follower

The poem Follower reflects Heaney’s childhood memories on the farm he grew up on, emphasizing his admiration for his father's strength and skills.
Heaney contemplates his heritage and identity, noting his choice to pursue a different path than his father, which leads to a complex relationship.
The poem concludes with a role reversal where Heaney’s father follows him, highlighting the evolution of father-son relationships over time.
Explores the influence of significant figures in Heaney's life and their impact on his transition from childhood to adulthood.

**Introduction of the Father: **
- The speaker introduces his father as a skilled farmer.
- Compliments the father's expertise in working with machinery and managing the fields.
**Childhood Reflection: **
- The speaker contrasts his clumsy behavior with his father's capabilities.
- Remembers being carried on his father's back, expressing a desire to emulate him.
**Role Reversal: **
- Concludes with a description of the father now following the son, indicating a shift in their relationship.

**Seamus Heaney (1939-2013): **
- Originated from a strict farming community in Northern Ireland where physical labor was highly valued.
- As the eldest of nine children, Heaney felt pressure to conform to farming traditions.
**Related Works: **
- Follower is from the collection Death of a Naturalist (1966), which contains poems centered on rural life.
- Comparisons with Digging: expresses autobiographical elements regarding family and connection to nature.
**Influences: **
- Draws inspiration from poets such as John Keats, William Yeats, and Patrick Kavanagh, who focused on rural life.

Admiration:
- The speaker expresses deep admiration for his father's skills.
Identity:
- Struggles with personal identity in relation to familial expectations.
Physical Labor and Livelihood:
- The theme of hard work inherent in farming reflects the broader context of Heaney’s upbringing.
Paternal Relationships:
- Explores the dynamics of father-son relationships and the transitions they undergo over time.

Cyclical Narrative:
- Begins with the son following his father and ends with the father following the son, emphasizing the cyclical nature of their relationship.
Rhythm and Meter:
- Predominantly iambic tetrameter with lines around eight syllables long, helping establish a steady rhythm reflective of the father-son bond.
- The varying rhythm reflects the incomplete aspects of the relationship.
Stanza Form:
- Organized into quatrains (four lines) with an ABAB rhyme scheme, providing structure mirroring the plowed fields he describes.
Transposed Sentences:
- Use of non-standard grammar to evoke traditional dialect and highlight the speaker's admiration, such as “Yapping always.”

Imagery and Symbolism:
- Uses rural imagery (e.g., “horses”, “land”) to ground the poem in Heaney's upbringing.
- Technical farming terms like “sod”, “headrig”, and “furrow” emphasize his connection to his background while also isolating less familiar readers.
Sound Devices:
- Consonance: E.g., the ‘k’ sound in farming terms, creating a sturdy rhythm.
- Onomatopoeia: Words such as “pluck,” “yapping,” and “clicking” enhance the auditory experience of farm life.
Similes:
- Comparison of the father's shoulders to a sail, indicating admiration and power.
Active vs. Passive Verbs:
- Contrast between the active role of the father and the passive role of Heaney during childhood.

Follower and Before You Were Mine:
- Both are written in first-person perspective, focusing on childhood and familial relationships.
Follower and Climbing My Grandfather:
- Similar themes in idolizing family members but with different structures and perspectives (Heaney reflects on the past versus Waterhouse's present perspective).
Follower and Mother Any Distance:
- Both address parental admiration but diverge in their thematic exploration of distance versus closeness in relationships.
Follower and Eden Rock:
- Similar admiration for parents and structured stanzas but differ in focus (general relationship versus a specific memory).