seamus heaney - follower

simile - “his shoulders globed like a full sail”

“globe” suggests that his father means the world to him

nautical imagery reflects his ability to carry a large load - the responsibility of guiding a boat through the ocean - giving him power and dominance which his son idolises

semantic field of perfection/accuracy - “expert” “narrowed” “angled” “exactly”

speaker idolises his talent for his father’s trade and emphasises his god-like perception of his father

transposed sentence - “yapping always”

speaker is overwhelmed by admiration for his father

references their potential lack of education as they’re farmers

caesura - “An expert.”

singles him out from the rest putting him on a pedestal and representing poet’s god-like perception of him

speaker’s idea of him is not open for challenge as he can’t be convinced that his perception is wrong

half rhyme - “plough” & “follow”

symbolises how the son tries to be his father but this is unnatural

cont. - Heaney became a teacher instead of a farmer

volta - “But today,”

reversed roles as son now has to look after his father which disrupts his own life and he no longer sees his father as a hero due to them both growing up

regular quatrain format + ABAB rhyme scheme

regular experience of a father-son relationship