Punishment by Seamus Heaney Essay Example For Students

Punishment by Seamus Heaney Essay Seamus Heaneys poem Punishment illustrates the revival of history through the eyes of an empathetic narrator and a two-thousand year old mummy. Throughout the poem, Heaney uses a very descriptive and imaginative language in order to create a tone of sympathy towards the reader; nevertheless, this tone is accompanied by a tone of adoration and admiration towards the bog girl. However, by the end of the poem, the narrator completely changes his tone from admiration to understanding and empathy for the killing of the girl. Seamus Heaney uses detailed images, a very descriptive style of diction and a simple form of structure in order to emphasize the narrators changes in tones and attitude throughout Punishment. The diction in Punishment embodies a very detailed yet grotesque style of writing. The entire poem is a description of the York Girl, a two-thousand year old petrified body which had been preserved under the earth and then dug up in 1817 in Holland. Heaney gives this fossil life through his diction by describing the state she was in when they dug her up. We will write a custom essay on Punishment by Seamus Heaney specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Heaney starts the poem using words like tug, halter, nape, neck, and naked in order to immediately establish a dark and gruesome yet depressing tone. Heaneys desire is to make the reader feel an emotion of sympathy towards the York Girl. He uses very penetrating adjectives such as amber beads and frail rigging to quickly establish this sympathetic tone. As the poem moves on, the reader notices the narrators change in attitude and feeling towards the York Girl as he begins to describe her in an admiring manner. In the seventh stanza for example, Heaney writes, our/tar-black face was beautiful. The reader notices the narrators change in tone as he uses a paradox to describe the York Girl. The last four stanzas of Punishment are completely different from the first eight. The narrator switches from describing the York Girl and starts talking directly to her. This cant be stated as Heaney uses the word you and your four times; for example, I almost love you and your numbered bones. This completely changes the tone and the atmosphere of the poem. The reader does not feel sympathy towards the York Girl anymore but empathy for her killers. He ends Punishment by writing, yet understand the exact/and tribal, intimate revenge. By the end of the poem, it is clear that the narrator too understands and accepts the York Girls punishment. Punishment contains several images which emphasize Heaneys change in his tone from sympathy to empathy. The first eight stanzas individually illustrate a gruesome picture in a passive and almost harmonic manner. her shaved head/like a stubble of black corn,/her blindfold a soiled bandage,/her noose a ring is an example of one of these penetrating yet harmonic stanzas. Heaney uses a set of horrible images yet through the use of his language, the stanza manages to remain passive and harmonic to the reader. Moreover, this stanza contains a metaphor which further adds to Heaneys penetrating yet passive tone, her shaved head/like a stubble of black corn. Heaney compares the York Girls putrefied head to black corn, emphasizing the gruesomeness of the stanza. The last four stanzas contain many images which guide the reader to understand the death of the York Girl and stop feeling sympathy. the stone of silence. /I am the artful voyeur. This line uses an alliteration to emphasize the narrators understanding of the York Girls death. Although the narrator clearly sees the suffering of the York Girl, the narrator understands that it is necessary for the York Girl to be punished, I who have stood dumb /yet understand the exact/and tribal, intimate revenge. Heaney concludes the poem without any sorrow or sympathy for the York Girl. All the images in the poem at first guide the reader using a sympathetic tone; however, Heaney completely switches his tone to one of understanding and empathy. .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .postImageUrl , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:hover , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:visited , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:active { border:0!important; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:active , .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u62c9e0e0846e57ba69fc411b991ef37d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: English Literature The Metaphysical Poets EssayThe structure of Punishment significantly serves in emphasizing Heaneys different tones throughout the poem. Heaney uses eleven stanzas which are divided into four lines each; making the poem very simple. However, the reader notices that by the seventh stanza, the narrator has switched his attitude and tone towards the object of the poem. Therefore, there are seven stanzas of description which use a sympathetic yet depressing tone and four stanzas which use a more understanding tone towards the death of the York Girl. Heaneys division of the stanzas using punctuations emphasize the meaning of the ending and the starting lines of the stanzas. The structure of Punishment although it may seem very simple is actually very helpful when analyzing the different parts of the poem. Seamus Heaneys poem Punishment manages to reveal certain characteristics which allow the reader to perfectly conceptualize the narrators emotions and attitude towards the York Girl. Through the use of several detailed and carefully selected words, Heaney is able to make a transition in not only his thoughts, but in the actual tone of the poem. Heaneys stylistic devices, such as metaphors, alliterations and juxtapositions emphasize the narrators sympathetic love, which then changes to an understanding of the bog girls death. Finally, the structure of Punishment adds and emphasizes to the tones and attitudes of the narrator and, at the end, helps the reader understand the division of Heaneys thoughts. All in all, Seamus Heanys Punishment is a perfectly established portrait of a historical event mixed with the emotions of a sympathetic and empathetic narrator.