storm on the island Flashcards
Summary
The speaker describes a storm attacking the island he lives on.
The community thought they were prepared. But as the poem goes on, it becomes clear that the storm was powerful and frightening.
Their feelings of security turn to fear.
Context
The first eight letters of the title also spell the word ‘STORMONT’.
Stormont is an estate Belfast. The Northern Ireland Assembly still sits there today.
The poem has also been interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Key ideas
The poet explores ideas about the inhospitality and the cruelty of nature.
Man is presented as insignificant compared to the natural world. The poem emphasises these feelings of helplessness.
The poem encourages readers to question the source of human fear: is it the unknown that frightens us the most?
The poem acts as a reminder of human vulnerability
Structural change
The poet moves from creating images of safety, to danger and destruction.
Finally, the poet contemplates how strange it is that something that cannot be seen or touched is the source of such great fear.
Direct address
The poet directly addresses the reader in the poem.
This involves the reader more and makes the storm seem more threatening, as though it is happening to you too.
Rhythm and rhyme
The rhythm and rhyme scheme are unpredictable, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the storm.
poet
Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet who often wrote about his country and nature.
What techniques does Heaney use to mirror the unpredictability of the storm in Storm on the Island?
irregular rhyme
irregular rhythm
changing structure
Images of safety
“Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate”.
“Wizened earth”.
“Never troubled us”.
Images of danger
“Blows full blast”. “It pummels your house too”. “Exploding”. “Spits like a tame cat / Turned savage”. “We are bombarded”.
“spits like a tame cat / Turned savage”
The use of the simile – “spits like a tame cat / Turned savage” gives the impression that the storm is wild and uncontrollable.
It also reminds readers that something that seems innocent can be deadly.
The use of enjambment (sentences flowing over the end of lines) here further highlights how the storm cannot be contained or controlled.
“We just sit tight while wind dives / And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo. / We are bombarded by the empty air.”
Military metaphor-“Salvo”, “strafe”, and “bombarded” are associated with air attacks.
The military imagery emphasises how violent and aggressive the storm is.
Juxtaposition
The juxtaposition (putting ideas or words together for comparison of contrast) of “huge" and "nothing" in "huge nothing that we fear” in the final line highlights how strange the situation is. Despite huge physical preparations, ultimately it is only air (something that cannot even be seen or touched) that is frightening.
Contrast
The contrast between “huge nothing” and “rock” at the start of the poem makes the storm seem even more menacing because human preparation is not sufficient protection.
“We are prepared: we build our houses squat”
Emphatic opening line and caesura.
The poem opens with a strong statement. This emphasises the confidence and sense of security of the Islanders.
The use of caesura (break in the line) reinforces this because it conveys the speaker’s certainty as well as the sense that they are safely barricaded in their homes.
