Seamus Heaney - Exposure

Written in 1975, the last poem of North - Exposure explores Heaney’s discomfort of his role and place in the Irish society as a poet. In writing this poem, Heaney tries to come to terms with himself and by extension, his worth as a poet. The poem itself is, to an extent, a self analysis, as Heaney poses a series of questions in the psychological fight to distinguish himself as a public figure, yet simply another individual. Heaney questions: who is he writing for, who is he needing to represent – the entire Irish community or just the minorities, and ultimately, what is his place in society?

The poem Exposure depicts Heaney’s discomfort of his role as a poet, unsure of his place in society. He expresses his frustration as he fights for a definition of self and to distinguish himself between the public image he portrays and his personal reality. The poem opens, ‘It is December in Wicklow.’ Wicklow is a place in the Republic that Heaney moves to, to escape the political and socio-cultural pressure exerted on him in Northern Ireland. December is winter in Ireland, characterised by its wet weather, it is also the end of a year. This sets up a peaceful and tranquil scene providing a time for self-reflection. It is a rainy, wintry month, the ‘alders [are] dripping,’ the ‘birches’ are fighting for the ‘last light,’ and ‘the ash tree’ is bare, too cold ‘to look at.’ These different types of trees are metaphorical. Alders are resistant to water-rot and very frequently used in the building of bridges. This acts as a symbolism for his writing, his poetry, he is able to form a bridge between himself and the people of Ireland. The birches are common in the North; they are metaphorical for those resilient individuals who fight for their voice to be heard, like the trees which fight for the last bit of sunshine available.

 

In the stanzas following, Heaney contemplates his position in society as a poet. The persona, by extension Heaney, likens himself to ‘a comet.’ Not any comet, but a comet ‘that [is] lost.’ Though the comet is part of a wide universe, it is alone. This echoes Heaney’s concerns. He feels as though he is part of the wider community of Ireland, yet he feels psychologically separated from all. He feels his voice cannot be heard, amongst the masses, that it is covered by ‘those million tons of light.’ A hyperbole is used here to depict the insignificance of the comet in universe, and therefore Heaney in society. He feels worthless. Instead, Heaney wishes for a meteorite. There is a change in tone from the second stanza to the third. The comet ‘visible at sunset’ is expected, it ‘should’ appear. Yet, the ‘falling star’ only ‘sometimes’ appears. The former is expected, whilst the latter is unpredictable. Heaney himself admires the meteorite, the ‘falling star.’ This is shown through the use of the exclamation mark. Unlike the comet which typically follows a cycle, a meteorite is free, it does not need to abide to a marked trail. Rather, it is able to float and fall whenever and wherever it wishes. This is metaphoric for Heaney, he wants to be able to express himself freely. Yet, the political circumstances in Northern Ireland do not allow for such, it forces him to choose sides, to be the voice for politics. Here, Heaney poses an important question – is he simply another insignificant individual pushed around by politics or is he a powerful figure able to freely voice his own thoughts?

In the next two stanzas, Heaney ponders his role as a poet. He repetitively asks ‘How did end up like this?’ There is a certain degree of torment shown through this as he sits, ‘weighing and weighing’ his worth. This repetition places emphasis on his vulnerable psychological state. There is a subtle change of mood, from confusion to sadness. The kind of sadness that resonates from self exile. Heaney is psychologically exiled, isolated from all groups of individuals as he is unable to satisfy the demands of one, without conflicting with the ‘anvil brains of some who hate [him].’ Heaney is frustrated that he is unable to change the perceptions of those people, close minded and devoted to their own beliefs. Once again, he questions his role as a poet, ‘For [whom]’ is he writing the poems for? ‘For the ear? For the people? For what is said behind backs?’ The ‘ear’ represents the parts of the whole, the minorities within society, like the Catholic. ‘The people’ refers to the Irish society as one and the last is making references to the divisions within society. Heaney questions himself as to who he is to please, who he serves – the minority, the various political groups or the society as a whole. 

