Seamus Heaney - poet of Northern Ireland

Seamus Heaney is widely recognised as one of the major poets of the twentieth century. He was a native of Northern Ireland. He was the author of over 20 volumes of poetry and criticism, and edited several widely used anthologies. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1955 for "works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past." Part of Heaney's popularity stems from his subject matter - modern Northern Ireland, its farms and cities beset with civil strife, its natural culture and language overrun by English rule.
Richard Murphy described Heaney as "the poet who has shown the finest art in presenting a coherent vision of Ireland, past and present." His poetry is known for its aural beauty and finely wrought textures. Often described as a regional poet, he is also a traditionalist who deliberately gestures back towards the "pre-modern" worlds of William Wordsworth and John Clare.
As a poet from Northern Ireland, Heaney used his work to reflect upon the "troubles", the often-violent political struggles that plagued the country during his young adulthood. The poet sought to view the ongoing Irish troubles into a broader historical frame embracing the general human situation in the books 'Wintering Out' and 'North'. While some reviewers criticized Heaney for being an apologist and mythologizer. As a poet and critic Stephen Burt wrote, he was "resistant to dogma yet drawn to the uminous." Helen Vendler described him as "a poet of the in- between."
Asked about the value of poetry in times of crisis, Heaney answered that "If poetry and arts do anything," he said, "they can fortify your inner life, your inwardness."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aims and objectives of English language teaching

             Introduction " The study of language is the foundation of all other learning. Language defines us as human. To be human is to use language and to talk is to be a person". Language is a medium of communication. English is a powerful vehicle of communication serves as a link language in a multicultural and multilingual society like India and also as a global linguistic mediator. Prof. Jacob Tharu says " English is no longer some remote but a powerful mystery, lying hidden in the world of textbooks in examination ".    Aims of English language teaching     in India In India now English exist as a second language and the aim of teaching English in India is to help students to acquire practical command on English. "Thomson and Wyatt said that Indian students should not only understand English when it is spoken or written but also should be able to speak and write it". Thomson and Wyatt has told the four specific aims of teaching Eng
Read more

Coleridge Fancy and Imagination

          Introduction The Biographia Literaria an autobiography in discourse by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which he published in 1817. It was one of Coleridge's main critical studies. In this work, he discussed the elements of writing. The work is long and seemingly loosely structured, and although there are autobiographical elements, it is not a straightforward autobiography. Although the work is not written from Coleridge's poetic mind it is still written with the qualities and rhythm of the poetic. Through this discussion, he makes many value judgements, leaving his audience with a clear understand of his stance on certain issues. Some of the issues he tackles include politics, religion, social values and human identity. He expresses his own thoughts from a personal viewpoint.            Imagination Imagination in its real sense denotes the working of poetic minds upon external objects or objects visible to the eyes. Imaginative process sometimes adds additional
Read more

W. B. Yeats as a modern poet

                    Introduction William Yeats is often considered to be the 'last romantic' as opposed to being the founding father of modern poetry. Yet one can not simply place Yeats into just one mould, one rigid and defined style of poetry because as a writer during both periods of Romanticism and Modernism, Yeats straddles the line between the two periods and incorporates 'romantic ideologies' into his modern work. His poems seen as the examples of modern liyerature. In his poems, we found astounding variety, political note, realism, religion, mysticism and so on. And all these matters have made him a true modern poet. By nature he was a dreamer, a thinker,who fell under the spell of the folklore and the superstitions of the Irish peasantry. He is a prominent poet in modern times for his sense of moral wholeness of humanity and history.             Elements of Mysticism Yeats may be credited primary with the owner of contributing the elements of myst
Read more