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Blackberry Picking
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Below is one of our free research papers on Blackberry Picking. If the term paper below is not exactly what you're looking for, you can search our essay database for other topics.
Blackberry-Picking
Seamus Heaney’s poem “Blackberry-Picking” describes the progression of the life of blackberries, from when they first ripen to when they rot, and children’s responses to each part of the transformation. Heaney uses a dominant metaphor, verse form, slant rhyme and intense clear diction to convey the deeper understanding of the poem that passion is worth experiencing despite the letdown. Through the use of a dramatic tone, Heaney is able to communicate the dominant metaphor that blackberry picking is an approach to life. Heaney uses physically intense language to illustrate this deeper understanding of the experience. The intensity is first seen in verse form because of the separation of passion and let down. The first stanza discusses the beauty of blackberry picking and the excitement the children had when they were first able to pick and taste the berries. The intensity is brought out through the illustration of the passion of the whole experience. Not only is there significance in the subjects of the verses, but there is also significance in the inconsistent rhyming pattern in the stanzas. Hard rhyme is a symbol of childhood nursery rhymes, but the slant rhyme elucidates the extremity of the passion and disappointment in the poem. There is a shift in the second verse to a discussion of the letdown that overcomes the children when the blackberries rot. The intensity of the passionate language never lets up; it simply changes the subject it is intense a...
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