‘Rain comes down through the alders,’ it is almost an epiphany as Heaney makes reference to the beginning of the poem. This time, the words are more definitive. Instead of the ‘alders dripping,’ he clearly states that it is the rain that makes it so. This shows a progression of thought. Here, hope is shown as Heaney gradually comes to terms with himself. He realises, despite the rain causing ‘let-downs and erosions,’ it is able to ‘[recall] the diamond absolutes.’ Here, there is an enjambment, along with a stanza break, it is a transition and it emphasises that Heaney has not fled the confusion. Through his struggle, he has ‘grown long-haired and thoughtful.’ He has gained wisdom and realised that like the ‘wood-kerne,’ the Irish soldiers who tries to keep out the British, he is able to use his writing as a way of controlling and fighting for his voice in society. Through self analysis, and this psychological fight to distinguish himself between his public image and private life, Heaney is finally able to reach a solution and ultimately realise his worth and gain a deeper insight into his role as a poet in society.

Seamus Heaney - Digging and Personal Helicon

“The principle concern of poets is either to explain themselves to the world, or explain the world to themselves.” Consider in detail the principle concerns of Seamus Heaney’s poems Personal Helicon and Digging in the light of this statement.

 

The theme of personal identity is prominent in the poems Personal Helicon and Digging by Seamus Heaney. Heaney seeks to understand and to explain the world to himself. Both poems are therapeutic and reflective in that Heaney uses the world to discover himself and his past. In Digging, the persona ‘[digs]’ through his ancestral past, prying though ‘living roots’ in an attempt to make sense of his past and therefore, able to define himself. The motif of ‘digging’ down is reminiscent of a search for a deeper idea and thus, a deeper understanding of the world. In Personal Helicon, the persona introduces the readers to wells in his childhood. Looking down into the wells is, once again, a motif for personal reflection. It offers him varied ways to perceive things, the ability to understand the versatility of humanity. It is an appreciation of the positive and negative aspects of human nature and through this, an increased awareness of his unique inner self.

The poem Digging is largely evolved around the concept of ‘digging’ down in the revelation of the persona’s past and in doing so, explaining the world to himself. The motif of ‘digging’ is present throughout the poem. At the beginning of the poem, Heaney sets the scene of the persona holding a pen ‘as snug as a gun.’ The poet uses a simile to symbolically portray the pen as having the power to record things of the past, and thus, allowing him to make sense of his past. While a spade allows for the physical act of ‘digging,’ a pen equates to the psychological act of ‘digging.’ The persona wishes to ‘follow men’ in the previous generations before him, yet he does not have the conditions to do so. Instead, all he can do is to record the memories of these motivated skilful men before him. He tries to identify the qualities possessed by his ‘old man…[and the]  old man’ before him, in an attempt to evoke family traditions, to understand his past and all those exemplary people – his father, grandfather who were the pride of their family and their community. In doing so, he is able to make sense of the world in his childhood. The poet successfully brings the readers back in time, ‘twenty years away,’ in the third stanza as his father ‘[stoops] in rhythm through potato drills.’ This allusion to music suggests that at the time of the persona’s father, the act of digging is no longer seen as a daily chore, the work required to feed the family. Instead, it is a form of enjoyment, to bind the family together as his father and him ‘picked’ the ‘new potatoes,’ loving their cool hardness in their hands.’ The poet brings the readers back even further in time to his childhood with his grandfather in the fifth stanza. There is a sudden change of tone as the persona describes his grandfather, this is done with almost a sense of pride as the persona boasts that he ‘once…carried him milk in a bottle’ and that he can ‘cut more turf in a day than any other man….’ This suggests that back in his grandfather’s days, he dug for living, for supporting his family. There is a sudden transition back to the present and the poet writes that ‘living roots’ awaken. This shows that the persona has gradually understood that different time-periods call for different treatment of the same subject, whether it is the act of digging. He realises and finally accepts that in the present, his sole task is to write. He is not able to ‘follow men like [his grandfather and others]’ simply because the context do not permit for such; instead the most he can do is to ‘dig with [his pen],’ to record the world he has finally made sense of.

