Mid-Term Break

1
Mid-Term Break

• By Seamus Heaney

2
The Big Picture

• During this unit you will
• Read the poem Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney
• Discuss the themes and meanings of the poem
• Understand what is meant by the terms euphemism,
  simile, metaphor and transferred epithet
• Write an analysis of the poem.

3
Who is Seamus Heaney?

• Seamus Heaney (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish
  poet, writer and lecturer from County
  Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
• He currently lives in Dublin.
• Heaney was born the eldest of nine children at
  the family farmhouse called Mossbawn, near
  Castledawson, thirty miles to the north-west of
  Belfast, in Northern Ireland.

4
What are the characteristics of Heaneys work?

• Heaney's work often deals with the local that
  is, his surroundings and everything inclusive of
  them. Inevitably this means Ireland, and
  particularly Northern Ireland. Hints of sectarian
  violence, which began just as his writing career
  did, can be found in many of his poems, even in
  works that on the surface appear to deal with
  something else.
• Despite his many travels much of his work appears
  to be set in rural Londonderry, the county of his
  childhood. Like the Troubles themselves, Heaney's
  work is deeply associated with the lessons of
  history, sometimes even prehistory.
• Many of his works concern his own family history
  and focus on characters in his own family they
  can be read as elegies (funeral speech or song)
  for those family members.

5
What is Mid-Term Break about?

• The poem is about the death of Heaney's infant
  brother (Christopher) and how people (including
  himself) reacted to this.
• The poem is written from the point of view of a
  young Heaney, summoned from school after his
  brother died.

6
Mid-Term Break

• I sat all morning in the college sick bay
• Counting bells knelling classes to a close.
• At two oclock our neighbours drove me home.
• In the porch I met my father crying
• He had always taken funerals in his stride
• And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.
• The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram
• When I came in, and I was embarrassed
• By old men standing up to shake my hand
• And tell me they were sorry for my trouble,
• Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest
• Away at school, as my mother held my hand
• In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.
• At ten oclock the ambulance arrived
• With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the
  nurse.

7
Mid-Term Break

• I sat all morning in the college sick bay
• Counting bells knelling classes to a close.
• At two oclock our neighbours drove me home.
• In the porch I met my father crying
• He had always taken funerals in his stride
• And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.
• The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram
• When I came in, and I was embarrassed
• By old men standing up to shake my hand
• And tell me they were sorry for my trouble,
• Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest
• Away at school, as my mother held my hand
• In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.
• At ten oclock the ambulance arrived
• With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the
  nurse.

8
Mid-Term Break
Sense of isolation / immediate suggestion of
sickness and death.

• I sat all morning in the college sick bay
• Counting bells knelling classes to a close.
• At two oclock our neighbours drove me home.

Onomatopoeia idea of funeral bells.
Long, drawn out event, lots of time to think.
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Mid-Term Break
Sense that the father is outwith the grief of the
house, hiding his feelings.

• In the porch I met my father crying
• He had always taken funerals in his stride
• And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.

Death had been experienced before, although not
in this way.
Cruel (though not done out of spite) pun.
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Mid-Term Break
Baby is an innocent, unaware of the events that
are taking place.

• The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram
• When I came in, and I was embarrassed
• By old men standing up to shake my hand

Although Heaney has taken on the role of an
adult, he still has the feelings of a child.
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Mid-Term Break

• And tell me they were sorry for my trouble,
• Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest
• Away at school, as my mother held my hand

Euphemism
Sense of secrecy
Heaney attended a boarding school so had been
absent for the actual event guilt?
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Mid-Term Break
Enjambment / Suggestion that she has been crying
for a while

• In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.
• At ten oclock the ambulance arrived
• With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the
• nurse.

Idea of a long day / Ambulances usually help
Removes the sense of humanity from the body no
longer his brother / Idea that they tried to save
him / stanch to stop blood (or tears)
13
Mid-Term Break

• Next morning I went up to the room. Snowdrops
• And candles soothed the bedside I saw him
• For the first time in six weeks. Paler now,

Transferred epithet
No longer a bedroom, now a place of mourning.
Calm and relaxing compared to other room.
Sense of guilt / Realisation that things happen
while you are away / Heaney has a memory of his
brother prior to this.
An epithet is a word which makes the reader see
the object described in a clearer or sharper
light. It is both exact and imaginative.
14
Mid-Term Break

• Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,
• He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.
• No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.

