Seamus Heaney Flashcards
In An Advancement of Learning, what does the word “nosed” imply?
- The river is moving slowly.
- It’s sinister.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “pliable, oil-skinned” suggest?
- The river is polluted and grimy.
- It is as if the river could be bent into another shape.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “wearing a transfer of gables and sky” show?
- There is a thin layer of grime on top of the river.
- The cityscape is reflected in the grime.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “dirty-keeled swans” show?
-The bottom of the swans are dirty with the grime.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “smudging the silence” give the impression of?
-The rat has changed the silence to fear.
In An Advancement of Learning, how is the use of “slobbered” and “slimed” effective?
-They both contain the long “sl” sound which gives the verbs a negative emphasis.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “my throat sickened so quickly” and “turned down the path in cold sweat imply?
- He has a serious phobia of rats.
- His response is visceral.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “But God, another was nimbling” suggest?
- He is under attack from the rats.
- This is a quick succession of events.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “tracing its wet arcs” suggest?
-The rat is inscribing its presence.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “Incredibly” imply?
-He was surprised by himself.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “I established a dreaded bridgehead” imply?
-He had put off facing his fears for years.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “I turned to stare with deliberate, thrilled care” suggest?
- He has been able to face the rat.
- The rhyme emphasises the event.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “at my hitherto snubbed rodent” imply?
- He had ignored the rats previously.
- He takes ownership of the rat.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “he clockworked aimlessly a while” suggest?
- The rat is mechanical like a toy.
- The rat has no purpose for being there.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “stopped, back bunched and glistening” imply?
- Heaney is staring at the rat.
- Heaney is intrigued.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “the raindrop eye, the old snout” suggest?
- Heaney is looking at precise details.
- He recognises the features as those of his old enemy.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “he trained on me, I stared him out” imply?
- The rat sees him as threatening.
- There is a battle between him and the rat.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “forgetting how I used to panic” imply?
-He has realised his phobia is irrational.
In An Advancement of Learning, what do lines 30-32 suggest?
- Heaney’s phobia started in his childhood.
- The rats in his childhood are a deep memory.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “cold, wet-furred, small-clawed” imply?
- He has never focused on a rat for so long.
- He is able to spot all of the rats weaknesses.
In An Advancement of Learning, how is the use of “retreated” effective?
-It links back to the use of bridgehead making the scenario seem like a battle.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “I stared a minute after him” imply?
-His phobia had been serious enough to paralyse him.
In An Advancement of Learning, what does “I walked on and crossed the bridge” suggest?
- He has overcome his fear.
- Overcoming his fear has given him confidence.
- He is able to move on.
In An Advancement of Learning, how does Heaney use rhyme effectively?
- Rhyme represents advancement.
- It highlights particular changes and key events.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “solid as a turnip” imply?
- His great-uncle had a strange shaped face.
- He worked in agriculture.
In Ancestral Photograph, what could “bullies the heavy mouth down” suggest?
- He often got his own way.
- Could be hinting at his character.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “his silver watch chain girds him like a hoop” imply?
-The chain around his middle makes him look like a barrel.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “long fixed in sepia tints” imply?
- The pictures has been up a long time.
- The memory is fixed in the picture.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “begins to fade” suggest?
-The importance and the memories are fading.
In Ancestral Photograph, how is the use of the full stop in line 9 effective?
The reader is made to think by the long pause.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does the use of “he” in line 10 imply?
-It’s as if his uncle really was on the wall.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “as if a bandage had been ripped from skin” imply?
- Removing the painting is painful for the household.
- The removal leaves a wound.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “a house’s rise and fall” suggest?
-The house was at its best during his uncles “reign”.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “until my father won at arguing” suggest?
- His father usually won.
- His father was skilled at negotiating.
In Ancestral Photograph, how is the use of tone and rhyme effective in the third stanza?
- It is fast paced to represent the speed of an auction.
- The rhyme stresses the event of the sale.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “through the fair days too” imply?
-These are no longer fair days.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “this barrel of a man penned in a frame” imply?
-He is like a cow, stuck in a small frame.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “I watched you sadden” suggest?
- His skills became obsolete.
- The fairs stopping made him loose his livelihood.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “stands there still” imply?
- The stick is there untouched and unseen.
- It’s a reminder of what he’s lost.
In Ancestral Photograph, what does “I take your uncle’s portrait to the attic” imply?
-The auctions aren’t what define the family anymore.
Give five techniques that Heaney uses in every poem.
- Mood/Tone
- A change
- Images
- Word choice
- Reflecting on memories
In A Constable Calls, what does “front mudguard” imply?
- The officer is proud of his uniform.
- Possible sign of rank.
In A Constable Calls, what is the significance of “fat black handlegrips”?
Sinister
In A Constable Calls, what does “the dynamo gleaming and cocked back” imply?
- It’s during the day.
- Reference to the gun.
In A Constable Calls, what does “the pedal treads hanging relieved of the boot of the law” imply?
- They are oppressed.
- Analogy of the Irish people.