Exploring the Father-Son Relationship in Seamus Heaney's "Follower

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STARTER The poem you are about to read is called Follower . Before we do this, I want you to think about the connotations of word, follower . You may want to consider: When you might use the word follower The opposite of following When following can be a positive thing and when it can be negative If following is sometimes necessary

Follower by Seamus Heaney

LESSON OBJECTIVES TO KNOW TO KNOW the poem Follower TO UNDERSTAND... TO UNDERSTAND... the relationship presented in Seamus Heaney s Follower TO BE ABLE TO TO BE ABLE TO Select apt quotations to support your ideas and analyse the effects of language, form and structure

Lets read the poem! Now we ve read the poem, draw the table below. Write a summary about what happens in each of the stanzas. Comment on what is being described and whether any feelings are shown and your general observations. Stanza Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6 Overview Overview In this stanza

Brief Summary of Follower Seamus Heaney was brought up on a farm in Northern Ireland. In this poem he remembers life on the farm. In the first three stanzas he remember his fathers skill at ploughing. He describes accurately the whole process of ploughing a horse-drawn plough. Often as a boy Heaney would follow his father as he ploughed. Sometimes he would stumble on the uneven ground and his father would carry him on his back. At this stage of his life Heaney wanted to follow in his father s footsteps to become a farmer and plough the land, like his father. Heaney says he must have often been a nuisance tripping, falling and constantly chattering. All he did was follow his father around the farm. In the final lines, Heaney says that now that he is older and a poet, it is his father, in a way, who follows him. He is constantly in the poet s thoughts, and will not go away .

WHATS IT ABOUT? The poem explores the relationship between a father relationship between a father and son. and son. Most of the poem is made up of a memory memory, as the son remembers following his father around with plough. In the final verse of the poem, the speaker reflects on how their relationship has changed relationship has changed.

Follower Glossary Word Word Globed Meaning Meaning The shape of his father s shoulders as he bent to his work/ rounded like a ships sail Part of the plough the farmer holds these to guide the plough Farmers controlled their horses with clicking noises from their mouths Part of the plough the angle of the blade cutting into the earth The end of the field where the plough needed to be turned round to plough the other way Long, narrow trench made by a plough Surface layer of soil or grass Shafts Clicking Tongue Wing sock Headrig Furrow Sod

Follower Glossary Word Word Globed Meaning Meaning The shape of his father s shoulders as he bent to his work/ rounded like a ships sail Part of the plough the farmer holds these to guide the plough Farmers controlled their horses with clicking noises from their mouths Part of the plough the angle of the blade cutting into the earth The end of the field where the plough needed to be turned round to plough the other way Long, narrow trench made by a plough Surface layer of soil or grass Shafts Clicking Tongue Wing sock Headrig Furrow Sod

Technical points notes 1. The poem is in four line stanzas. Each stanza is rhymed a b a b . The rhymes are sometimes half rhymes e.g. plough and furrow (lines 1 and 3) and sock and pluck (lines 6 and 8) 2. The stresses in the poem are loosely controlled, creating the rhythms of natural speech. The are four or sometimes three stresses in each line. 3. The sound in Heaney s poems in always carefully orchestrated use of assonance. 4. Imagery his father s skill and power/movement on the farm is compared with references to the sea and navigating a ship as it is so precise and careful. 5. Onomatopoeia effective examples: clicking tongue and yapping are some examples. 6. Caesura - Line 22, But today these words change the subject from the past to the present a technique called a caesura.

Assonance occurs when vowels are repeated in words that are close to each other the effect is to set the mood or add meaning to the word. The Feast Of Famine by Robert Louis Stevenson: From folk that sat on the terrace and drew out the even long Sudden crowings of laughter, monotonous drone of song; The quiet passage of souls over his head in the trees; And from all around the haven the crumbling thunder of seas." Farewell, my home," said Rua. "Farewell, O quiet seat! To-morrow in all your valleys the drum of death shall beat.

An example of a response to assonance... Heaney uses assonance to convey the precision with which the blade ploughs through the ground, narrowed and angled at the ground . The a sound is short and harsh, this illustrates how the blade cuts through the sods with precision. It could also emphasise how Heaney s father uses his skill when farming again showing his admiration of the work his father does.

Imagery in Follower Use another colour in your key to highlight imagery. Look for references in the poem to movement, waves, ships or the sea. The father's shoulders are like the billowing sail of a ship. The sod rolls over without breaking (like a wave). The child stumbles in his wake and dips and rises (like waves) on his father's back. Mapping the furrow is like navigating a ship. What is the significance of including these nautical references? What does it emphasise?

Onomatopoeia in Follower Onomatopoeic words are words which sound like the word they are describing e.g. Crash, bang, smash. Highlight all the examples of words which create a sound in the poem. These words also tend to be verbs active verbs or the present participle with an ing ending (some aren t onomatopoeic!). What is the effect of these words? Try to combine your answer with the imagery response, as they go hand in hand. How do the active verbs/present participles, imagery and onomatopoeia work together, to present the image of the father working and Heaney following?

VERSES 1-3 PRESENTATION OF THE FATHER In the first three verses, what do you learn about what the son admires about his father? Find quotations and explain your ideas clearly. What is Heaney implying with the simile: His shoulders globed like a full sail strung/ Between the shafts and the furrow ? What is the effect of this image? How does Heaney show the dominance of his father over the land and the earth? You might want to start by looking at the verb choices. Look at the organisation and structure of the verses e.g. enjambment, caesura, length of each verse. Why might Heaney have organised it this way? 1. 2. 3. 4.

VERSE 4-6 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FATHER AND SON What impression do you get of the son? Find quotations and explain your ideas clearly. Why are the sods described as polished? What might the symbolism of ploughing be? What might it represent to the son? What does it mean to follow in someone s shadow? Do you think it is a good thing? In the last verse, where does the turn occur? What has changed in the relationship and why might this have happened? What do you notice about the rhyme pattern in the final stanza? Why is the title of the poem so important? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Developing your ideas... 1a) Look carefully at how the narrator describes himself. How does he see his own skill? 1b) What did he think of his father when he was young? How does this different from how he sees his father now? 2) Look carefully at the structure of the poem. Why do you think Heaney decided to end the poem with the description of the father in the present? Use PEE to construct your answers!!