From the poetry you have studied show how the parent/child relationship is one of strong emotions

In Heany’s Digging we are greeted by a scene depicting him, in his bedroom performing his passion of writing. Upon looking out the window he is immediately greeted by his father in his passion of work. This poem is one of separation of family tradition and the tenacity of a poet. From Heanys language we immediately see he has respect for his father. The enjamed lines reflect his father’s skill and the flashback is representative of when his father was at his peak.

It is also clear that both the parent and the son are equally dedicated to their profession as the language mirrors Heanys pen “snug as a gun” while his father “could handle a spade. ” He uses this term to show how he wants to be skilled and accurate in his works. Just like a gun is made to fit the hand of shooter, so too does Heany’s pen easily fit in his own. These two lines also emphasise Heanys admiration of his father and the fact that he has broken tradition When Heany goes on to talk about his grandfather, he is himself as a young boy glad to be out working with the men.

This ideal changes in the adult Heany; “But I’ve no spade to follow men like them. ” Heany is showing that although he admires his father and his career, he is not willing to follow him and prefers to practise his own skill of poetry: “The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it. ” The description of cutting roots is also symbolic with the cutting of roots within his family and within digging the roots of his memory. Instead he likens the skill of poetry to that of digging. It is in this that he has truly been separated from the traditions of his forefathers. In his other poem Follower, Heany is still in awe of his father at the start of the poem.

He is likened unto a sailor and as a craftsman: “His shoulders globed like a full sail strung Between the shafts and the furrow” Heany, after complimenting his father, goes on to describe how he pales in comparison to him as he “stumbled” and “Fell” after him. He writes that it was once his dream to plough the fields but that he could not emulate the proficiency of his parent. “All I ever did was follow In his broad shadow round the farm” The poem closes with lines that contrast with this in the previous stanza: Heany is now followed by his father and this shows how their relationship has finally collapsed.

In both of the poems, the author has described his childhood awe and respect for figures that to him, truly embodied men. These feelings eventually ebb away as it becomes apparent that the dexterity of his kin far exceeds his own:” The sod rolled over without breaking… (His eyes) Mapping the furrow exactly. ” He uses reprimanding language to depict himself: “I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,” Although he does not become a farmer himself, Heanys high opinion of the class does not completely disappear as an adult. His comparison of poetry to farming shows that he wishes to emulate his fathers immense talent and focus it into literature.

This clearly shows a strong emotional tie to his intimates. Heanys father constantly follows him now, trying to convince him to continue the family custom and this further drives the two apart. In conclusion the two poems show that the strong emotional ties between the father and the son were damaged due to Seamus’s rebellion against values that his family had worked so hard for and that his fervour for the art of poetry was enough to excommunicate him from the people closest to him. Finally it shows through his connection between poetry and farming, that the links he has made as a child still manage to direct his future.