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R's Power and Conflict > Storm on the Island > Flashcards

Storm on the Island Flashcards

1
Q

Who wrote the poem?

A

Seamus Heaney

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2
Q

What technique is used here “We are prepared: we build our houses squat”

A

Caesura

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3
Q

What does the line “We are prepared: we build our houses squat” imply about the island?

A

Storms happen often so they build low houses

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4
Q

“This wizened earth has never troubled us”. What does “wizened” mean?

A

Old, shrivelled and experienced

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5
Q

What is the effect created by the line “blows full blast”?

A

The repeated “bl” sound provides emphasis

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6
Q

“It pummels your house too”. What kind of word is “pummels”?

A

A verb

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7
Q

What is the effect of the line “it pummels your house”?

A

The verb choice sounds really violent

It’s a personification of the wind

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8
Q

“But there are no trees, no natural shelter”. How does the speaker feel about the island?

A

He resents the fact there isn’t any shelter in a storm

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9
Q

The wind “spits like a tame cat turned savage”. What technique has the writer used?

A

A simile

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10
Q

What is the effect of the repeated “S” sound in “spits like a tame cat turned savage”.?

A

It actually sounds like a spitting cat

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11
Q

“Space is a salvo”. What does “salvo” mean?

A

Rapid firing of artillery

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12
Q

What does “Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear” suggest?

A

We are afraid of something that can’t really hurt us

The storm is just empty air, not a real threat

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13
Q

What is the theme explored in this poem?

A

The power of nature

Fear and Isolation

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14
Q

What other poem in the cluster looks at the power of nature?

A

Exposure and The Prelude

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15
Q

Where is the poet from?

A

Ireland

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16
Q

What is a lot of Seamus’ poetry about?

A

The countryside and farm life of his childhood

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17
Q

What conflict is the poem about?

A

The violence in Northern Ireland

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18
Q

“We are prepared” What tone does this convey?

A

Confident

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19
Q

“as you see” (line 4), “you know what I mean” (line 7),”You might think” (line 12)

A

are common conversational tags and convey a familiar, friendly tone

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20
Q

The poem is written in unrhymed lines each containing five beats or feet. Otherwise known as

A

Blank verse

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21
Q

What is the effect on the reader of this use of blank verse by Heaney?

A

gives the poem a conversational rhythm

22
Q

What ideas does the poet explore?

A

In-hospitality and cruelty of nature

23
Q

How is man presented as in the poem?

A

Man is presented as insignificant compared to the natural world. The poem emphasises these feelings of helplessness.

24
Q

What does the poem encourage the reader to do?

A

The poem encourages readers to question the source of human fear: is it the unknown that frightens us the most?

25
Q

What is Stormont?

A

Stormont is a suburb of Belfast. It was the site of Parliament House from 1928–30.

26
Q

What can the poem be interpreted as a metaphor for?

A

The poem has also been interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict in Northern Ireland.

27
Q

The poem shows the community’s feelings of security turn into…

A

…fear

28
Q

What are some of the key ideas raised in the poem?

A

Human fear
Man’s insignificance compared to nature
Human vulnerability
Inhospitality and credulity of nature

29
Q

Complete the sentence:

The rhythm and rhyme scheme are unpredictable…

A

… reflecting the unpredictable nature of the storm.

30
Q

How does the poet make the storm seem even more threatening to the reader?

A

By directly addressing the reader.

It makes it as though it is happening to you too.

31
Q

How does the structure change in the poem?

A

The poet goes from images of security to images of danger

32
Q

What quotations show images of danger?

A 
"Blows full blast"
"It pummels your house too"
"Exploding"
"Spits like a tame cat / Turned savage"
"We are bombarded"
33
Q

What quotations show images of safety?

A

“Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate”
“Wizened earth”
“Never troubled us”

34
Q

Why does Heaney contrasts images of safety and danger in Storm on the Island?

A

To emphasise the irony of the islanders feeling sage before they are attacked
To highlight how powerless man is compared to nature

35
Q

What are example of metaphors regarding military?

A

“We just sit tight while wind dives / And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo. / We are bombarded by the empty air.”

36
Q

What words in the poem could be associated with air attacks?

A

“Salvo”
“strafe”
“bombardment”

37
Q

What is the purpose of the military imagery in the poem?

A

To emphasise how violent and aggressive the storm is

38
Q

What is an example if a simile in the poem?

A

“spits like a tame cat / Turned savage”

39
Q

What impression does the simile “spits like a tame cat / Turned savage” give?

A

That the storm is wild and uncontrollable.

It reminds the reader that something that seems so innocent can be deadly.

40
Q

What does the use of enjambment in the poem highlight?

A

How the storm can not be contained or controlled.

41
Q

What two words are juxtaposed in the final line?

A

“huge” and “nothing” in “huge nothing that we fear”

42
Q

What does the juxtaposition in the final line emphasise?

A

How strange the situation is.
Despite huge preparations, ultimately it is only air (something that cannot even be seen or touched) that is frightening.

43
Q

What is one of the main ironies of the poem? (give a quotation to back this up)

A

That the islander’s think they are safe at that start. This is ironic because the storm completely overpowers them.
“We are prepared” is full of irony.

44
Q

What does the use of caesura in the opening line reinforce?

A

The idea that the islanders feel safe - it conveys the speaker’s certainty, as well as the sense they are safely barricaded in their homes

45
Q

What does Heaney use in the poem to show how weak man is compared to nature?

A

Irony

46
Q

What is the opening line?

A

“We are prepared: we build our houses squat”

47
Q

What are key comparisons in the poem?

A

Power of nature Vs Power of humans

Unpleasant and/or powerful experiences

48
Q

What poems could you compare unpleasant and/or powerful experiences in Storm on the Island to?

A 
The Prelude
Exposure
London
Remains
Bayonet Charge
49
Q

What poems could you compare the power of nature vs power of human in Storm on the Island to?

A

The Prelude
Exposure
Tissue

50
Q

Which poems could you compare Storm on the Island to on both the themes of ‘power of nature vs power of humans’ and ‘unpleasant and/or powerful experiences’?

A

Exposure and The Prelude

R's Power and Conflict (16 decks)

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