Death of a Naturalist Flashcards
What is the overall message of DOAN
a metaphor for his state of innocence which he proceeds to extend in order to encompass his growth into adult sexual awareness.
Where was Seamus Heaney born
County
Derry, northern ireland in 1939
What are the themes of death of a naturalist
time, change, nature, place, negative emotions
“bubbles gargled delicately”
use of juxtaposition emphasises strange imagery
Use of enjambment in DOAN stanza 1
highlights the child-like excitement
“daddy frog” “and how he croaked and…” “mammy frog”
use of simple conjunction “and” as well as a repetitive sentence structure conveys the speaker’s youth, and how he was taught simply.
“hot day” “rank”
setting of stanza 2 echoes stanza 1 - emphasises that nature and environment hasn’t changed, just the speaker’s opinion has.
“invaded”
use of military language makes the frogs seem threatening
“fattening dots burst”
aggressive image, foreshadows the the next stanza of adulthood
“the slap and plop were obscene threats”
onomatopoeia makes the sounds stand out and seem more threatening. makes it seem like the frogs are about to launch an attack.
What affected Heaney when he was a child?
His four year old brother died in a car accident when Heaney was young, and his poems reflect how badly the death affected him and the loss of innocence he experienced.
How did Heaney grow up?
Heaney grew up on a farm, and is often known as a ‘farmer poet’ and many of his poems reflect his upbringing.
“poised like mud grenades”
use of simile suggests that the frogs are about to explode- this shows how terrifying the reader found them.
“i sickened, turned, and ran.”
shortest sentence in the poem emphasises the narrator’s reaction. the list of verbs contrasts with the descriptive nature of the rest of the poem.
“great slime kings”
personification- as if the frogs have authority and power over the reader.
“spawn would clutch it”
the poem ends with a nightmarish tone, reinforcing how much the speaker’s view has changed.
“vengeance”
the narrator believes that the frogs want revenge for taking the frogspawn.
