Follower - Seamus Heaney

CONTEXT (Author): Who was Seamus Heaney, and what was his primary subject matter?

20th-century Irish poet. Renowned for his reflections on rural life and his connection to Irish agricultural tradition and heritage.

CONTEXT (The Poem): What relationship does the poem focus on, and what theme is explored?

Focuses on the father-son relationship through the lens of agricultural work. It explores the theme of legacy and the passing of traditions.

TITLE: Why is the title "Follower" both simple and complex?

Simple: The child physically follows the father. Complex: It suggests admiration, imitation, and support. The title later reverses when the father becomes the one following the grown son.

SUMMARY: What is the poem's central theme of Transformation?

It begins with the child admiring the father's skill, but the roles reverse. In the final stanza, the father becomes frail and dependent on the speaker, who has grown stronger and more capable.

AUTHORIAL INTENT: What is Heaney's main purpose or tone in the poem?

Observing, Reflective, Admiring, Celebrating. The tone is one of bittersweet nostalgia and devotion.

KEY QUOTATION (Father's Strength/Simile): Which simile highlights the father's power and skill?

"His shoulders globed like a full sail strung"

KEY QUOTATION (Father's Precision/Imagery): Which line describes the father's perfect, rhythmic ploughing?

"Mapping the furrow exactly"

KEY QUOTATION (Speaker's Awkwardness/Self-Criticism): Which line shows the child's lack of skill and clumsiness?

"I stumbled in his hobnailed wake"

KEY QUOTATION (Child's Perception/Failure): Which line emphasises the speaker's childish feeling of being a burden?

"I was a nuisance, tripping, falling"

KEY QUOTATION (Role Reversal/Final Stanza): Which line demonstrates the completed transformation of the relationship?

"But today...it is my father, ...bothering me, and will not go away"

KEY CONCEPT: Emulation

The speaker's desire to imitate his father's strength and skill, reflecting his need to "follow" in the footsteps of a revered figure.

KEY CONCEPT: Mastery

The father's expertise in ploughing, depicted through his skill and precision, exemplifies mastery and the hard-earned knowledge of agricultural work.

KEY CONCEPT: Tradition and Heritage

The poem captures the rural Irish tradition of ploughing, passed down through generations, highlighting the importance of maintaining these practices.

KEY CONCEPT: Familial Bonds

The relationship between the father and son is central, illustrating both admiration and the challenges of living up to the parent's legacy.

ATTITUDES: List the main attitudes and feelings.

Inadequacy, Irritation, Admiration, Stability, and Pride.

LANGUAGE (Verbs of Skill): How are verbs used to show the father's ability?

Verbs like "strained," "sweated," "narrowed," and "angled" show his physical exertion, skill, and strength.

LANGUAGE (Verbs of Awkwardness): How are verbs used to show the speaker's clumsiness?

Verbs like "tripping," "falling," "yapping," and "stumbling" highlight his own sense of inadequacy.

LANGUAGE (Imagery/Similes): What nautical imagery is used, and what does it suggest?

The comparison of the father's shoulders to a "full sail" and the description of the speaker "dipping and rising to his plod" uses water and sailing imagery to highlight the grace and fluidity of the father's work in contrast to the speaker's awkwardness.

LANGUAGE (Farming Jargon): What technical terms are used, and what do they evoke?

Farming jargon like "shafts," "furrow," "hobnailed," and "sod" evokes the agricultural world Heaney grew up in.

SOUND (Rhyme): What is the rhyme scheme, and what quality does it create?

Alternate rhyme (ABAB rhyme scheme). This creates a musical quality, reinforcing the poem's sense of order and tradition that the father embodies.

SOUND (Sibilance): What is the effect of the repeated 's' sounds?

Repeated 's' sounds in words like "sweating," "stiffen," and "sometimes" give the poem a tranquil feel, yet also create an underlying tension, reflecting the physical strain and the passing of time.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Quatrains): How is the poem physically structured, and why?

Divided into quatrains (four lines), creating a rhythmic and controlled flow that mirrors the steady, methodical work of ploughing.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Volta): Where is the turning point, and what does it reveal?

The Volta is in the final stanza. It links to the title "Follower" by showing the shift in age, strength, and responsibility (the son now leads).

FORM + STRUCTURE (Enjambment): How does the use of enjambment affect the flow?

It reflects the continuous, uninterrupted nature of ploughing and the forward movement of time, emphasising the enduring legacy of the father's work.