Storm on The Island by Seamus Heaney Essays

Storm on The Island by Seamus Heaney Essays Storm on The Island by Seamus Heaney Paper Storm on The Island by Seamus Heaney Paper Essay Topic: Literature Mythologies Seamus Heaney Poems Hurricane Hits England by Grace Nichols and Storm on The Island by Seamus Heaney Hurricane Hits England and Storm on the Island are poems addressing a similar event, that of a violent storm. However due to the contrast in the poets backgrounds, style and perception they present the event in different ways. The poets have been influenced greatly by their respective backgrounds. Seamus Heaney grew up in agricultural surroundings in rural Derry, inheriting a strong allegiance to farm life from his father. Inevitably much of his poetry stems and is primarily based on his experiences and feel for farm life. Many of Heaneys poems address nature, its beauty and its power. The strength of his poetry lies in his ability to create effective imagery to convey what is a common experience whether its picking blackberries or experiencing a violent storm. In contrast, Grace Nichols experienced very different surroundings growing up. She originally lived in the Caribbean but her career as a writer uprooted her to an unsettled and alienated life in England. She finds it very difficult to surrender her own history and culture and the storm acts as a reminder. This is reflected in the poem. Storm on the Island describes the destructive force that engulfs an island which subjects the inhabitants to constant caution and fear. The poem is written from the point of view of the inhabitants of a remote and exposed island, perhaps somewhere off the Irish coast or even Ireland itself. The islanders are prepared. Their houses are strongly built, low hugging the ground. The earth on the island is barren. There are no trees and when the storm blows full blast they have little protection. The earth is described as wizened or infertile and therefore unsuitable for growing crops. Heaney seems initially to address this issue with regret but later acknowledges the practicality of this deficiency, there are no stacks or stooks that can be lost. Heaney quickly dispels any romantic notions the reader may entertain and exposes us to the dangerous reality the island dwellers frequently experience, allowing us to envisage the storm with a degree of empathy. Heaney involves the reader by using common conversational tags, as you see and you know what I mean, and again this allows us to experience similar emotions to the actual victims of the storm. The poem considers the ideas of isolation and living close to nature, but mainly it depicts the destructive powers of nature. It highlights our vulnerability in the face of nature and the fear of a huge nothing. Security contrasts with insecurity. The islanders do all they can to guard against nature. They believe they are safe in their solid stone houses but the storm attacks it brings them fear. They may seem to be part of a comfortable, perhaps beautiful, seascape but when the storm blows up this security is undermined and brings back their fears. Like his other poems Heaney likes to expose how nature can be frightening or ugly like a tame cat/Turned savage. He refers to three of the elements earth, water and air this wizened earth tragic chorus in a gale.. the flung spray. Heaney manages to convey how all of nature can turn against us. The structure of the poem is one stanza of nineteen lines, like the storm it is unbroken. However the iambic pentameter lends itself to reflective, thoughtful tone and provides the poem with a steady rhythm, the natural rhythm of speech, to contrast with the often violent and combative language used to describe the storm. The poem concludes with a couplet with the half rhymes air and fear. The couplet helps to round the poem off, to give it an air of finality. Heaney uses punctuation to enhance and to add effect to the description. Many lines are not end stopped, there is enjambment indicating the relentlessness of the storm. The word Blast is highlighted with the colon, a dash is used to provide the conversational tone you know what I mean leaves and branches. By using punctuation in this way Heaney draws us into the drama of the storm; it is as if we are observers like him. Heaney explores the theme of war and uses various military metaphors in relation to the storm, the wind dives and strafes, while space is a salvo and air is said to bombard. The opening words suggest a readiness for conflict -We are prepared. When nature attacks the salvo is loosed, the island is bombarded, the sea is exploding and the gale pummels the houses. The poem uses the language of war poetry and is reminiscent of the work of First World War poetry. The atmosphere of war achieved serves to intensify the power of the storm while also echoing the sounds present on battlefield. The use of combative and violent words further emphasises the noise of the storm, whether it is the crashing of the waves or the clash of thunder. He identifies the storm as the enemy and suggests that the island inhabitants should endure and remain resolute we just sit tight. Heaney loves to use sound patterns in his poetry and does this effectively to mirror the storm. Alliteration is used well alongside monosyllabic words to build the tension of the storm, Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate. Onomatopoeia echoes the sound of the storm in words like blast, flung spray and spits. This adds to the imagery created by metaphor and simile. A most evocative image is of the tragic chorus reminding us of death or of the Greek mythologies that Heaney later translates. The simile of the tame cat is also effective in again taking the commonplace and transforming it into something menacing and