"Digging" by Seamus Heaney (You can comment on this poem)Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pin rest; snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
5 My father, digging. I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.
10 The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
15 By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.
My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner's bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
20 Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf. Digging.
25 The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.
Between my finger and my thumb
30 The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.
"Digging" is one of Heaney's most famous poems. Its a very personal message that conveys a lot of emotion; the isolation the speaker feels from his family, his trepidation at being the first generation not to follow in his father's footsteps, but also his resolution and determination in forging his own way.
I especially liked this poem because it felt extremely sincere, especially after I had done background research on Heaney and learned more about his personal history. I think its very easy to relate to, and conveys the difficulty and thrill of choosing your own path.
Literary Devices
1. Extended metaphor: Throughout the poem, the term "digging" is used metaphorically as well as literally. Metaphorically it is used to imply a certain way of living. The line "But I've no spade to follow men like them" (26) especially conveys this meaning, as the speaker doesn't possess the intentions or the desire to live as his father and grandfather did. Instead of the way of the life the spade denotes, he chooses the pen and the life it signifies, saying, "I'll dig with it" (31) in the final line. Although he obviously cannot dig with a pen, in this sentence the meaning is purely metaphorical to represent the speaker's choosing his own path.
2. Repetition: Throughout the poem, and even in the title, the word "digging" is often repeated because it is the central idea. The places where it is repeated- "My father, digging" (5), "he was digging" (9), and simply "Digging" (24)- are all in stanzas where he is describing his family, to reinforce the distinction between him and his predecessors.
Another instance of repetition is the phrase "Between my finger and my thumb", which appears in lines 1 and 29, at the beginning and the end of the poem. This use of repetition serves to bring the poem in a circle, as the speaker arrives back where he began but now sees things in a different way.
3. Caesura: Line 24 goes "For the good turf. Digging.", imparting the last word with a distinct heaviness that could be perceived as being preceded by a significant pause. "Digging" is the most significant phrase throughout the poem, and in this instance it appears entirely on its own, reestablishing its importance.
I have read this poem before, and I find it quite enjoyable. Like Nicky, I have found that this poem concentrates on Heaney's history, and his confidence in straying away from it. He varies his tenses in accordance with each generation he touches upon: the third generation in which his grandfather "cut more turf in a day Than any other man on Toner's bog", the second in which he describes his father in much of the poem, and the first in which he reveals that he has chosen to take on a new path. Each generation is still connected, however, by this act of "digging", even as Heaney digs up his own past with a pen. I like how Heaney incorporates family, and in doing so, he incorporates history as well. If I remember correctly, Ireland suffered from a major potato famine, and during that time, many people were forced to leave their farming lives and begin what has now become a more modern and industrial country. As Heaney talks of his own digression from his family's past of farming, he seems also to be alluding to this infamous period in Ireland's history.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very autobiographical poem for Heaney. I really liked Kate's comment about Heaney's stanza use to highlight each generation. I went back to look at that in the poem and in rereading the poem I noticed the line "to scatter new potatoes that we picked".
ReplyDeleteHeaney's use of "we" gives more detail into the speaker's decision. Also, the last line shows him arriving at this epiphany that even though his father and grandfather worked tirelessly digging he can provide for his family in a different way, by writing. Because he has subtly revealed to us that he has already begun digging it gives insight into the pressures that the speaker faces and the difficulty of the dramatic choice he is made. And it also emphasizes another theme that Heaney is trying to express: the difficulty that one faces when trying to balance past traditions with a modernizing world.
To add on to everything previously said, as I was reading this poem I felt like Heaney showed a great respect for his father and grandfather. Although he does not necessarily want to follow in their footsteps, he realizes that they picked a tough job and he commends them for it. I especially like the lines "My father digging, I look down Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low" and "By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man." I think that these two lines really show how much Heaney looks up to his father and grandfather. As I was reading it, I pictured Heaney as a young child who thinks his dad is a superhero.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the last stanza of the poem: "Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. I'll dig with it." It really tied the entire poem together for me. Instead of Heaney carrying on his family tradition of digging, he is saying that he will dig with his pen, which I thought meant he would strive to become the best writer he could be in order to make his father proud.
I like the metonymy that Nicky points out about the speaker’s “old man”; he is not only a father, but a representative of the speaker’s entire family. It emphasizes the influence and pressure that family has on the speaker’s life, always surrounded by farmers. Living in Ireland for almost forty years, it is without a doubt, Heaney would have close relations with his family, and know well of their past (the potato famine that Kate mentions).
ReplyDeleteLike Marianna, I also found the transitions that Kate noticed interesting because I didn’t noticed it how the main subject of the poem changes from the speaker to the father, then to the grandfather, and finally returns to the speaker again.
I find that the personification and onomatopoeia used throughout the poem is what shows that it is personal and brings it closer to home: “The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap/Of soggy peat…” (25-26) and “…a clean rasping sound/When the spade sinks into gravelly ground” (3-4).
This poem was particularly interesting to me. I have never been exposed to Seamus Heaney's poetry and I enjoyed reading this poem. As Marianna mentioned, this poem seems to be very personal and refer a lot to his own personal experiences. Nicky mentions how the speaker, who I'm guessing is Heaney, is worried about being the first generation to follow in the foot steps of his ancestors. He says, "My grandfather cut more turf in a day
ReplyDeleteThan any other man on Toner's bog," (17-18). This seems impressive but Heaney acknowledges that it is not the life for him. This becomes evident when the speaker says "Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them," (27-28). Heaney wishes to create a new type of life for himself rather than fall into the cycle that his ancestors did. Michaela touched upon how it seems as though Heaney admires his grandfather and father. I agree with this which is why I think this poem is interesting. Because he admires his grandfather and father, it makes it harder for him to embrace the decision he is making for fear of disappointing the individuals he looks up to.
To me in this poem, Heaney was aiming to put into words a past that he and many others experience. It carries the general theme of confronting one’s past and the conflicts that arise. I think the repetition that Nikki mentioned serves chiefly to emphasize the trepidation that the speaker experiences before he strays from the path laid out for him by his ancestors. The reader seems to come back again and again to the same idea and decision signaling his uncertainty and doubt. He fears that it might not be the correct or right choice, but ultimately like so many others he must confront the conflict alone and come to an independent decision. The final lines, “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I'll dig with it.” (29 - 31), solidifies his resolve and confidence in his decision.
ReplyDeleteIf my memory serves correct, I have read this poem in just about every English class I have ever taken in high school. Fortunately, it's an incredibly written poem, so it's not the same kind of experience the Water Cycle in science class is. I have always interpreted this poem to indicate the speaker's transformation of a typical farmer to a well-versed poet. Although he sees the value in his Irish family's history, the appeal of a pen over a shovel is clear to him. This poem can very easily be seen as an autobiography of Heaney.
ReplyDeleteLoved the poem as well as the analysis of it. Seamus Heaney is the poet of human emotions. He writers about what others feel inside their mind. For that, he makes use of several poetic devices. Everything is vividly presented here. Thanks a lot.
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