Critical Essay on &Lsquo;mid Term Break’

‘Mid Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney is a sad poem about the poet being taken home by his neighbours from his school because his younger brother had been knocked over by a car. I am going to write about how Heaney has increased my appreciation of the poem when he was putting across his message of grief.

In stanza one, we learn that something is wrong as he had been waiting all morning in school for his neighbours to collect him. Heaney uses ‘bells knelling’ this tells us that someone has died because a bell usually knells if someone has died.

In stanza two we first find that someone has died when Heaney writes of his father: ‘He had always taken funerals in his stride.’ This is then followed by an ironic pun ‘And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.’ This is ironic because he is called “Big Jim Evans” which gives us an image of a big man saying it was a hard blow to a man which usually takes funerals in his stride.

In stanza three the poet uses enjambment by writing ‘I was embarrasses by old men standing up to shake my hand.’ This tells us that Heaney was frightened by all the people shaking his hand at the sad time.

In stanza six Heaney makes a tone of regret by writing ‘I saw him, for the first time in six weeks, Paler now’ Also in stanza 6, Heaney writes a metaphor ‘Snowdrops’. This is very clever because Snowdrops have a short time in bloom. He also writes ‘Candles’ which put across a soothing tone as it is a symbol of purity.

In stanza seven and eight there is a contrast as the boy lay in his coffin.

Heaney word choice is quite unusual because he writes ‘wearing a poppy bruise’ as if it could be taken off, when writing in his brother’s injury. This increased my appreciation because although it was unusual, it is good because it is a symbol of remembrance and poppy’s use as an opiate.

The theme of the poem is Heaney’s grief. This is a good theme because it draws the reader into read more.

The imagery that is built up is good because he does well to describe everything.

Overall, I like this poem because I like the techniques and words that he has used to put across his message of grief.