Similarly, the motif of looking down into the wells in Personal Helicon allows the persona to make sense of the world. However, this time, instead of prying through ‘living roots’ into the persona’s ancestral past in differing time periods. Heaney uses different types of wells in the same time period to aid the revelation of varying ways of perceiving the world the persona lives in, allowing for an innate appreciation of the good and bad aspects of human nature, enabling him to gain an understanding of the world and ultimately, gaining awareness of himself. Aside from this, the different depth of the wells symbolises the degree of the persona’s understanding of himself. Once again, like Digging, in the beginning of the poem, the poet brings the readers back to the childhood of the persona. In the second stanza, the persona encounters a well, at this point, he describes it as being ‘so deep you saw no reflection in it.’ This suggests the persona is yet to discover things, to come to a conclusion that some things are not just what they seem, one cannot judge something only by seeing the surface of things. The next well is a shallower one, it is under a ‘dry stone ditch fructified like any aquarium.’ The use of simile and a half rhyme emphasises a slow transition of understanding the world he lives in, that beneath the surface of the dark reflection of the water, there are things much more interesting. Here, the poet makes reference to ‘long roots from…soft mulch,’ this is reminiscent of Digging in that roots symbolise family tradition; in this context, the meaning is somewhat similar and it shows the persona’s deeper understanding of things around him. The very last well that is mentioned ‘had echoes,’ this suggests the well is very shallow. It echoes back with ‘clean new music,’ yet in the next line, the well is described as ‘scaresome,’ to take this further, the poet makes mention of a rat. This sudden transition suggests that mixed with any positive things are negatives, one cannot be close minded and look at only one aspect of things and neglect the other side, but rather to take into account the whole and then make judgements based on the whole picture. At this point, the persona refers to his own ‘reflection,’ suggesting that he has finally made sense of the world and consequently, himself.

World Lit Topic

An exploration of the importance of dreams for the maintenance of the soul for the characters D-503 and Levi in We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and If this is a man by Primo Levi.

Consider the following:

• Importance of dreams
• What happens within dreams
• Define soul e.g. a person’s sense of self, the core of an individual
• How have dreams allowed for this retaining or awakening to the soul?

In If this is a man, dreams repeat, everyone shares this dream. The concentration camp tortures them in every aspect. There are no individuality, you lose individuality, all prisoners have a shared experience where they dream in similar ways. The essence of the dreams is to have basic needs met, where in reality, they cannot. 

Page 66 of If this is a man, there is this illusion of Tantlus showing that the concentration camp not only tests the physical conditions of all men, but at the same time, imposing a kind of psychological torture causing many to crumble away.

Similarities and contrasts are built up as Levi attempts to retain his soul, he is being resilient to the external influences imposed on him by the authoritarian forces  - the societal norm is taken away/disrupted. D-503 awakens to his soul for the first time.

In both texts, dreams allow for the exposure of the soul of the protagonist. This however exists in varying forms. In If this is a man, dreams represent the ‘longing for one’s home.’ It is a pain that is buried deep inside every one of the people in the Lager, the kind of emotional pain that  hides away in the day, ‘[deadened]’ and numbed by the tormenting work and the ‘interminable rhythm’ of the repetitive music played at dawn and dusk. Levi’s dream of his sister reflects his melancholy, his desire to be at home, be with someone he loves. His dream of his sister and others turning away from him, betraying him is a pain indescribable. The reality of the concentration camp is painful, both emotionally and physically, yet dreams are even more unbearable than reality. Levi emphasises that this is hell, one that challenges Man so intently that it gradually eats away his soul and diminishes him as he begin to avoid thinking about such things by placing a wall around him, he is afraid of the future because the prospect of returning home is slim and to live means to survive the present. The dreams Levi experience recur, he feels trapped by his dreams, they are like movies (‘screen of our dreams’ – page 69), they are beyond his control, and he feels powerless. ‘...grey fog’ scared him.

