Death of a Naturalist Flashcards

1
Q

Title

A

Immediate juxtaposition
Foreshadows how the narrator’s view drastically change

‘Death’ is subverted by the initially jovial atmosphere but consolidated in the second stanza -> links to war

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2
Q

Form

A

First person narrator gives the anecdote an increased sense of importance

Blank verse makes the poem more conversational , more of an account. Also illustrates the irregularities and spontaneity of childhood- also war?

Enjambement illustrates the childlike excitement of new discoveries

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3
Q

Listing

A

Child’s excitement

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4
Q

Structure

A

Tone in stanza one is excitable, curious whereas the second is fearful and full of grotesque descriptions. The atmosphere becomes frenzied and threatening. However setting doesn’t change - portrays how only Heaney’s opinion of nature has changed, and how nature has always been something to be feared- his childhood self simply didn’t realise

‘Festered’ foreshadows how nature become bitter and Heaney’s relationship with nature festers and decays from excitement to fear

Asyndeton and simple sentence structure indicate youth

‘In rain’. Very short. Volta.

End with a nightmarish image- emphasises how definitely his view has changed

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5
Q

Language

A

Child like narrator

Informal and grotesque Lexis

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6
Q

Grotesque imagery

A
Festered 
Sods
Sweltered 
Gargled 
Slobber
Rank
Cowdung
Gross-bellied
Farting
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7
Q

Military imagery

A

Context
Threatening atmosphere
Innocence has been lost

‘Invaded’
‘Grenades’ -> about to explode

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8
Q

Punishing sun

A

The frogs are suffering

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8
Q

Sensory imagery

A

Immersive along with the childlike descriptions

Personification of ‘heavy handed’ foreshadows how the nature will have an evil purpose. Also shows the narrators naïve view in the humanity behind nature and also its power

Sound, touch and smell all weaved together to show the clarity of the memory and therefore its importance: ‘gargled’, ‘thick’, ‘smell’

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8
Q

Contrasting descriptions between frogs and frogspawn

A

Frogspawn are youthful, full of life and potential and interesting

Frogs are adults, violent and threatening and invasive (entitled)

Highlights theme of the loss of innocence

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9
Q

Bubbles gargled delicately

A

Juxtaposition

Aural imagery

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10
Q

A strong gauze or sound around the smell

A

Healing - positive connotations
Thick texture of imagery

Sibilance mimics buzzing of flies

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13
Q

I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied specs

A

Anecdote
Excitable imagery

Alliteration emphasises stickiness and also excited tone

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14
Q

Dragon-flies, slotted butterflies

Warm thick slobber

A

Juxtaposition shows a collaboration of nature and how it is multi-faceted and the child is intrigued by it all

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15
Q

Wait and watch

A

Alliteration shows anticipation

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16
Q

Daddy, mammy

A

Caesura highlights excitement

Colour imagery is grotesque

17
Q

One hot day

A

Oppressive

18
Q

Cow dung

A

Olfactory imagery

19
Q

Angry frogs

A

Personification

20
Q

Coarse croaking

A

Alliteration - grotesqueeee, mimics the croaking

21
Q

Thick with a bass chorus

A

Anticipation

Aural imagery

22
Q

Loose necks pulsed like sails

A

Simile is unusual, reader feel uncomfortable , emphasises the imposing size of the frogs

Sails - invading force?

23
Q

The slap and pop were obscene threats

A

Onomatopoeic verbs echo the childlike tone of earlier, only now it is threatening, idea that it has always been threatening but the narrator simply didn’t realise as a child

Juxtaposed by obscene threats - v adult

24
Q

Poised like mud Grenades

A

Semantic field of war

26
Q

Slime kings

A

Powerful - not tadpoles anymore

27
Q

Context ???

A

Alludes to the threat of violence in Ireland from the IRA

29
Q

I sickened, turned, and ran

A

Tricolon symbolises escalating fear

Shortest sentence in the poem emphasises the speed of the narrator’s reaction

Simple verbs are juxtaposed by the descriptive ones such as ‘poised’ and ‘hopped’ ; showing how nature is more powerful than him