Death of a Naturalist

Question 1

Point 1 - Describes the childish wonder about the gross side of nature

Answer 1

‘festered’, ‘rotted’, ‘sweltered’, ‘gargled’ - gross imagery
‘but best of all was the warm thick slobber’ - describes childish wonder
‘wove a string gauze of sound around the smell’ - showing the horrible gross side of nature

Question 2

Point 2 - Describes how children see the world through rose tinted glasses

Answer 2

‘every spring’ - excitement
‘I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied’ - childish experiences
‘wait and watch’ - childish anticipation
‘daddy frog croaked’ ‘mummy frog’ - child like language and lack of information
‘miss walls would tell us’ - teacher instructions

Question 3

Point 3 - After the stanza break the poem shows when the child discovers the reality of nature and it changes their view forever

Answer 3

‘invaded’, ‘grenades’, ‘vengeance’ - military language
‘angry frogs’, ‘obscene threats’- aggressive
‘I sickened, turned and ran’ - showing the fear
‘If I dipped my hand in the spawn would clutch it’ - showing how the spawn could have an effect of the child

Question 4

Context

Answer 4

He was brought up in Northern island
Grew up on a farm with his father
He grew up close to nature
He grew up during the troubles
He was a catholic

Question 5

Techniques

Answer 5

Military language
Onematopia
Patronising language