In We, dreams are the first things that lead to D-503’s awakening, as an individual, differentiated from the mass (first mention, yellow Buddha…). It is ‘a painful psychic sickness’ – the realisation of one’s soul. Yet, contrary to If this is a Man, it is essentially this that allows D-503 to gain individuality, to discover his soul and finally the wall which he places around him slowly disappears, he becomes no longer afraid of the infinity, of the unknown. The first dream is brief yet detailed. Initially D-503  is scared of the fog, he does not see beauty in it.  

‘“Get up”: the illusory barrier of the warm blankets, the thin armour of sleep, the nightly evasion with its very torments to pieces around us and we find ourselves mercilessly awake, exposed to insult, atrociously naked and vulnerable.’ – page 69 Dreams seem to create a barrier around the people, this disconnects with reality, with the future, though painful, it offers some other kind of relief from their current status within the camp.

Links (We and If this is a man)

We is almost a demonstration of what it would be like if the concentration camps developed further in the memoir. It seems to be a continuation of the memoir, in a sense. People at Auschwitz are considered to be the ‘impure race,’ if the elimination of these people succeeds, that particular race will become like the One State in We.

If this is a man - In numbering these prisoners, they are treated like possessions, instead of humans, their only values are to work, and it is dehumanisation. Link with We, the ciphers are known by only their numbers.

If this is a man – the prisoners look at each other and see their own reflections in the other (uniform, page 32). We – same unifs, the ciphers are alike.

Page 42 – 43 (If this is a man) – The possibility of a ‘remote future’ is slim, so slim that one cannot maintain his logic. This contrast with We in that everything is fully mathematicised and therefore logical. 

‘…it is in the normal order of things that the privileged oppress the unprivileged: the social structure of the camp is based on this human law.’ (page 50) – this relates to We in that there is a Benefactor who transcend above all the ciphers like the Kapo or the Commando and a small group of individuals, the Guardians who act like the Secret Police (SS) in If This is a Man constantly surveilling the general population. 

The Ka-Be is described as a ‘Lager without its physical discomforts.’ Self-reflections bring by emotional pain that has been numbed and deadened by the ‘hypnosis of the interminable rhythm’ of the music that sends the people away to and from work. This emotional pain allows for the realisation of a soul, and at the same time memories to resurface. It is painful yet necessary. In We, it is the Bureau of Medicine, it is essentially this that led to the awakenings within D-503 after getting a forged sick-note that exempt him from work for the day allowing him (and I-330) to experience an irrational world in the Ancient House – first encounter.

Dreams is very significant in If this is a Man, the same applies to We.

In both texts, dreams allow for the exposure of the soul of the protagonist. This however exists in varying forms. In If this is a man, dreams represent the ‘longing for one’s home.’ It is a pain that is buried deep inside every one of the people in the Lager, the kind of emotional pain that  hides away in the day, ‘[deadened]’ and numbed by the tormenting work and the ‘interminable rhythm’ of the repetitive music played at dawn and dusk. Levi’s dream of his sister reflects his melancholy, his desire to be at home, be with someone he loves. His dream of his sister and others turning away from him, betraying him is a pain indescribable. The reality of the concentration camp is painful, both emotionally and physically, yet dreams are even more unbearable than reality. Levi emphasises that this is hell, one that challenges Man so intently that it gradually eats away his soul and diminishes him as he begin to avoid thinking about such things by placing a wall around him, he is afraid of the future because the prospect of returning home is slim and to live means to survive the present. The dreams Levi experience recur, he feels trapped by his dreams, they are like movies (‘screen of our dreams’ – page 69), they are beyond his control, and he feels powerless. ‘...grey fog’ scared him.

