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“We are prepared”
The word ‘we’ is a first person plural pronoun, indicating that Heaney is not alone, but is part of a community, explaining that the poem has universal application as well as describing a storm. Heaney implies literally that a community is readying itself to endure the elements or metaphorically that they are preparing themselves for bombardment in war (an idea that Heaney returns to at the end of the poem). Confidence is suggested in the short, simple sentence, hinting that the community is accustomed to overcoming fierce elements and potentially war. It foreshadows future events in the poem, creating an atmosphere of mystery, fear and tension.
“Spits like a tame cat/ turned savage”
This is an unexpected simile and an oxymoron, until read alongside the next line - Heaney uses enjambment to surprise the reader. The ‘tamed cat’ is imagery for the sea, implying that it suddenly turned threatening and dangerous, the mood change of which is reinforced by the plosive ‘t’ and ‘c’ sounds. The simile is an example of zoomorphism as it compares nature to an animal, conveying the dual nature of weather to be both kind and healing as well as inflicting suffering an chaos. The reference to the Troubles in Northern Ireland are relevant here as it also suggests that the violence found there was a sudden and unexpected shift, causing the government to be helpless in face of the turmoil, as reflected in being the community.
“The sea is company/exploding comfortably down on the cliffs”
‘Exploding comfortably’ is an oxymoron, the contradictory terms showing how even the violent waves crashing against the cliffs are ‘comfortable’ in their time of need, demonstrating how alone the community feels during the bombardment of the weather. It could also be interpreted as mockery that the sea could be considered company. The personified ocean seems to have become accustomed to its power and is indifferent to its negative impact on humanity. The rhythm and alliteration of the plosive ‘c’s is interrupted at ‘exploding’, confusing the reader and presenting the idea that the ocean, originally considered a friend, has become something to be feared.
“But there are no trees, no natural shelter”
Heaney is dismissing the idea that the sea could be comforting, reaffirming the islanders’ isolation and their reliance on man-made structures in order to survive. This also links to the Troubles, as the storm is a metaphor for the political conflict seen there - there is no solution to protect the people of Ireland just as the community on the island are vulnerable to the elements. The caesura os the comma slows the pace of the line and emphasises the second ‘no’, revealing the islanders’ helplessness.
“We are bombarded by the empty air”
The dynamic verb ‘bombarded’ conjures images of violence and attack, and linking to the semantic field of war seen throughout the poem. The ‘empty air’ is seen as a metaphor to suggest that the conflict in Ireland has no foundation and is a struggle based on nothing. The phrase also connotes some disappointment, like the islanders were expecting and even hoping for something more tangible to blame and fight back against; but the air is not a force that they will succeed against, leaving them constantly vulnerable to the power of nature. Although the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ is used again, it doesn’t indicate the same community or confidence of in the first line, presenting the people as becoming separated as a result of the ‘bombardment’ by nature.
Heaney’s purpose
Heaney emphasises the importance of community and unification, in part by criticising the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He also suggests that humans should not underestimate the power of nature, but should respect it.
Context
Heaney was Northern Irish, and experienced The Troubles (of which the storm is an allegory for); fighting within Northern Ireland to become part of the rest of the Republic of Ireland or remain as part of the UK. Storm on the Island was published in the early years of this conflict. 4000 people were killed during its 20-year span, with hostilities ending in the Good Friday agreement.
Form and structure
The poem is one unbroken stanza, representing the unrelenting storm, with a maintained rhythm as Heaney is a spokesperson for the islanders, keeping a conversational tone. The regularity of metre but lack of rhyme scheme (which implies that order cannot be enforced on nature and that humans are powerless against it) makes the poem written in blank verse and gives it a tense atmosphere, as the reader knows that a storm is coming but doesn’t know when so cannot relax. There are breaks in the iambic pentameter, which convey the strength, violence and wild nature of the storm.
Themes
Powerlessness of humanity
Power of nature
Conflict between nature and humans
Conflict between soldiers and the community (the Troubles)
Comparison
The Prelude:
both poets explore the effects of the power of nature over people and the perceived loss of power that this causes
Similarity: both poets explore how the power of nature affects people
Difference: in Storm on the Island, nature causes a physical loss of power as the people are unable to escape, while in the Prelude, Wordsworth is affected by the power of nature psychologically as he doesn’t understand what he witnessed
