STORM ON THE ISLAND Flashcards
GIVE STORM ON THE ISLAND QUOTATIONS
"spits like a tame cat turned savage" "exploding comfortably down on the cliffs" "it it a huge nothing that we fear" "bombarded", "pummels, "strafes" "we are prepared" "But no"
“we are prepared”
The opening line suggests that the community, shown to be strong through the pronoun “we”, is ready for a storm which suggests security. Paired with the materials of “rock” and “slate” which conveys strength, a semantic field of safety is created.
“exploding comfortably down on the cliffs”
Heaney uses the oxymoron “exploding comfortably” in order to reflect the reality of life on the island as the community have become so accustomed to it that it is normalised to them, However, the verb “exploding” shows how sinister it is that it could feel comforting as it erodes the cliffs which are the base of their home.
“But no”
On line 14 it is used as a Volta to signify a change from a semantic field of safety to violence and danger. The slow monosyllabic phrase paired with caesura implies the clam before the storm.
“spits like a tame cat turned savage”
A cat is a familiar image to describe such a powerful and destructive thing as nature therefore the simile displays how even a familiar thing becomes scary in the storm. The verb “spits” is used to further emphasise the seas hostility.
“bombarded”, “pummels”, “strafes”
Heaney creates a semantic field of warfare and violence through these military verbs in order to emphasise the destructive and relentless power of the weather. Alternatively, it could be interpreted as conjuring a sense of a battlefield which links to the Troubles, a war between the Protestants and Catholics in northern Ireland.
“It is a huge nothing that we fear”
The final line suggests that the power of nature is invisible so there is nothing that they can do to prepare as they cannot expect what is to come
“Storm on the island”
Northern Ireland’s parliament is named “Stormont” which features in the first 8 letters of the poem’s title. Therefore, this hints that the whole poem is actually an extended metaphor of the political troubles and violent conflict that occurred in Northern Ireland.
Explain the form and structure of Storm on the island”
The poem is written in blank verse of 19 lines to reflect the uncontrollable aspects of nature. Additionally, there is an abundance of enjambment in the poem, so much that one sentence takes up 6 lines. This means that the reader receives a constant barrage of language and therefore reflects the constant barrage of nature
