Summary:
The poem "Follower" by Seamus Heaney creates an image of a loving father who was physically powerful and was an experienced farmer in the past.
What does the poem show of the relationship of his father and son, and how time has changed this?
The poem "Follower" by Seamus Heaney creates an image of a loving father who was physically powerful and was an experienced farmer in the past. Haney's bright descriptions allow the reader to picturise the fathers astonishing feats in the fields, and also understand the respect that Heaney had of his father's talent when he was young child. The farmer's attentions were deep and his attentions were that Seamus Heaney would carry on the traditional farming, as many other farmers would have. The farmer's son grew up following his father around and walking in the wake of his father's footsteps.
"All I ever did was follow in his broad shadow round the farm."
The child wanted to grow up to be just like his father and carry on the farming as it was practised for many decades. But time has changed Seamus Haney's judgment, when the he grew up; with the influence of education, changed his decision, he decided to work in the tertiary industry (Tertiary industries provide a service e.g. teaching and nursing). He refused to take up the family tradition farming, Primary sector (Primary industry involves producing raw materials e.g. mining, farming and fishing), primary industries involves intensive labour; in farming a great amount of the input is essential, usually involves all the family members, to produce enough crops for the family and a little to sell and natural disasters can also ruin a years profit, as we can imagine the winters of the old days. Seamus had taken the advantage of education and became a member of the tertiary sector this involves clean dirt free environment and the other big advantage is that tertiary industry has a guaranteed salary and a better lifestyle.
At the end of the poem it was ironic, because now his father has reached an old age, Seamus Heaney has forgotten all the sacrifices his father had made, to bring him up to a luxurious life and a brighter future. In olden times farmer's budgets were tremendously low and to send their children's to schools was very difficult for normal farmers to afford. If farmer whish to send their children's to school then many farmers had to find a n extra income from elsewhere e.g. Second jobs were taken by the farmer, such jobs was cutting down long trees in the forests, but Heaney has forgotten all of these obstacles that his father had to struggle thourgh just for his son - Seamus Heaney. At the last line Heaney has written:
" Keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away"
As we can see that Seamus Heaney thought that there was a huge contrast between, himself and the his father, a perfect contrast to back up my point would be the contrast between the sky and the land.
The poem is about farming but it seems like an extended farm, a farm that deals with many other farming methods, not only with crops.
"The horses strained at his clicking tongue."
This quote suggests that the poets fathers also deals with livestock such as horses. Other livestock's can be sheep's, pigs and cattle's so we can say that the farm can also be called hill sheep farm. Also if cattle are present in a farm dairy can be produced such as fresh: butter and milk.
This is the complete article, containing 565 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
