What is the meaning of the poem Mid-Term Break?
“Mid-Term Break” describes the aftermath of a tragedy: the speaker’s four-year-old brother has been hit by a car and killed. But the poem doesn’t spend a lot of time describing the accident or memorializing the dead child. Instead, the poem focuses on the way that other people respond to this tragedy.
Why did Seamus Heaney write Mid-Term Break?
The early poem Mid-Term Break was written by Heaney following the death of his young brother, killed when a car hit him in 1953. He was only 14 years old when the accident happened but the poem captures the family funeral atmosphere in a subtle and sensitive manner.
How does Heaney create a sense of sadness in Mid-Term Break?
Heaney manages to convey to the reader the feeling of sadness after death. His use of various contrasts of life and death emphasize the death, and the remorse resulting from it. Also, his use of simple, impersonal language and effective sounds allows the reader to fully grasp the severity of this death.
What is unusual about the title of the poem Mid-Term Break?
The title of the poem is deliberately deceptive because the phrase ‘Mid Term Break’ suggests a term-time holiday, which is normally a happy occasion. The phrase “Counting bells knelling classes to a close” signifies that there has perhaps been a death; bells ‘knelling’ are often linked to funeral processions.
What does poppy bruise symbolize?
The reference to “poppy bruise” in the final verse creates a sense of frustration and impotence that such a small looking blow could have such a devastating effect.
What does Heaney mean by the kneeling of the bells?
“Counting bells kneeling classes to a close.” (Line 2) “ll” sounds = onomatopoeic effect, echoes bells. “Knelling” = to ring solemnly, especially after a death. Only $35.99/year. “All morning” (line 1)
What does poppy bruise mean?
The phrase “wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple” refers to the large bruise on the head of the speaker’s recently deceased brother. The boy has been knocked down and killed by a car, and the bruise, which looks like a poppy, is a reminder of this appalling tragedy.
What is the irony in Mid-Term Break?
The title “Mid-Term Break” is ironic because the break is not the vacation one associates with the term. Rather, it depicts the terrible break in the life of the college student as he comes home for the funeral of his four-year-old brother.
What is the irony in mid-term break?
What is a four foot box?
A four foot box, a foot for every year. We already know someone has died and with a four foot coffin we know it must be someone young, In spite of these warnings, the final line still comes as shock, creating intense emotion. The effect of the rhyme is to bring a sense of finality, as in the finality of death.
What is the irony of Mid-Term Break?
What is the imagery of Mid-Term Break?
In “Mid-Term Break” Heaney uses tone and imagery to show that the closer a person is to the victim of a death the harder that person will react to the death. Heaney is just describing how the little boy looked. As the reader you feel that the older brother is going to begin mourning or showing some emotion.