Seamus Heaneys Portrayal of the Loss of Innocence :: Poems, Poetry

Heaney particually portrays the theme of loss of innocence as a child through his peoms, Death of a Natrualist, Blackberry picking, Poem and Personal Helicon. Death of a Naturalsit of the first of Heaneys metrical compositions to unfeignedly express this theme. All year round the flax-dam festered in the heart -------------------------------------------------- of the townlandgreen and heavey headed --------------------------------------- Flax stinky there. In the first stanza Heaney uses rich imagery and purposeful child-like language much(prenominal) as festered and warm thick slobber. These create a sense of the childlike take chances to be found in the surrounding area and time that he had as a child. The language and images created by Heaney help to engage the readers senses. These, although not always pleaseant images portray the excitement to be found as a child. They are also positive and fresah. As the poem progresses into the follow ing stanza there is a destinct diverseness in the mood of the peom. The air was thick with a bass chorus Agaijn Heaney uses rich imagery to explain his point. Phrases such as angry frogs class how his feeling towards them as a child has changed and now they seem angry kind of then the nimble swimming tadpoles that thery were before. Heaney expresses this change in nature as the change of season as wel for him as the actual changin from childhood into adult life. one time innocent and stimulating images have changed into aggressive and threatening things. The title of this poem in itself holds the theme strongly. Death of a Naturalist suggests his interest in nature destruction and being replaced with more adult feelings. Death of a Naturalist also liks closely to Heaneys poem Blackburry picking. The poem follows the similar two stanza approach, with the first being full of childhood positives and the second folloing on to more nagative images n nature. This poem however focuses in more on nature itself and his perspecive. you ate that first one and its fleesh was sweet