Complete Picture Of Life On The Farm example essay topic

The very first line that Heaney uses, I was six when I first saw kittens drown. is very powerful. This is because it shows that reader that he is making it vivid, by stating that he was only six. This means that the event made such an impression on him, being so young, and he is able to remember every little detail very well. After this, the basic ways in which Heaney makes life on the farm vivid are to do with the imagery he uses, the language of the poem, used to describe the animals, their death, Dan Taggart and himself. The most important part of life on the farm is not the animals in this case, but the people that work and live on the farm; Heaney himself, and a farm hand, Dan Taggart. If we, the readers did not know about the people, the poem would seem less vivid and clear for us, because we would be unable to make any sort of useful judgement.

As it is, Heaney has described the characters so well that we see the farm vividly and we can sympathise with the characters. Neither Dan, nor Heaney are described very obviously, but from their actions and attitudes, we are left to build our own views of them. This also helps to make the farm seem vivid, because we are left to our own imaginations in some parts, which means that we can see the farm, as we want to see it, clearly in our minds. For example, when Dan uses such words and phrases such as pitched, scraggy wee shits, soused and slung we can see vividly the kind of person that Dan is, because all these words describe his actions, but they give us an idea of his personality.

He is not, at first impression, a nice man, because the words imply rough and un-caring behaviour towards the kittens. This is using imagery and language to make the farm appear vivid The words such as pitched are images of Dans cruelty to the animals, because it implies that he throws them rather that places them with care into the bucket. The language that Dan uses, like scraggy wee shits shows us vividly what he is like, and so we get a good idea of life on the farm, because he plays a major part in Heaney memories. We get further ideas of life on the farm because of the way in which Heaney and Dan react together. For example, Dan says to the young Heaney Sure isnt it better for them now This shows to us that life on the farm is tense between the two, because Dan realises that cruelty to animals doesnt come into it because he has to run an efficient farm, whereas the young Heaney doesnt understand this, and feels only for the kittens. Dan, however, has obviously had a great impact on Heaney, because he is very scared when Dan ruthlessly kills all sorts of other animals, trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows.

Heaney must have remembered this as it was seen to be important to him as a child, and it gives us images of a small boy being scared by the farm hand, helping to build up a vivid picture, and so we are encouraged to have sympathy with the young Heaney. Although the people in the poem help very much to build up the vivid picture, the animals are important too. Heaney uses very definite language and imagery which helps us to view the farm that he lived on in a more realistic way. The way in which the kittens looked when they were alive is described exactly, showing that their innocence really hit upon him as a child. He describes them as frail and tiny, and this helps us to build up a picture of the animals. It also makes the whole picture of the poem much more vivid, because it provides such a contrast to Dans character.

When the kittens die, Heaney uses imagery which shows us exactly what the kittens look like, but also how he feels about them, in a more subtle way. For example, he uses similes such as Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone... which show us that he cares about the animals because the thoughts and feelings stayed with him into adulthood. This is powerful imagery, because it provides us with a very vivid picture of the small, dead kittens, and so Heaney involves us and our imaginations in the poem much more. Other animals are described very vividly in the poem. Or with a sickening tug, pulled old hens necks. is a very good image.

It gives us more of an idea of what the young Heaney thinks of Dan, and the language used: sickening, is very powerful. It helps us to build up a more complete picture of life on the farm. Heaney would not have made the farm so vivid if he had not included his change of emotions. The main reason that we, the readers, feel so involved is because we have been shown both sides of the argument, and are left to make up our own minds, rather that be forced to do it. When he uses Bloody pups himself, it shocks us, but it also makes the life on the farm appear much clearer.

This is because we now understand that living on a farm can change people that much. It is not only the language that he uses that shocks us, but the attitude towards the animals. Towards the end of the poem, Heaney uses a comparison. Where they consider death unnatural, referring to the people in the town. This really makes farm life vivid, because it shows us the fundamental difference between the farm and the very different life that the majority of us lead. His last line, But on well-run farms pests have to be kept down. provides us with an actual picture of the farm, whereas all the others have been from the animals and people.

He appeals to our common sense to make the farm life more vivid, by letting us see a reason why everything is done as it is. We therefore feel that Heaney has made it very clear to us what his life has been like, through the use of language and imagery, and the descriptions of people and the animals.