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Analysis Of Mid-Term Break

Decent Essays

Irish-native and well-known poet, Seamus Heaney, invites readers into a very intense and trying time in his personal life in his work, "Mid-Term Break." The poem is packed with various literary elements to paint the picture of the death of the speaker's younger brother and the effects it has on family members and friends. In the powerful and moving "Mid-Term Break," Seamus Heaney stresses the frailty of life and the effects that death has on loved ones.

Beginning with the title, a "break" is commonly associated with a period of rest and free time from school or work, but upon reading the poem, readers learn that this is definitely not the kind of break college students look forward to all semester. The first stanza introduces a sense …show more content…

The third stanza brings forth a mood shift when the baby sister is introduced: "The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram / When I came in, and I was embarrassed / By old men standing up to shake my hand" (7-9). The playful and innocent rhythm of the seventh line differentiates from the previously gloomy tone, providing readers a sense of anticipation that the situation is not as bad as it seems. However, it is back to reality in the fourth stanza when those men express their condolences to the young man: "And tell me they were 'sorry for my trouble,' / Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest, / Away at school, as my mother held my hand" (10-12). The men's treatment towards the young man, the hand shaking and referring to him as the "eldest," implies that he is an adult now and is respected as one. Along with the shock of the situation, the death of his brother has now forced him to grow up and realize that he is not a child anymore.

Stanza five is the first time readers are introduced the real predicament behind the poem: "At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived / With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses" (14-15). Amidst all the apprehension in the rest of the house, the older brother finally gets to see his younger brother in peace: "Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops / And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him / For the first time in six

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