Seems unreal, as if it could be removed
Poppy signifies Remembrance.
Simile - cot, for a child, is a place of safety.
Euphemism, does not mention a coffin
He looks perfect / No sign of violence
Sudden death.
15
Mid-Term Break

• A four foot box, a foot for every year.

• Signifies the brevity (shortness) of the childs
  life.

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Stanza Analysis
I sat all morning in the college sick bay Counting bells knelling classes to a close. At two oclock our neighbours drove me home. Sense of isolation / immediate suggestion of sickness and death. Onomatopoeia idea of funeral bells. Long, drawn out event, lots of time to think.
In the porch I met my father crying He had always taken funerals in his stride And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. Sense that the father is outwith the grief of the house, hiding his feelings. Death had been experienced before, although not in this way. Cruel (though not done out of spite) pun.
The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram When I came in, and I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand Baby is an innocent, unaware of the events that are taking place. Although Heaney has taken on the role of an adult, he still has the feelings of a child.
And tell me they were sorry for my trouble, Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest Away at school, as my mother held my hand Euphemism Sense of secrecy Heaney attended a boarding school so had been absent for the actual event guilt?
In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs. At ten oclock the ambulance arrived With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurse. Enjambment / Suggestion that she has been crying for a while Idea of a long day / Ambulances usually help Removes the sense of humanity from the body no longer his brother / Idea that they tried to save him / stanch to stop blood (or tears)
Next morning I went up to the room. Snowdrops And candles soothed the bedside I saw him For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, No longer a bedroom, now a place of mourning. Transferred epithet Sense of guilt / Realisation that things happen while you are away / Heaney has a memory of his brother prior to this.
Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple, He lay in the four foot box as in his cot. No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. Seems unreal, as if it could be removed / Poppy signifies Remembrance. Euphemism, does not mention a coffin / Simile - cot, for a child, is a place of safety. He looks perfect / No sign of violence / Sudden death.
A four foot box, a foot for every year. Signifies the brevity of the childs life.
17
Mid-Term Break

• What is unusual about the title of this poem?
• The title Mid-Term Break suggests a holiday of
  sorts, a time of enjoyment in reality the poem
  deals with a time of grief and emotional
  upheaval.
• 2. Looking at stanza one, how do you think the
  poet was feeling? Quote to support your answer.
• The poet is feeling isolated from his family I
  sat all morning in the college sick bay Also,
  he is picked up by neighbours, furthering his
  isolation. He has had many hours to contemplate
  the events that have occurred, all morning
  until two oclock.
• Why does the poet choose the word knelling when
  writing about the school bells?
• Onomatopoeia, the sound of funeral bells.
• 4. What type of school did the poet attend? Give
  reasons for your answer.
• He attended a boarding school. I was the
  eldest, away at school

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Mid-Term Break

• 5. What did the poet find strange about his
  fathers behaviour?
• His father is not his practical self, exhibiting
  emotion. Usually he took funerals in his
  stride, suggesting that he was used to death.
• 6. Why is what big Jim Evans says an
  unfortunate pun?
• As the child was killed literally by a hard
  blow, while the family are metaphorically hurt.
• 7. Why was the baby the lucky one that day?
• The child is an innocent, oblivious to the
  events and grief which surround it.
• Why was the poet embarrassed by the old men
  shaking his hand?
• This is an adult means of communication, Heaney
  is (despite his persona) a child, unsure of how
  to react to such formality.

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Mid-Term Break

• What was surprising about his mothers behaviour?
• His mother seems incapable of crying and her
  grief manifests itself through anger.
• Contrast the reactions of both parents. With
  whom, do you think, is the mother angry?
• The roles of the parents seem to have been
  reversed with the father taking on the more
  feminine emotional role. The mother could be
  angry with any number of people the driver, her
  husband (protector), her deceased child.
• What is unusual about the poets use of the
  phrase the corpse? Answer fully.
• The word corpse suggests that Heaney seems
  detached. He does not see this body as being
  that of his younger brother, rather he has
  dehumanised the body in an attempt to cope with
  his grief.
• How does this contrast with the language
  describing when he is alone with his brothers
  body?
• When he is alone with the body (and, indeed,
  with his grief) Heaney recognises it to be his
  brother. He calls the body him, admitting his
  emotional attachment.

