Follower Flashcards
“His shoulders globed like a full sail strung”
Simile - Shows that he is strong and driven to do his work like a boat that has its sails wide open
“An expert”
Caesura - Shows that he is professional and that there is no room for discussion if he is or he isn’t.
“Single pluck of the reins”
Enjambment - Shows that the plough is forever moving which shows the expertise of his Father as he does not require to stop
“Nuisance, tripping, falling”
Verb repetition - In contrast to the Father, the speaker is childish and clumsy.
“Sometimes he rode me on his back”
Syntax of the word order shows that the Father is always in control and strong
“Follow in his broad shadow around the farm”
Metaphor - The Father is protective of his son or that he will never be good enough for the Father
“Father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away
Structure - The roles have become reversed in the final stanza of the poem as it is now the son who is in control and the Father who is stumbling and struggling.
Last 5 words have ambiguity as it can show that the Father is determined to keep up or it can show a souring in the relationship between them.
Follower
The title suggests that the son will always be in his Fathers shadow, footsteps
Tone of speaker
The poem has a serious tone to a memory of a Father working on the land. There is a sense of respect, dignity as the child watches the man, perhaps learning from him. Humility also comes through
Links to other poems
Before you were mine - Remembering the past and understanding what people were like
Eden rock - Recollecting thoughts of loved one in their prime.
Walking away - Paternal love
Context
Author had an agricultural upbringing on a farm
Heaney had a lot of love and respect for the past
Poem follows a very forward structure much the same way as a field is ploughed
Speaker reflects on their relationship with their Father
The author uses past tense verbs as a sign to show he is reflecting and mourning of the loss of old traditional ways of farming
