Storm on the Island Flashcards
(18 cards)
“We are prepared: we…
build our houses squat”
“There are no stacks…
or stooks that can be lost.”
“Forgetting that it…
pummels your house too.”
“Exploding comfortably…
down the cliffs”
“Spits like a tame…
cat turned savage”
“Wind dives and strafes invisibly…
We are bombarded by the empty air.”
“Strange, it is a huge…
nothing that we fear.”
Who wrote storm on the island ?
Seamus Heaney
What does the title suggest ?
Isolation
Importance of the island of ireland
Nature
What is the first few words of the poem that suggest confidence and hubris ?
‘We are prepared ‘
What words and what technique is used to highlight their safety and security ?
‘Squat ‘ , ‘ sink walls in rock ‘ and ‘ good slate ‘
Finish this phrase and , what techniques used and what does it highlight . ‘When it blows …
Full blast ‘ . Violent verbs of speed and power . Blast starts the line shows the full impact . Plosives too .
‘Exploding … . Is what ? What does it suggest ?
Comfortably down on the cliffs . Oxymoron of fear and safety mixed together . Comfortable at the moment but later on ?
Words like ‘ begins ‘ , ‘ spray hits ‘ , ‘ spits ‘ , ‘ savage ‘ , ‘space ‘ and ‘salvo ‘ is what technique and what does it show ?
Sibilance and assonance creates a hissing and spitting sound of the sea .
’ we just sit tight ‘ is what kind of tone ?
Prepared rather than confident at the start
‘Spits like a tame cat ‘ is what technique and what does it show ?
Simile shows that the storm has turned into something that they are not used to .
What is the last line of the poem , and what does it suggest ?
‘Strange , it is a huge nothing that we fear ‘ . Oxymoron , humans rely on rock / solid whereas nature is more fluid
Give four things from form and structure .
. Blank verse - mirrors the pattern of everyday speech / conversational / confident
. Collective pronouns - show community
. One stanza - island of words in a sea of white
. Shifts from security and hubris to fear and destruction