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Mid-Term Break

• 13. How does the atmosphere change in this
  section?
• In this section Heaney seems more at peace. The
  transferred epithet of Snowdrops /
• And candles soothed the bedside seem to
  provide him with some comfort. The room is a
  place of peace and contrasts greatly with the
  busy scene that the young Heaney walked into.
• 14. Comment on the line Wearing a poppy bruise
  on his left temple.
• The word wearing suggests that this injury
  seems almost unreal, as if it could be removed at
  any point. A poppy signifies remembrance and
  highlights the effect that this event has had on
  Heaneys life.
• Comment on the simile in the third last line.
• Likening the coffin to a cot, He lay in the
  four foot box as in his cot. symbolises how
  peaceful and safe the child looked. He seemed at
  peace, as if sleeping. Still the death seems
  unreal.

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Mid-Term Break

• Comment on the honesty of the last section
  compared to the embarrassment earlier in the
  poem.
• Heaney is able to be more honest in this section
  as he is alone. He is no longer required to be
  strong for his distraught parents. He is
  allowed to be a child, away from the adults who
  were treating him as if he were older. Prior to
  this, it almost seems like Heaney is the
  father-figure as his own father is outwith the
  family.
• 17. What do you think of the last line of the
  poem?
• Poignant image. Gives the idea of the brevity
  of life. The use of box rather than coffin
  again suggests that Heaney is detached from the
  reality of what has happened.
• 18. Comment on the poets use of euphemism in
  the poem. What is the effect of this?
• sorry for my trouble, is an example of a
  euphemism. It suggests that people are almost
  afraid to mention the real truth. It seems
  almost clichéd and provides little comfort.
  Also, there is a suggestion that trouble will
  pass, yet this grief will always be there.

22
How does the young Heaney feel?
23
How does the young Heaney feel?

• Guilty I saw him / For the first time in six
  weeks. Paler now,
• Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest
  / Away at school,
• Isolated I sat all morning in the college sick
  bay
• At two oclock our neighbours drove me home.
• Embarrassed I was embarrassed / By old men
  standing up to shake my hand
• In denial Wearing a poppy bruise
• with the corpse
• Confused In the porch I met my father crying
• Comforted Snowdrops / And candles soothed the
  bedside

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Poetic Techniques

• Enjambment the running on of the thought from
  one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without
  a pause (no full stop/comma etc.)
• Purpose of enjambment Enjambment is the
  continuation of a sentence or clause over a
  line-break.
• If a poet allows all the sentences of a poem to
  end in the same place as regular line-breaks, a
  kind of deadening can happen in the ear, and in
  the brain too, as all the thoughts can end up
  being the same length.
• Enjambment is one way of creating interest
  through the unusual sound of a sentence running
  on when you expect it to pause.
• This suggests how Heaney was feeling at the time
  (i.e. confused, unsure etc.)

25
Poetic Techniques

• Transferred Epithet device of emphasis in which
  a characteristic of one thing is attributed to
  another closely associated to it.
• The calm mood is beautifully shown in the
  transferred epithet, Snowdrops/And candles
  soothed the bedside - literally they soothed the
  young Heaney.

26
Euphemism

• The act or an example of substituting a mild,
  indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh,
  blunt, or offensive

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Term Definition Example Effect
Alliteration Repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Assonance Repetition of the same vowel sound
Couplet Two lines of poetry paired together by rhyme
Metaphor Comparing two things, as if one actually is the other
Onomatopoeia When the sound of a word echoes or suggests its meaning
Pathos The writer provokes feelings of sadness, pity or sympathy in the reader
Personification Objects are given human characteristics for effect
Simile Comparing two things, using like or as.
Symbolism Use of one thing to represent another
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Term Definition Example Effect
Alliteration Repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Assonance Repetition of the same vowel sound
Couplet Two lines of poetry paired together by rhyme
Metaphor Comparing two things, as if one actually is the other
Onomatopoeia When the sound of a word echoes or suggests its meaning
Pathos The writer provokes feelings of sadness, pity or sympathy in the reader
Personification Objects are given human characteristics for effect
Simile Comparing two things, using like or as.
Symbolism Use of one thing to represent another
Mirrors the idea of time passing
four foot box
Mirrors the sound of the bells.
bells knelling
No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. A
four foot box, a foot for every year.
Signifies the end of the poem. The act of death
followed by the realisation.
wearing suggests the bruise could be removed.
wearing a poppy bruise
bells knelling baby cooed and laughed
Reminds us of funeral bells. Shows innocence /
happiness in contrast to what is going on.
Signifies pure grief, all cried out A childs
realisation that adults are flawed, have emotions
etc.
angry, tearless sighs I met my father
crying
Suggestion of safety. Child looks at peace, as if
sleeping.
He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.
wearing a poppy bruise
poppy signifies remembrance.
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Critical Evaluation

