Death of a Naturalist Seamus Heaney

1. Death of a Naturalist Seamus Heaney

2. Slide Contents Poet What is it about? Language Structure

3. Poet

4. Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland in 1939, the eldest of nine children. His father was a farmer in rural County Derry and much of Heaney's poetry is about the countryside and farm life of his childhood. At the age of 12, Heaney won a scholarship to the boarding school of St Columb's College in the city of Derry, forty miles from his rural home.

5. What is it About?

6. Death of a Naturalist Death of a Naturalist describes the exploits of a young Heaney collecting frogspawn. He remembers being fascinated by the frogspawn and recollects his teacher telling him all about frogs in school. However, in the second half of the poem, when the boy returns to the ‘flax-dam’, he feels threatened and disgusted by the frogs and flees. His interest in nature has died, hence the title of the poem ‘Death of a Naturalist’. The two verses could stand for innocence and experience.

7. Death of a Naturalist The poem uses onomatopoeia ‘slap’ and ‘plop’, alliteration ‘jampotfuls of the jellied specks’ and similes, comparing the frogs to weapons ‘poised like mud grenades’. The poem is about coming of age; the first stanza contains words such as 'mammy' which gives it a childlike feel whereas in the second stanza the boy is older and finds the frogs ‘obscene’. The final line ‘if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it’ shows the boy’s fear in contrast with his feelings in the first stanza.

8. Themes/ideas Nature Growing up Military imagery First person monologue Key Terms: Onomatopoeia Personification Simile Metaphor Blank Verse The poem

9. Death of a Naturalist All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. Then one hot day when fields were rank With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges To a coarse croaking that I had not heard Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus. Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped: The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting. I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it. ‘flax-dam’. A flax dam is a pool where bundles of flax are placed for about three weeks to soften the stems Flax is an annual plant (it grows from seed) some one to two feet high, with blue flowers Two stanzas break this blank-verse poem up. Read the poem and suggest reasons for the change of stanza 5 Positive Adventurous Full of wonder 10 15 20 Heaney explains a change in his attitude to the natural world, a sort of before and after Negative Frightened Full of disgust 25 30

10. All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. Heaney describes the simple joy of finding frogspawn as a child in a poem full of natural imagery both positive and negative. He talks of his teacher’s encouragement and of the volume of frogspawn he’d collect. Then one hot day when fields were rank With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges To a coarse croaking that I had not heard Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus. Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped: The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting. I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it. The second stanza is full of negative natural imagery as he describes his horror at a near Biblical plague plague of frogs who, he thinks, want revenge for the stolen frogspawn

11. Death of a Naturalist What is a naturalist? In what sense is one dead? All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. A metaphorical death of a metaphorical naturalist. A naturalist is a natural scientist (like David Attenborough) not a little boy. The death is the enthusiasm he had for nature and the naturalist he may have become. It’s a joke (of sorts) 5 10 15 20

12. The stanza is about childish glee. Why all the negatives? The stanza is about childish glee over frogspawn. How is it positive? All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. Does the child Heaney revel in the disgusting parts of nature? His childish curiosity making him blind to the horrible smells and sights. He does this every year. What does this tell us about the speaker 5 10 He is comfortable in his routine and these sights and sounds are familiar to him, not disgusting 15 20

13. Childish word/phrase What makes us think this is a child? All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. We are presented with images that older people would find unpleasant but here Heaney seems to enjoy them He goes to school 5 Does he really believe this was a useful tool for ‘telling’ the weather? Clear change of voice from more sophisticated language to that of a child suggesting Heaney is reliving his memories 10 15 20

14. What is the tone, mood of this stanza? How should it be read? All year the flax-dam festered in the heart Of the townland; green and heavy headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies, But best of all was the warm thick slobber Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied Specks to range on window-sills at home, On shelves at school, and wait and watch until The fattening dots burst into nimble- Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how The daddy frog was called a bullfrog And how he croaked and how the mammy frog Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too For they were yellow in the sun and brown In rain. This stanza is very descriptive, the poet wants you to see and feel (share) in his childish joy Describing, in detail, the frogspawn becoming tadpoles suggests his wonder at the experience 5 10 Could this suggest the explosive excitement he feels each time he sees this happen 15 20

15. We have moved forward from spring to a ‘hot’ possibly summer’s day. Is this the same summer or is he older? Is this the end of part of his childhood? Then one hot day when fields were rank With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges To a coarse croaking that I had not heard Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus. Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped: The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting. I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it. The familiar, friendly, comfortable childhood routine has become a nightmare The mood is very different to the first stanza. Look at the language used 25 30 Heaney imagines the frogs have gathered to claim revenge on him for stealing the frogspawn (their young) and if he tries to take more it would grip his hand

