Storm on the Island Flashcards
STRUCTURE
One long stanza, reflects the overwhelming power of nature and gives the readers no time for pause or respite, mirroring the islanders experience.
Alternatively, the long stanza length may represent the soldiers huddling together, despite nature’s power there is still a sense of community.
There is a tone of resilience and safety as they are “prepared”. Heaney may have done this to show how we must come together as a community and build ourselves up in the face of adversity and nature.
The blank verse creates a colloquial atmosphere, as if nature is a mere nuisance and something they are used to.
How does Heaney use personification?
Heaney uses personification to present nature as volatile and dangerous.
He writes about how “it spits like a tame cat gone savage”. This simile portrays the dichotomy of ideas of “savage” and “tame”.
These juxtaposing ideas exemplifies the evil, sinister nature of the natural world and how it cannot be controlled.
“Cat” - further denotes nature as being a primal beast who as no morals.
CONTEXT
Heaney grew up in rural Ireland and so would understand the effect nature had on his families livelihood and how much power nature has over our lives.
TITLE: “Storm on the Island”
“Storm” connotes destruction and danger and “island” connotes to vulnerability and isolation. These juxtaposing ideals exacerbate the effect that the nature can have on communities.
Alternatively, the first letters of the title “Stormont” may be a reference to the political building in Ireland and the metaphorical storm over Ireland- indicating religious conflict.
Semantic field of war
“space is a salvo”- metaphor
This implies a sense of everywhere and “salvo” is a military term used to describe firing place. Hence, Heaney may be trying to show how the storm and nature leaves no place untouched, exerting a belligerent force wherever it goes.
The use of military language signifies how nature is a threat to mankind and that we are never safe from it.
Ending tone of nonchalance
“Strange, it is a huge nothing we fear”- oxymoron, winds are invisibly possibly mirroring the conflicts in Ireland.