In We, dreams are the first things that lead to D-503’s awakening, as an individual, differentiated from the mass (first mention, yellow Buddha…). It is ‘a painful psychic sickness’ – the realisation of one’s soul. Yet, contrary to If this is a Man, it is essentially this that allows D-503 to gain individuality, to discover his soul and finally the wall which he places around him slowly disappears, he becomes no longer afraid of the infinity, of the unknown. The first dream is brief yet detailed. Initially D-503  is scared of the fog, he does not see beauty in it.

‘“Get up”: the illusory barrier of the warm blankets, the thin armour of sleep, the nightly evasion with its very torments to pieces around us and we find ourselves mercilessly awake, exposed to insult, atrociously naked and vulnerable.’ – page 69 Dreams seem to create a barrier around the people, this disconnects with reality, with the future, though painful, it offers some other kind of relief from their current status within the camp.

If this is a man, page 108 – formations, this links of We, the formations of four as all march to the Auditoriums, from and to work. One accustomed to such does not think but act, to lose his place within the line could potentially be disastrous.

Close Reading - If this is a man (Chapter 1 Page 26-27 )

The passage extracted from Chapter one of If This is a Man depicts the journey and eventual arrival of Levi and his other companions to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. The journey is one that is painful, it is a descent into hell. At the beginning of the passage, Levi writes that his ‘women…parents…children disappeared.’ He used listing to introduce a tense atmosphere that draws the readers’ attention and become emotionally engaged to his journey. For Levi, the loss of family felt as though it happened ‘in an instant.’ Time is an important metaphor that conveys the concept that all external connections of these people who are about to enter the death camps are robbed from them, this is merely the first step towards the degradation of humanity.

In the place of their families are ‘two groups of strange individuals.’ This suggests that the past is gone, the pasts of these Jewish people are erased, instead they must adapt to the harsh new environment which will be there future. These seemingly odd individuals represent the future of the Jews. They are machine-like, their identity is taken away from them, they are simply ‘filthy’ and completely unaware of their ‘odd, [embarrassing] step’ and ‘comic berets.’ The Jews did not know their fate, yet their instinct tells them that this is the ‘metamorphosis’ that awaits them. 

Language is incapable of describing such conditions, of such horrific human conditions. Levi attempts to describe almost all the details of the journey to the death camp to allow the readers to gain an insight into the horrible situation that the Jewish people face. It is almost a fascination, yet a fear of an impending death and the unknown. There is little verbal communication no talk of the future, barely any of the present. The first mention of ‘tomorrow’ refers to their partial understanding that their souls will be diminished and their individualities will be taken away, just like the ‘strange individuals…[climbing] in and out of the empty wagons’ almost mechanically. Even this provides the Jews with hope, a hope of the possibility of survival and it this that they cling onto for the duration of the journey.

As the people are ‘loaded onto a lorry,’ Levi’s adopts shorter sentences to give us a sense of increasing agitation and worry. The Jews are prevented from ‘[seeing the] outside.’ Levi repetitively states this, describing the night as ‘a thick darkness.’ Darkness is a symbol, it is a representation of the blockage of knowledge. It acts as a wall that separates the known and the unknown, of the normal lives of the people towards the potential degradation of their physical and mental state. Without being able to see, despair soon arises amongst the people, Levi uses rhetorical questions to portray internal conflict. This is created due to fear and wariness of the peoples’ unknown fate. They knew that it was ‘too late, too late,’ that they are ‘all “down.”’ Repetition is used here to suggest a loss of hope, it is the beginning of the descent into hell. But being human, they cannot help but to question their fate, it is the fundamental in human nature to hold onto life, it is a fight against survival. 

Some moments later, Levi writes that the German solder ‘switches on a pocket torch.’ This faint little light source, once against fills the Jews with hope. This sudden transition provides them with a faint optimism. Combined with ‘a small private initiative’ of the German soldier, the Jews are ‘[stirred] to anger and laughter.’ The co-existence of emotions is the first mention of feelings beside fear. It relieves not only the Jews, but also the readers. This ‘private initiative’ is inherent in human nature. It is the first exposure to such primitive nature of human that Levi allows us to understand that the men are more than just as part of a mass; they are individuals. Here, it is the second time something is taken away from the people. This time, it is their personal belongings ‘money [and] watches.’ This is another piece of their uniqueness robbed, yet it is so minor compared to the relief of being able to stay alive that it is negligible and instead, brings about hope.

