Seamus Heaney & Tony Curtis Essay -- English Literature

Seamus Heaney & Tony CurtisOn initial reading both the companion and Strongman are patently about asons relationship with their father. Whilst this relationship is acentral theme of both meters, the poems also explore a range of issuesincluding cultural identity, guilt and well-disposed class. This essay willattempt to analyse both poems individually and to also identify areasof conflict and similarity between the poems.The first two words of Follower by Seamus Heaney are My father whichimmediately establishes the poets emotionally involved relationshipwith the subject of the poem. In contrast the poet of Strongman writesin the third person for the majority of the poem and it is only reallyin the last two lines that the poet establishes that he is addressingthe poem to the son. some(prenominal) poems create a vivid picture of physically strong fathers who communicate on their physical strength by undertaking skilled manual jobs tosupport their families My father worked with a hor se-plough and Acarpenter who could punch nails into wood with a clench fist. SeamusHeaney employs the use of a number of sea images in helping the readerto visualise the immense strength and stamina of his fathers bodyHis shoulders globed bid a full sail strung and Sometimes he rodeme . Dipping and rising to his plod. Similarly Tony Curtis employspowerful visual imagery to illustrate the father in his poem as thepivot of a roundabout with his five sons as seats/chairs swinging fromhis arms as he would stretch his arms and take care his five sons fromthem, turning like a roundabout. This is a very successful simile asit encapsulates the swinging motion of the father playing with hischildren and on a deeper note the fathe... ...man focuses on the reversed roles of thefather and son. The original role of the father as the provider andcentral axis in the family has now disappeared to the finis that itis now the son who not only cares for the father physically but alsoemotionally as he reassures the father with No trouble - he said, notrouble, Dad. The final likes of the poem encapsulate the indignitiesof sickness and old age. The use of minimalist, stark language,without the use of unnecessary adjectives heightens the poignancy ofthe last lines.In purpose both Follower and Strongman are brief but effectivepoems that successfully portray father - son relationships. Thereaders are allowed an intimate snapshot/glimpse into theserelationships. Both poems describe the permanent bonds between fathersand sons whilst also effectively addressing how these bonds evolve.