• Poems often deal with emotional situations. Write
  about a poem with an emotional theme. Say what
  the poem is about and show how successful the
  author was in describing an emotional time.

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What are you being asked to do?

• Poems often deal with emotional situations. Write
  about a poem with an emotional theme. Say what
  the poem is about and show how successful the
  author was in describing an emotional time.

Identify what the theme is. Why is this theme
emotional? Why is this particularly emotional?
What techniques does the poet use? Is the poem
explicitly emotional? How has the poets word
choice etc. conveyed the emotion of the event?
31
Introduction

• Your introduction must include
• Title
• Author
• Genre
• Link to Question
• Short Summary

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Sample Introduction

• A poem that deals with emotional themes is
  Mid-Term Break written by Irish poet, Seamus
  Heaney. The poem describes the aftermath of the
  death of Heaney's infant brother (Christopher)
  and how people (including himself) reacted to
  this. The poem is written from the point of view
  of a young Heaney, summoned from school after his
  brother died. The poem successfully conveys
  Heaneys sense of grief through various poetic
  techniques such as metaphor, simile and
  alliteration.

33
Paragraph Planning

• Every internal paragraph (not introduction and
  conclusion) must contain
• Point
• Context
• Quotation
• Evaluation

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How does Heaney convey the grief felt?

1. His own sense of isolation
2. The reactions of his parents
3. His feelings of embarrassment
4. The description of the body
5. His time spent with the body
6. His description of the coffin

35
Writing Topic Sentences (Point)

• The first part of your paragraph should be your
  topic sentence or point.
• This should tell the reader exactly what this
  paragraph will be about.
• It should be one short, concise sentence.

36
Writing Topic Sentences (Point)

• Every paragraph MUST begin with a topic sentence.
• A topic sentence advises the marker of which
  topic will be covered in the paragraph.
• A topic sentence has to do two jobs
• it must refer to the question
• it must state what topic is being covered in the
  paragraph.
• Look again at your essay question.
• What exactly are you being asked to do?
• What information must you include in each topic
  sentence?
• Poems often deal with emotional situations. Write
  about a poem with an emotional theme. Say what
  the poem is about and show how successful the
  author was in describing an emotional time.

37
Writing Topic Sentences (Point)

• His own sense of isolation
• it must refer to the question
• it must state what topic is being covered in the
  paragraph.
• Poems often deal with emotional situations. Write
  about a poem with an emotional theme. Say what
  the poem is about and show how successful the
  author was in describing an emotional time.
• Sample Topic Sentences
• Heaneys shows his isolation throughout the poem
  by conveying his grief.
• Heaneys sense of isolation highlights to the
  reader how grief has affected the young boy.
• The poets isolation throughout the poem suggests
  that death has forced Heaney to become separated
  from his family.
• Heaneys description of his isolation suggests to
  the reader that grief is a personal emotion.

38
Context

• The paragraph should contain information about
  what is happening in the poem when these events
  occur.
• This is the context.

39
Quotation

• Each paragraph must contain a quotation.
• A quotation must be written in your essay exactly
  as it is written in the text (line by line).
• A quotation must always be put inside quotation
  marks.

40
Evaluation

• After you have written your quotation you must
  explain how the quotation helps you to answer the
  question.
• Does the poet use any poetic techniques?
• Do you think he is effective is getting his point
  across?
• How does this analysis help you to answer the
  question?
• This is the evaluation of the quotation.
• Your analysis must be detailed and specific.
• Do not write This shows.
• Identify the specific word(s) and the
  technique(s) utilised by the poet.

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Conclusion

• Your introduction must include
• Title
• Author
• Genre
• Link to Question
• Your personal opinion on the poem.