The Early Purges by Seamus Heaney

English poetry for Junior Cert

Simile

“Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone”

“Turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung”

Alliteration

“@@p@@u@@p@@s are @@p@@rodded to drown”

Colloquial language

“Scraggy wee shits”

“Bloody pups”

Onomatopoeia

“Sluiced”

Dialogue

“‘Sure, isn’t it better for them now?’”

Themes

Death, childhood, growing up, maturing

Sibilance

“@@S@@till, living displace@@s@@ fal@@s@@e @@s@@entiment@@s@@”

“Dan trapped big rat@@s@@, @@s@@nared rabbit@@s@@, @@s@@hot crow@@s@@”

Theme- Maturing

“But on well run farms, pests have to be kept down”