savage. The mood of the poem is reflective and begins as confident but becomes less so as the poem progresses. The final line of the poem is ambiguous. Heaney says that it is strange but the thing we fear is a huge nothing . It is as if the air and wind are nothing because we cannot see it just like our own intangible or unspeakable fears. This is what Heaney seems to be contemplating through the metaphor of the storm. Another possibility is that the storm is a metaphor of the troubles. Heaney has written frequently on the topic and it certainly impacted on his life in South Derry. Is the fear a fear of peace and of the unknown. We as islanders have always been good in preparing and protecting ourselves in war but not so good in securing peace. Although the poems were written in the modern era and address similar events, they contrast considerably due to the cultural perspectives of the poets. Nichols wishes to convey culture and tradition whereas Heaney wishes to convey nature in its rarest form. Grace Nichols adapts a personal response to the subject matter and also uses the storm as a metaphor. In a poem where we gain a vivid insight to her feelings in relation to the hurricane the hurricane evokes memories and allows the poet to recall her origins, it addresses the poets relationship with the Caribbean, while also identifying her failure to adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings of an English landscape. As the poem progresses Nichols finds the solace she seeks and seems to grow more attached to her environment through the message that she feels the hurricane conveys. In 1987, England experienced some unusually strong storms which reached hurricane force. Grace Nichols wrote, It seemed as though the voices of the gods were in the wind, within the Sussex wind. And for the first time, I felt close to the English landscape in a way that I hadnt earlier. It was if the Caribbean had come to England. Fundamentally, therefore the poems are very different. Heaney presents the storm as frightening and Nichols as welcoming. The poem is initially written in the third person but changes in the second stanza where Nichols refers to the first person, now speaking for herself. This is similar to Heaney as he uses first person plural to involve the audience, however Heaney seems to observe the storm and is distant of it. Nichols addresses her storm, wants it to talk to her and explain why it is there. In contrast to Heaney the poem does not adhere to a particular structure or conventional pattern but takes the form of free verse where there is no rhyme scheme and stanzas and lines both vary in length. This allows the poet to state the unpredictability of the hurricane. Nichols frequently moves from cultural contexts, developing and explaining her relationships with the two landscapes- Caribbean and England. This is quite different from Storm on an Island where only one place is focused on. Because of this I think Heaneys poem is more effective in portraying the storm. As an audience we are not distracted by the two cultures that Nichols presents to us. The range of vocabulary is different in Hurricane hits England. Nichols uses the putois form Huracan and names of the gods, Oya and Shngo, of the Yoruba tribe, who were taken as slaves to the Carribean. These are the gods of wind and thunder respectively- they are agents of destruction. The destruction was of course seen clearly in Hurricane Hattie which hit the Caribbean in 1961. this is the hurricane Nichols recalls most vividly from childhood. The inovocation of ancient Gods does lend dramatic effect to the storm just as Heaney uses military words to create drama. We also witness a link between Heaneys tragic chorus and Nichols talking Gods. They both lend a mysticism or spirituality to their storms. Just like Heaney, Nichols creates powerful imagery to convey the ferocity of the storm. She uses metaphors in comparing the wind to a ship, a howling ship that has followed her across the ocean. This metaphor relating to the ocean is sustained when she compares the felled trees to whales, what is the meaning of trees falling heavy as whales. So Nichols extends the metaphor just like Heaney sustains his battle imagery. Nichols continues to question the storm and uses contrasts or oxymorons to highlight the image, the blinding illumination into further darkness, its is reminiscent of Heaneys oxymoron exploding comfortably. The plunge into darkness is simply a power cut but could also reflect Nicholss feelings about her new environment. Nichols brings her poem to a climax by reconciling the two cultures. The warm winds break the frozen lake in me and she realises that the Caribbean and England are part of the same planet, that the earth, is the earth, is the earth. The storm has acted as a unifier and a channel of release for Nichols emotions. The storm in its entirety could be viewed as a symbol of the struggle she has had in adapting to her new culture. We must presume that Nichols is speaking for all Caribbean immigrants, just as Heaney speaks on behalf of the islanders. Nichols uses a very different format to Heaney. She employs consistent repetition, rhetorical questions and short lines designed to increase the intensive effect of the hurricane. Heaney relies more on the effect of language and imagery. Heaneys poem is more enigmatic and universal, it could interpreted on many levels by the audience. Nichols, however, confines her audience to those who can relate to the specific cultures. I feel that her optimistic ending is somewhat unrealistic, we just have to refer to the problem of racism in England for consolidation of my view. Heaney relates to us all who fear the huge nothing and because of this I feel he has been more successful in presenting the storm most vividly.