Poem - Storm On The Island Flashcards
What is Storm on the Island about?
Most of Heaney’s poetry is about the countryside and his childhood farm life
Nature is described as…
Savage
Military metaphors are used to describe the nature and weather to portray the violent side of nature
Wind “dives and strafes”
Air “Bombards”
Heaney uses an extended cat metaphor to show the unpredictability of nature
Mostly it is “company” and “tame”
In the storm it is “savage” and “spits”
The poem begins with this safe and secure tone
We are prepared
To involve the reader in the fear of the storm…
2nd person is used throughout
This quote conveys the image of the house being attacked by an aggressive force (the wind)
It pummels your house
Repetition of the strong ‘r’ sound emphasises the solidity and sturdiness of the houses
Rock and roof
In the beginning of Storm on the Island a sense of solidity and assurance in the community
“Prepared” “rock” and “good slate”
Storm on the Island is a metaphor for…
The political storm raging across Ireland at the time, in the second half of the twentieth century
The first 8 letters of the poem spell out the word Stormont. Why is this important?
Stormont is the name of the Government buildings of Northern Ireland in Belfast
At the end of Storm on the Island everyone is scared of a giant invisible force
It is a huge nothing that we fear.