If This is a Man, Poem

This poem warns us to not take for granted what you have, that the unexpected - whether good or bad is always around the corner, you must always be prepared and to live everyday to the full. The title allows the readers to engage and form their own perceptions to fill the space after ‘If this is a man…’ – it is an incomplete sentence.

The repetition of ‘who’ emphasises the brutality of the death camps, he prepares the readers' mindset as we enter his experience.

The beginning and ending of the poem pose contrast, phrases with contrasting meanings are used by Levi to convey the sudden 'drop' from a place with a high level of comfort to a place where identity and individuality is non-existent.

• '...warm houses' with 'your house fall apart.'
• 'live safe' with 'illness impede you.' 
• 'returning in the evening, hot food and friendly faces' with 'your children turn their faces from you.'

'A scrap of bread' is one of the many necessities in life, yet for Levi, he has to '[fight]' for it in order to satisfy his hunger. Only in doing this, is he able to sustain his energy, to have just enough 'strength to remember' a soul that was once dignified, a body that once belonged to him and the uniqueness that distinguished him from others. Yet in the death camp, these are gotten rid of. They are left with no hair and 'without name.' 'Hair' represents the physical, external state of the person. Here, a person 'without hair' represents a person without a body, a body that is taken control of, diminished and can easily disappear with 'a yes or a no.' A person 'without name' is a person without a soul, the fundamental part of human existence. Without a soul, the integrity and the individuality of a person is lost. The slow degradation of the soul and the body is evident in the concentration camp, it robs the people of their identity and their integrity, they are simply not a man, only an 'empty' creature known by numbers.

We is almost a demonstration of what it would be like if the concentration camps developed further in the memoir. In a sense, it seems to be a continuation of the memoir. People at Auschwitz are considered to be the ‘impure race,’ if the complete elimination of these people succeeds, this particular race will become like the One State in We.

Chapter 3, Part 2, Page 84 - Words Misunderstood, Close Reading

‘The bowler hat was a motif in the musical composition that was Sabina’s life. It returned again and again, each time with a different meaning, and all the meanings flowed through the bowler hat like water through a riverbed.’

Describe the characteristics of the metaphors in passage

Bowler hat and Musical Composition as Metaphors

A musical composition consists of several motifs, each progress from the next, yet they come together harmonically. By extension, Kundera links this to the bowler hat. It is a prop used by Kundera as a metaphor for eternal return. For Sabina, there are different meanings associated with this hat, yet they are linked together like a ‘harmony.’ 

The bowler hat acts as an example of a motif in the music, and therefore the life of Sabina. The bowler hat, in itself carries five different meanings to Sabina – ‘a vague reminder of a forgotten grandfather’, ‘a memento of his father,’ ‘a prop for her love games with Tomas,’ ‘a sign of her originality which she consciously cultivated,’ and lastly ‘a sentimental object. Due to the progression of time, the subjective perceptions of this prop for Sabina differ.

How do these metaphors assist the author, as he explores his thematic concerns?

What is existence like, what is it to ‘be’?

Kundera uses these metaphors to aid his exploration of human existence. The course of the lives of an individual is like a musical composition. The heavy metaphor of music is with repetitions, yet they are modified in different ways enabling the motifs to be similar yet different, changing the ways which the individual will play that particular motif. This suggests eternal return is present in the lives of all humans, that though we only lead one life, events recur, allowing us to gain deeper understandings of us as humans. All the events merge as one and together they have one purpose – a diversity of symbols that enrich us, ‘intertwining our lives into a shared culture,’ yet still keeping us different and unique as individuals.