storm on the island

Question 1

context:
1) poet
2) nationality and impacts
3) where he grew up

Answer 1

1. Seamus Heaney
2. Northern Irish- watched a lot of political instability and terror. STORM ON The= STORMONT is N.Ireland political building- strom shows parallel to ensuing trouble that could occur in N.Ireland
3. grew up on a farm

Question 2

summary

Answer 2

Heaney describes being in an isolated cottage on the cliffs of an island off the coast of Ireland while a terrible storm rages around him. Heaney describes the power of the weather and nature. He suggests that the people on the island can do nothing in the face of this natural power even though they thought they could.

The poem also has a metaphorical meaning; storm and the disruption caused to the island could reflect the very human atrocities of the conflict in Ireland in the Twentieth Century.

Question 3

verse

Answer 3

blank verse- recalling of a story- conversation

Question 4

pronouns

Answer 4

we- collectivises experience- communal- shared experience

Question 5

volta

Answer 5

line 14- ‘But no:’
safety & security —> fear and danger
slow monosyllabic phrase + causera of :- last moments of calm before storm

Question 6

‘We are ——–: we build our houses in squat,’

Answer 6

we are prepared… squat,

sense of safety and security at start
houses are secure places
+ lines are stopped- secure- unlike enjambent

Question 7

‘This w—— E—- has never t——– us’

Answer 7

This wizened earth has never troubled us
island seems barren alternatively shows residents seem cocky that nothing will stop them

Question 8

violent verbs:
‘s—-‘
‘p——’

Answer 8

spits + pummels
to describe storm- shows relentless nature of the storm on one hand

Question 9

‘E——— C———-‘

Answer 9

Exploding comfortably
oxymoronic phrase juxtaposes fear and safety they feel in their own house before the brunt of the storm

Question 10

’s—– like a t— c–’

Answer 10

spits like a tame cat
simile shows the power of nature- how it can make familiar things seem frightening

Question 11

war imagery:
3 verbs

Answer 11

strafes, salvo, bombarded
explicitly highlights the relenless nature of the storm
implicitly likens the storm to a war
portraying them as an enemy.
alternatively indicates they are defenceless to the onslaught

Question 12

‘it is a —– n—— that we —-‘

Answer 12

It is a huge nothing that we fear
it is invisible- but they still cause destruction. storm like political troubles- Heaney believes that his country will be ok- proud of his country.

Question 13

‘beg-ns + h-ts + s-t + w-nd’

Answer 13

begins + hits + sit + wind
sibilance and assonant i sounds = violent nature of storm- hissing and spitting of sea

Question 14

power of nature

Answer 14

1. island is inhospitable- nothing grows due to nature
2. is the enemy - war imagery
3. causes confusion- tame cat dangerous
4. overpowering- even though the are in ‘squat’ ‘houses’, they become fearful of nature

Question 15

fear

Answer 15

+ volta emphasises fear –> security to fear line 14. before 14 it exploded comfortably but after it bombards them
+ fear amplified as they can’t see nature- huge nothing we fear
+ familiar things scary in storm