Storm on the Island Flashcards
Context
Seamus Heaney was Northern Irish, he died in 2013
This poem was published in 1966 at the start of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland: a period of deep unrest and violence between those who wanted to remain a part of the UK and those who wanted to become part of Ireland
The first eight letters of the title spell “Stormont” : this is the name of Northen Isalnd parliment. The poem mighht be a metaphor for the political storm that was building in the country at the time
Form and Structure
Written in blank verse and with lots of enjambment: this creates a conversational and anecdotal tone
“We” (first person plural) creates a sense of community, and “You” (direct address) makes the reader feel immersed in the experience
The poem can split into three sections:
Confidence: “We are prepared:” (ironic)
The violent of the storm: “It plummes your house”
Fear: “it is a huge nothing that we fear”
There is a turning point (a volta) in Line 14: “But no:”
This monosyllabic phrase, and the caesura, reflects the final calm before the storm
Language
“Nor are there trees which might prove company”: the island is a lonely, barren place
Violent verbs are used to describe the storm:
“plummels”, “exploding”, “spits”
Semantic field of war: “Exploding comfortably” (also an oxymoron to contrast fear/safety); “wind dives and strafes invisibly” (the wind is a fighter plane); “We are bombarded by the empty air” (under ceaseless attack)
This also reinforces the metaphor of war/troubles
“spits like a tame cat turned savage”: simile compares the nature to an animal that has turned on its owner
Content, Meaning and Purpose
The narrator describes how a rural island community prepared for a coming storm, and how they were confident in their preparations
When the storm hits, they are shocked by its power: its violent sights and sounds are described, using the metaphor of war
The final line of the poem reveals their fear of natures power
