Digging

Listen to Heaney read the poem: []

This is the poem that opens //Death of a Naturalist.// It not only appears on the opening page of this volume; but also takes its place as the first poem in Heaney's //Selected Poems// (1980), //New Selected Poems// (1990) and //Opened Ground// (1998). Heaney indicates the significance of the poem in his book //Preoccupations (1980)// " //'Digging', in fact, was the name of the first poem I wrote where I thought my feelings had to go into words, or to put it ,more accurately, where I thought my feel into words.”// Heaney indicates that //'Digging'// marked some point of departure for his career as a poet. Not in the formal sense of putting feeling into words but in the sense that //'Digging'// registers many themes and concerns that would dominate his early poetry and also give a glimpse of other issues that would occur in his later writing. The language of //'Digging'// introduces what will become Heaney's dominant register; he employs verbal effects to forge evocative images of his subjects.

Introduction: · On a literal level, ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney is about the persona who looks outside the window to see his father digging, and recollects all the memories he of his forefathers and this rural occupation. · This is the first poem in the anthology of ‘Death of A Naturalist’. Heaney gets a context through which he introduces himself, his socio-cultural background, his profession, and his purpose of intent. He also draws a connection between the rural workers and the intellectuals of society.

TOPICS:

· **Digging: ** o The poem is called ‘Digging’ as the persona sees his father digging from his window. o On a more symbolic sense, the poet talks about how he will unearth the past and dig memories of his childhood. He states in the end that he will always dig with his ‘squat pen’. Thus, his intent is clearly established. o Digging is furthermore a connection between the act of farming and his poetry. This shows the similarity between Heaney and his forefathers. Like his father dug for potatoes, the persona digs for memories. o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The dental sounds in the 7th stanza (put in the exact quotation) show the laborious task of digging. This probably shows that the persona is not too comfortable with the act of digging, and feels rather out of place. Thus, although Heaney respects tradition, he does not adhere to it. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The repetition of ‘digging down and down’ gives the readers a sense of the rhythmic action of digging. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The sibilance in the second stanza shows the clinking sound of the spade and gives readers the effect of the mud being squirted. Moreover, the ‘gr’ sound in the second stanza shows the machismo and the power of digging. o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He ends saying ‘I’ll dig with it’: This establishes Heaney as a poet. This also points out that the poem is cyclical in structure, as it starts and ends with the same idea. Heaney is hence back at his desk writing, yet with several thoughts and experiences evolved.

<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Theme of potatoes: ** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The potato is a symbol for Ireland- Heaney’s homeland. This shows that Heaney is connected to his ‘living roots’ (word play as potato is a root vegetable). The potato is hence a symbol of continuity and tradition. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The potato is also a symbol of the many memories of the persona’s childhood. The persona recalls how ‘we picked loving their cool hardness’. The ‘we’ contrasts the ‘my’ in the first stanza. This shows the sense of nostalgia that the poet feels. The tactile imagery shows that the memories that the poet cherishes are fresh. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The reference to the ‘Toner’s Bog’, similar to the setting of //Death of A Naturalist// shows the perfect geographic conditions for growing potatoes. Heaney’s fascination with the bog shows how he wants to preserve generations of memories and legends (as the bog preserves several skeletons and fossils). <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The synaesthesia used to describe the ‘cold smell of potato mold’ shows the smell of the cold earth. We get a feeling of the setting and Heaney’s memories.

<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Memories ** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Heaney recalls the sensations and memories that he had ‘twenty years away’ with his grandfather and father. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Enjambment shows the continuation of thought process when the persona recalls his memories. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In the 8th stanza, the sibilance in the ‘squelch and slap’ has an onomatopoeic effect showing the freshness of memories in the persona’s mind. <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Vigour of his fore-fathers and the persona's awe for them ** o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Adverbs such as ‘firmly’ and verbs such as ‘nestled’ show the sense of ease and comfort that the forefathers had. They are hence shown as earthy men. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In the 4th stanza, as the ‘coarse boot’, ‘levered ‘, ‘firmly’ and ‘rooted’ have harsh sounds, they show the ruggedness and strength of the forefathers. The plosives too show the vigour of their profession. In the 8th stanza, the alliteration of ‘c’ show the professional yet harsh nature of the activity. This can emphasise the ‘clean rasping sound’ of digging as it suggest the strength, aptitude and skill associated with the profession. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In the 6th stanza, the poet recollects memories with awe and pride. He cherishes his grandfather’s abilities and reminisces about certain incidents. He compares his grandfather’s skill with his incompetence as he ‘corked sloppily with paper’.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Theme of lineage and tradition: ** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The lineage is evident when the poet recalls that ‘the old man could handle a spade like his old man’. Hence, farming was an ancestral profession, which Heaney broke away from. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The free verse shows how Heaney is freeing himself from the family traditions, and taking up writing, unlike his forefathers. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The poet senses guilt as he has ‘no spade to follow men like them’. Apart from breaking away from the traditional activity of his family, the persona feels alienated from digging and the rural background. He wishes to emulate the high standards set by his forefathers and to live up to the family’s expectations. Although he feels guilt, he justifies his profession by calling it ‘as snug as a gun’. The war imagery here shows the painstaking and laborious task that poetry, like farming, is. It moreover, connects to his rural past and adds to the sense of machismo.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion: <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Personal response towards the poem must be integrated. <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Connection with other poems: The setting of Death of a Naturalist, the warm memories of Sunlight and the sense of nostalgia of ‘Blackberry Picking’.