Storm on the island Flashcards
What is the theme of storm on the island
the battle of nature V. man
What is the poem an allegory for
The political storm that will follow
Where is the poem set
Aran Islands
What’s the purpose of the poem being set on the aran islands
Are used in Irish poetry as a symbol of Irish culture
Who is Seamus Heaney
A catholic who was born in Northern Ireland but moved to the republic
What form is the poem written in
A dramatic monologue
What’s the purpose of the poem being written in a dramatic monologue
Gives a one-way conversation reflecting the imbalance from the speaker and nature
What is the effect of Iambic pentameter
Maintains a constant rhythm which reflects a conversational tone
This is reflected through the conversational tags such as ‘you might think’ this helps the reader feel engaged and involved this concept reflects that only as a community can the storm be endured
When is half rhyme used
Between the couplets in the first two sentences and the last two
What is the effect of the half rhyme
Create a cyclical structure that connects the preparation for the storm at the start to the fear of the storms power at the end
What does the cyclical structure show
The resilience of the islanders as the cycle of preparation storm and recovery is never ending.
However due to the fundamental insufficiency of human power no matter what humans do there is always a possibility that nature will destroy it because natures power is greater
Analyse ‘strafes’ ‘salvo’ ‘bombarded’
The semantic field of military terms refers to nature throughout the poem
By comparing the storm to military terms Heaney shows the speaker that the islanders are under attack from nature this creates a tone of violence and aggression
Analyse ‘spits like a tame cat turned Savage’
Initially the quotation seems oxymoronic because a tame cat shouldn’t be aggressive
However if the cat is a simile for nature he is suggesting nature has a tame and docile side that is capable of destruction
Analyse ‘forgetting that it pummels your house too’
The personification of nature makes it seem like it intends to attack the island
‘Pummels’ Implies that the storm has a malicious intent to harm and damage
Poems to link to
The prelude
Ozymandias
exposure