16. In the first stanza Heaney impresses upon the reader the images of his idyllic summer The frogs were personified as ‘mammy’ and ‘daddy’ by the teacher and the young Heaney continues this theme. They’re ‘angry’ ‘kings’ who are gathered for ‘vengeance’ Then one hot day when fields were rank With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges To a coarse croaking that I had not heard Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus. Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped: The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting. I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it. Military imagery is used to evoke a feeling of fear in the reader but also to suggest the young Heaney’s fear Heaney uses onomatopoeia to give the reader a real sense of the horror he felt. He attempts to immerse the reader in the sounds. 25 30 The fear and discomfort may also come from this unusual invasion of a regular childhood haunt; could he be indignant at the intrusion of a ‘nature’ he is not used to? The moment that the “Death of a Naturalist” occured

17. Review • How would you react (as a young adult or as a child) to the sight of a horde of frogs invading a familiar place? • How far does this poem tell the truth about frogs and how far does it tell the reader about the power of imagination? • Is this poem comic, serious or both? How should it be read? Amused, horrified, embarrassed? Find quotations for each interpretation. • Heaney describes the frogs' heads as “farting”. As a boy he might have said this word to friends, but would not repeat it at home or write it in school work. How does it work in the poem? • Is it a good idea for teachers of the young to explain how animals live by describing them in human terms, like “mammy” (mum or mummy) and “daddy”? • How truthful is the title? Did Heaney really lose his interest in, and love of, nature. Or does the poem record only a dramatic change of attitude, or something else? Does this poem have anything in common with other poems by Heaney? • Many of Heaney’s poems show him not to be a real country person (like his father and grandfather) What else suggests this?

18. In this poem Heaney describes collecting frogspawn as a child but can you say exactly what is happening? What’s going on?

19. In this poem Heaney describes collecting frogspawn as a child but can you say exactly what is happening? What’s going on?

20. Check Your Understanding How much do you know about Seamus Heaney and the poem Death of a Naturalist? • Where are many of Heaney’s poems set? • What activity did Heaney enjoy as a child? • What sights and sounds are described in the first stanza? • Who is Miss Walls and what did she tell Heaney? • What happens when the boy returns to the dam? • What simile is used to describe the adult frogs? • What words suggest that the child is disgusted and afraid?

21. Language &Structure

22. Glossary Match the vocabulary from the poem with the correct definition: Naturalist a transparent fabric Festered a person interested in nature Gauze lumps of grassy earth Pulsed a fat and disgusting stomach Flax-dam a strong offensive smell Townland throbbed Sods rotten or decayed Rank an area of the countryside Gross-bellied a dam made of the plant flax

23. Language Sensual The poem is full of sensual imagery. Heaney brings the flax-dam alive in our imaginations by describing the sights, sounds and smells of the place. Child speak When Heaney writes about childhood he uses words such as ‘daddy frog’ and ‘mammy frog’. He also includes long, rambling sentences to replicate how a child speaks. Military Language In the second stanza the poet uses words such as ‘threats’, ‘grenades’ and ‘invaded’ to convey the child’s fear.

24. Imagery Find imagery from the poem which appeals to our senses and explain their effect.

25. Imagery Find examples from the second stanza which suggest that the frogs have become an enemy ready to attack.

26. Poetic Techniques TechniqueDefinition Simile Using as or like to compare two things (her eyes shone like diamonds) Metaphor The use of the same letter at the start of words (the sea sizzled on the sandy shore) Alliteration A figure of speech not meant literally (I was over the moon) Onomatopoeiadescribing an object as if it had human qualities (The lonely crippled tree) PersonificationA word which imitates the sound it represents (smash, crack, plop) Match the technique with the correct definition.

27. Poetic Techniques Think about the poetic techniques used in the poem. Copy down the chart below. Find examples in the poem and write down the effect created.

28. Structure The structure of the poem Death of a Naturalist emphasises the theme of the poem. The first stanza represents the innocence of childhood, the boy feels safe, happy and secure playing in the dam and collecting frogspawn. Words such as ‘delicately’, ‘mammy' and ‘daddy' convey this sense of childhood innocence and happiness. However in the second stanza, when the frogspawn hatches, feelings of joy are eclipsed by fear. The boy feels ‘sickened’, the ‘slime kings’ offer ‘obscene threats’ and the boy fears that if he put his hand into the spawn now it would clutch it. The second stanza represents experience, the poem is about growing up. Heaney sees nature differently from when he was an infant and the two stanza structure conveys this change.