The Follower by Seamus Heaney - Poem Analysis

Poem Analysis (The Follower by Seamus Heaney)

Poems are great ways of presenting ideas or issues that are affecting society. Just like songs and other literary work, poems are used to educate and entertain. To understand and analyze poems, it is important that one focus on the context of the poem, style of the poem, title of the poem, repetition of the poem, opening and closing lines of the poem and speaker of the poem. The paper provides a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the poem ‘Follower’ by Seamus Heaney. The poem's context, style, and speaker have substantially helped in understanding the poem in detail.

The context of the poem is crucial as it helps one to get an understanding of the poem. In analyzing the meaning of the poem, some of the critical questions to be answered are such as who wrote the poem? When was it written and in which country? Is the poem in its original language or has it been translated? Is the poem part of a series or any collection? Does the poem belong to a literary movement or particular period? The Poem ‘Follower’ was written by Seamus Heaney. The poem was written in 1966 in Northern Ireland. The poem was written first in English, and thus it is still in its original language. Yes, the poem is a collection of Heaney’s works. The poem does not specifically belong to any literacy movement, but it does belong to the period of modernization. That is the time when there was a shift from traditional to modern life. In general, the poem has an easy to understand the context that makes the reader understand the poem.

Style of a poem is one of the most important parts of a poem that must be checked. Styles are significant in that they help to create flow and connect the ideas. They also stress the poet’s message. For instance, ‘Follower' uses styles such as similes to show the relationship. ‘His shoulders globed like a full sail strung' the poet used this method to show how his father's shoulders were shaped. The poem’s style help to determine the type of a poem. For instance, the ‘Follower’ is a confessional poem (Higgins 9). The poet provides personal experiences and memories. The poet also uses repetition in the poem as a style. Repetition is used for emphasis. In general, the poem’ Follower’ does not have many styles but it has a clear message. It is thus important at times that poets avoid unnecessary incorporation of styles rather pay attention to the message to be conveyed.

The title of a poem is significant in the analysis as it carries some information of what the poem is about. The title should give an idea of the poem. The poem ‘Follower' has a good title which is what the poem is about. Some of the information that is to be used in analyzing the title of the poem are such as, meaning, is the title's meaning obvious? Does it have multiple possibilities like two or more hidden titles? Is