Storm On The Island - Seamus heaney✔️ Flashcards
How is the theme of war presented throughout the poem?
Not litreally about war but the power of the storm is represented with military imagery such as “blast” , “bombarded” , “salvo” , “exploding” which could show how nature is dangrous and aggresive
How is the theme of violence presented as organised throughout the poem?
Although the storm might be seen as chaotic (written in blank verse) Heaney shows the violence as caculated and organised,shown through the extended military metaphor which is further reinforced with the single stanza
2 Quotes that support nature theme?
- “No trees,no natural shelter”
- “bombarded by empty air”
3 Quotes that support violent theme?
- “spits like a tame cat turned savage”
- “Pummels”
- “exploding comfortably”
4 Quotes that support war/military theme?
- “Exploding”
- “Wind dives and strafes”
- “Bombarded”
- “Salvo”
2 examples of Language used in storm of the island?
- Sense the island is a tough, physical enviorment - “squat”,”stacks”,”stocks” the hard alliteration of these last two words emphasises the harsh life of the islanders
- Oxymoron - “exploding comfortably” captures natures potential as both comforter and enemy of people
What is the form in storm on the island? give 2 points?
- uses iambic pentametre giving a measured and confident opening to the poem - paired with “we are prepared” contrasts with enjambements are no rhyme
- blank verse (unrhymed imabic pentameter)
First and last line?
“We are prepared”
“It is a huge nothing that we fear”
Significance of present tense?
Sense of immediacy for the reader; of being in the middle of the storm; we do not see an end to the storm in the poem reinforced through the cyclical structure
How does the narrator create a sense of calm?
Direct address “you know what i mean” the casual use of ‘just’ (‘we just sit tight’) depsite the destructive nature of the storm conveys an idea that this is recurring event and therefore not shocking to them
How is the difference in language used at the start and end significant?
Starts with a sense of preperation and things that are tangible (‘walls’, ‘rocks’, ‘slate’) and ends with imagery of (‘space’, ‘ empty air’, ‘nothing) - sense of destructiveness of the storm, the focus at the start is on materials they can rely on but at the end they are faced with ‘nothing’
Sturcture in storm of the island?
Poem structured in a chronological order (opening preparations - regrets - storm arrival - final thoughts) - cyclical structure
Shape of the poem could be seen as a dense rock - like just like the island itself
What simile is used to describe the ‘flung spray’ from the sea?What is its significance?
‘Spits like a tame cat turned savage’ - mistaken belief they had tamed nature shows how nature can be so unpredictable and turn in an instance from a ‘tame cat’ often seen as cute and shy to this savage creature that is ‘spit[ting]’ at them which shows how its going out of its way to be aggresive
How is a cyclical structure created?
The half rhyme between the first and last couplet (“house squat / good slate” and “the empty air / huge nothing that we fear”) creates a cyclical structure that conects the prepiration for the storm at the start, to the fear of the storms power at the end
Significane of the poems cyclical structure?
Shows the resilience of the islanders - storms will come again and again and they have to learn to live with them reinforced by the fact they build their ‘houses squat’ which suggests this is not there first storm which would explain the opening ‘we are prepared’ and therefore no some what to expect
