outlook
• Poem based on Heaney’s childhood in rural Northern Ireland – DOAN is specifically rooted in Irish rural life, describing the Irish countryside in vivid detail – proud of his Irish heritage

Question 9

Form + structure

Answer 9

• Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) = rhythm sets a pace, represents time passing
• Divided into 2 uneven stanzas: the first depicting a blissful childlike ignorance, the second employing a new wariness of the world
• First, innocent child enthralled by the natural world.
• Volta line 22 = dramatic shift in attitudes towards nature – shocking, sudden transformation
• Then, speaker finds nature repulsive and menacing/threatening