Follower - Seamus Heaney:

Question 1

Context:

Answer 1

Grew up on father’s farm and this poem was published in an anthology which dealt with themes of childhood, identity and rural life.

Question 2

Summary:

Answer 2

He admires his father’s farm work, especially his ploughing and describes himself as a nuisance. Later, the roles reverse.

Question 3

Form:

Answer 3

The poem is made up of six stanzas each four lines long and is written in an iambic tetrameter This neat structure and steady rhythm mimics the action of ploughing – the pace and precision. There’s a regular ABAB rhyme scheme, but some are only half rhythms – the boy falls short of being like his father.

Question 4

Structure:

Answer 4

The first three stanzas focus on the father. The next two focus on the boy’s struggle with his identity – he admired and wanted to be like his father but failed. There is a role reversal in the last stanza.

Question 5

Nautical Imagery:

Answer 5

Language of the sea and sailing - emphasises his admiration for his father’s strength and skill and the admiration the boy felt for him. His father is described as the sails, the captain and ship - everything to the son.

Question 6

Reflective language:

Answer 6

The narrator sees himself as a ‘nuisance’ and a failure but understands at the end that the father he admired so much is now dependant on him.

Question 7

Themes:

Answer 7

Admiration – He admires his father’s ploughing skills, and as a child hero-worshipped him and hoped to take his place one day despite struggling to follow him.

Self Criticism – The narrator worries he’s a failure because he didn’t follow his father’s footsteps.

Family Ties – Despite not following in his father’s footsteps, a close relationship is maintained.

Question 8

Compare to:

Answer 8

Walking Away, Eden Rock, Before You Were Mine, Mother Any Distance and Letters From Yorkshire.