Follower by Seamus Heaney Flashcards
compare to
Eden rock
Themes
Self criticism, father/son relationship, admiration
Rhyme
Straight and steady to reflect the neatly ploughed fields, represents the stability of their relationship
“like a full sail strung”
Sibilance-makes it flow smoothly and effortlessly, reflects the father’s work
Dramatic verbs shows how physically tough his work is- shows the sins admiration for the father
Simile shows that just as a sail harnesses the power of wind he harness the power of the horses
Enjambment- smooth ploughing of the fields
“An expert.”
Shows that he is technically skilled as well as strong.
The short blunt sentence and it’s position at the start of the line makes it a confident, inarguable statement
“Eye…narrowed….exactly”
Lexical field of concentration- narrowing focus on the father concentrating on work portraying his experience
“Dipping and rising”
Reflects the rhythm of the poem so far -reflects the ploughing of the field-sentences and syllables
“Tripping,falling,yapping”
Commas and verbs emphasises the poets clumsy persistence
Imagery of a toddler trying to walk, suggests that ploughing a field is as unknown to him as a toddler walking
“But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
behind me , and will not go away.
Caesura makes this change to the present tense sudden and unexpected-the heightens the impact of the final few sentences
“Behind me” emoahsises how the “follower” in the title is now the father not the narrator- the title refers to both of them at different tunes in their lives
Final line =Ambiguous ( speaker is frustrated OR the bond is so strong and won’t break
“But today” - Volta into the present
“My…me” first person pronoun shows the father relies on the son and roles have swapped
Form of the poem
Made up of six stanzas, each four lines long and is written mostly in iambic tetrameter
Neat structure and steady rhyme reflects the action of the ploughing
ABAB rhyme
But some are half rhyme- reflects how the boy falls short of being like his father
Structure of the poem
First 3 stanzas focus on the father , next 2 stanzas focus on the boys struggle with his identity
Role reversal in the last stanza
Effect of nautical imagery
Narrator uses language of sea and sailing
Emphasises the fathers strength and skill and admiration the boy felt for him
Shows his strength and power as his actions are compared to like controlling the sea suggests that his power goes to the extent of nature
Effect of reflective language
Narrator sees himself as a “nuisance” and failure but at the end of the poem it shows the father rely on the son
Feeling and attitudes in the poem
Admiration
Self criticism
Family ties
