Storm on the Island - Quotes

Question 1

Storm on the Island

Who wrote the poem Storm on the Island?

Answer 1

Seamus Heaney

Question 2

Storm on the Island

What are the feelings and attitudes in the poem?

Answer 2

Safety - The first part of the poem shows that the community feels safe, and prepared for the storm
Fear - This sense of security soon changes to fear, as familiar things change and become frightening
Helplessness - The people can’t do anything about their fear except wait for the storm to finish. Nature is presented as a powerful relentless force

Question 3

Storm on the Island

What is the poem about?

Answer 3

1. The narrator describes how a community thinks it’s well prepared for the storm
2. As the poem goes on, their confidence starts to disappear as the storm develops. The power and the sounds of the storm are described
3. The ending of the poem describes the fear as the storm hits the island.

Question 4

Storm on the Island

What are the themes in Storm on the Island?

Answer 4

Power of Humans
Power of Nature
Negative Emotions - Fear

Question 5

Storm on the Island

What is the Form, Structure and Language?

Answer 5

1. Form - The poem is written in blank verse, which mirrors the patterns of everyday speech and makes the poem sound like part of a conversation. The first person plural (“WE”) is used, showing how this is a collective, communal experience. The poem is all in one stanza - it’s compact and sturdy, like the houses
2. STRUCTURE - The poem shifts from security to fear. “But no:” seems to be a turning point (volta) with the slow pace of the monosyllabic phrase and the caesura reflecting the last moments of calm before the storm
3. CONTRASTING DESCRIPTIONS OF SAFETY AND FEAR - The narrator uses a lot of words to do with safety and security at the beginning of the poem. The tone changes though, and the sense of danger increaeses as familiar things become frightening during the storm.
4. DIRECT ADDRESS - The narrator involves the reader in his fear by speaking directly to “you”.
5. VIOLENT IMAGERY - The storm is described in violent, often warlike terms, with similes,metaphors and presonification combining to emphasise the danger and effects of the storm.
6. USE OF SOUNDS - Forceful sounds (e.g. “Blast”) are used to demonstrate the strength of nature, and the poem also uses assonant and sibilant sounds to reflect the noise of the wind and the waves.

Question 6

Storm on the Island

What are some quotes from the START of the poem and what is the meaning behind them?

Answer 6

“We are prepared: we build our houses squat, Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate. This wizened earth has never troubled us”.
We are prepared - This is a very strong opening statement that creates a feeling of safety. Compare it to the last line of the poem (Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear)

squat, Sink walls in rock, good slate - There are lots of words about safety and security in the first 2 lines. The end-stopping reinforces this feeling of security, which disappears with the enjambment in the rest of the poem.

wizened earth - The island seems barren - nothing grows there.

Question 7

Storm on the Island

What are some quotes from the MIDDLE of the poem and what is the meaning behind them?

Answer 7

**“But there are no trees, no natural shelter” **- Caesura slows the pace of the line and emphasises the second “no”.
“Forgetting that it pummels your house too” - This (bold) is a very violent verb to describe the wind.
“Blast: you know what I mean - leaves and branches Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale So that you can listen to the thing you fear”
“Blast” - The plosive sound has a greater impact because it comes at the start of the line.
“You know what I mean” and “ you can listen to the thing you fear” - The narrator speaks directly to the reader in a chatty tone, making you reflect on your own experience of storms.
tragic chorus - In a Greek tragedy, a “chorus” comments on and explains events. Having no trees to act as a chorus suggests the islanders are left on their own to face and iterpret the storm.

Question 8

Storm on the Island

What are some quotes from the END of the poem and what is the meaning behind them?

Answer 8

“spits like a tame cat Turned savage.” - This simile shows how familiar things become frightening during the storm

“You might think that the sea is company Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs.” - Oxymoron (bold) juxtaposes the feelings of fear and safety.

“Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear. - The storm is invisible - there’s nothing solid there. This contrasts with the solid rock mentioned in the second line of the poem