Follower Flashcards
Who is the author and give some context around him
Seamus Heaney wrote about early poetry was childhood
Born in Northern Ireland and grew up on his farmers farm»_space; could be personal experiences
Give some comparisons to other story’s
Before you were mine > admiration and relationship changing over time
Climbing my grandfather > strong family bonds
Mother, any distance > strong family bonds
What themes are in the poem
Family relationships Getting older Nature Admiration Longing Memory
What type of imagery is shown to presented admiration
Nautical imagery (by the sea) shows his fathers strength and skill as he's represented to be like a boat, the sails , and captain ^^ he is everything to the boy
Gives some quotes which show how the boys father is now stumbling behind him
The ‘will not go away’ ‘behind me’
What’s the extended metaphor in the poem
His father is a ship emphasising his power and skill and portrays child’s huge admiration and the importance of father
These contrast to the boy
What type of rhymes are used
Mostly ABAB but some half-rhymes to show how the boy sometimes falls short of his father
‘Plough’ - ‘follow’ > this is when verses are about the boy and reflects how he can’t match the fathers perfect full rhyme father
Full rhyme = father
Half rhyme = son
How do the stanza structures shape
First 3- focus on father
Next 2- focus on boy stuff king to find his identity
Last stanza - role reversal - now father is following son
The boy is growing and becoming independent
What’a the idea of the end of the poem be what is the message
There is a good reversal which comes as a surprise and suggests there is no longer a powerful figure
It switches to present tense and narrators states how his father ‘will not go away’
What’s the structure called
Iambic tetramteter
Tightly ordered structure reflects tight ploughing and reflects boys admiration of father
Language
For the word follower
The changing meaning of the word portrays the changing relationship of the father and son
What could a message for the story be
The love the boy has for the father in the past could hint at the love of a lost way of life and how he cares for the past
