death of a naturalist

Question 1

“all year the flax-dam festered in the heart of the townland”

Answer 1

• “festered” - grotesque imagery - associated with rot, disease & decay - nature is not as beautiful & peaceful, more repulsive - heaney perhaps showing the disturbing & unfiltered reality of nature causing the readers discomfort & unease
• forshadowing how the poet’s innocence has “rotted” & decayed towards the end of the poem
• “heart” - contrasts to the previous image, housing something that is festering - could imply corruption at the core of nature - also suggests it is the central place in the “townland” - emphasises the importance of the flax-dam & nature to the poet

Question 2

“but best of all was the warm thick slobber”

Answer 2

• “best of all” - superlative - emphasises his innocent joy & youthful fascination of nature
• “warm thick slobber” - powerful sensory imagery of frogspawn -

Question 3

“then one day when fields were rank with cowdung”

Answer 3

• peripeteic moment

Question 4

“i sickened, turned, and ran”

Answer 4

• direct contrast to his enthusiasm & passion in the first stanza
• metaphorically lost his innocence & more aware of the dangers of the world
• shortest sentence in the poem - emphasises the speed
• list of verbs contrasts with the descriptive nature of the rest of the poem

Question 5

“i knew that if i dipped my hand the spawn would clutch me”

Answer 5

• “spawn would clutch it” contrast with when he would collect the “jellied specks” - has grown up & no longer wants to play games of his childhood
• nightmare image - not letting go of his arm - dragging him down - threat
• “clutch” - suggests that he is now afraid & scared of the frogs - won’t be able to escaped from the knowledge of how he views the “angry frogs”
• metaphor for his loss of innocence