Seamus Heaney (1939-2003) is one of the prominent figures in the modern Irish poetry. Awarded with the Nobel Prize in 1995, the poet was the author of multiple collections of verse, literary essays, and translations. Seamus Heaney is an outstanding creative individual; his uniqueness is reflected through his poetic language, the interpretation of the incidents that took place in the Irish history, the imagery system of his verse, and the overall style of writing. Heaney’s creative identity is distinctly defined in his poetry that continues to attract the interest of the vast audience.
Poetic Identity of Seamus Heaney
In many of his compositions, Heaney highlights the “sense of place” that took a significant place in his creative life (Quindos and Teresa 38). It is possible to say that the place of poet’s birth largely influenced and stimulated his poetic imagination, provoked the formation of the national self-identity, and made the poet think of the connection between the different epochs. It is observed that the sense of place was always associated with the art of the Irish writers since the very early times when a special genre existed both in poetry and prose in which the authors tended to reveal the origins and meanings hidden in the names of the geographic objects (Quindos and Teresa 39).
The sense of place is naturally bound to the peculiarities of the landscapes in the region where the poet was born and lived. In his imagination, the landscapes become associated with the events and actions that are kept in the memory of the nation. Thus, the transformation of the geographic place from the biographic into the literary fact is of great importance in Heaney’s poetry because it gives him the opportunity to become realized and fulfilled (Russell 103). In this way, the poet attained a chance to reproduce the atmosphere of the place, well-known from the early childhood, in an adequate way.
In Seamus Heaney’s poetics, the image of the native land is formed of the different elements, but a special place is given to the Irish landscapes (Quindos and Teresa 41). In many of his poems, the landscapes of the Northern Ireland are depicted in the way in which a reader may easily visualize it. However, this kind of scenery poetry is frequently overshadowed by the thoughts of wars and conflicts that bring to live the tragic feelings which cannot be simply escaped.
Heaney was concerned with the confrontations between the Catholics and Protestants that were based on the long-existing prejudices. Thus, in “An Ulster Twilight,” the poet chooses Ulster as scene settings while the main characters are the Irish boy (Catholic) who is the narrator of the childhood events, and Eric, a young Protestant, visiting the boy on the Christmas Eve.
In this piece of poetry, one can observe the allusion to the episode from the Gospel, when Maria and Joseph reached Bethlehem and were to spend the night in the stable where consequently Jesus was born. In the verse, similarly to Joseph, Eric turned up to be a carpenter, and he brings the boy a wooden toy as a gift for Christmas. There are two time plans in “An Ulster Twilight” – the poet’s childhood, when the confronting sides lived in peace; and the period of the conflict between the two religious groups when even the smallest mistake may lead to the strengthening of the controversies (Quinlan 63).
There are also two distinct toposes in the poem: the space of the house in which Eric arrives, and the space of the place where the boy lives. The distinct time and place plots are used to highlight the changes that took place in the Northern Ireland throughout the period of the conflict. Thus, the sense of place in Heaney’s poem acquires a tragic shade.
The lyric character imagines that if he had met Eric in Ulster once more when the relationship between Catholics and Protestants became worse, then the reminiscing over Christmas and Eric’s present would have become different. The “knock at the door” and the parcel in the hands could have both friendly and hostile implications as they could mean the visit of the friend or the enemy (Quinlan 63).
In the final of “An Ulster Twilight,” the boy shares his thoughts about the possible conversation that would have taken place in case the meeting with Eric happened – they would talk about the carpentry and toys because these topics are far more significant than the conflicts and weapons in the hands of the conflicting parties. In this way, Seamus Heaney asserts the values of the common people that have significance in the everyday life while trying not to focus on the religious controversies.
The connection to the homeland and historical heritage play one of the crucial roles in Heaney’s literary creativity. Heaney is the native of the Northern Ireland, a Catholic, and the member of the civil rights movement that had a purpose of achievement peace between the conflicting religious parties (Quinlan 63). Even living far from his homeland, Heaney couldn’t forget about his fellow citizens suffering from the conflict. Through the poetry, he attempted to identify the origins of this religious and political controversy, and he saw them in the tragic past of the nation that for centuries endures humiliation and rebels against the English time after time.
In this way, in “Requiem for the Croppies,” the poet remembers the 1798 uprising when the group of peasants and Catholic priests controlled the whole county for two weeks. Some episodes of the uprising are based on facts. In the poem, the lyric character narrates the story on behalf of the hundreds of people died during the rebel. The character shows the suffering of those who were buried without the cerements and coffins. Nevertheless, barley grew on the bed of honor – this grass symbolizes not merely the eternal circle of life, it is also the plant out of which the daily bread is produced. And in the Irish tradition, barley is also used for beer brewing (Quindos and Teresa 69). In this way, death may be regarded as a way of returning to the roots; death and life become unified by the in-depth national sentiments and the cultural traditions.
Conclusion
The theme of the Irish traditions and the historical conflicts raising the issues of peace and war may be regarded one of the crucial stylistic features of Seamus Heaney poetry. The evaluation of the settings and the characters of his poems makes it clear that the formation of national identity supported the development of Heaney’s creative identity to a large extent. The symbolism and the lyrical tones of his verse demonstrate that the poet had a strong emotional connection to the history of his country and his homeland. And these aspects of his literary works create the special atmosphere in which a reader may trace the spiritual richness of one person and the whole nation.
Works Cited
Quindos, Calderon, and Maria Teresa. “Conceptual Integration (Blending) in Seamus Heaney’s Discourse and Poetic Work”. Universidad de Valladolid (2004). Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web.
Quinlan, Kieran. “Tracing Seamus Heaney.” World Literature Today 69.1 (1995): 63. ProQuest. Web.
Russell, Richard Rankin. “Reading Poets from The Past: Seamus Heaney’s Poetic Evolution.” Irish Studies Review 18.1 (2010): 101-108. Academic Search Complete. Web.