A speaker in Seamus Heaney's "Mid-Term Break" discusses the death of his younger brother and his funereal visit. Throughout the poem, through the content provided, Heaney suggests a general air of indifference regarding the death of the speakers 4-year old brother.
The poem begins with the speaker describing his location. He has been waiting all morning in the college's sick bay, waiting to be collected by his neighbors. The fact that he has been counting the bells shows a lack of concern for the situation and a sense of boredom. Additionally, the speaker's neighbors are his transportation, rather than his family, which suggests separateness from his family.
Continuously throughout the poem the speaker mentions the emotions of those around him however fails to state his feelings regarding the situation. "I met my father crying--He had always taken funerals in his stride--And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram...My mother..." etc. These continual references to the people around him shows the speakers focus more on the attendance of the funeral rather than the reason for their visit in the first place.
"I was embarrassed...'sorry for my trouble'". Both the fact that the speaker is embarrassed possibly suggests that he is guilty of not feeling the emotions the people addressing him assume that he is feeling. When the author puts 'sorry for my trouble' in quotes it seems as if the speaker feels it in ironic or contradictory in that he really is experiencing no trouble at all. The speaker is embarrassed that, while his mother is holding his hand and expressing genuine emotion "coughed out angry tearless sighs", these men are taking the time to shake his hand.
"Whispers informed strangers..." It is obvious that the speaker is a stranger even in his own household. This is also seen in his descriptions "the room", "the bedside","the corpse", all of which are impersonal references. The speakers description of the room and his reference to the baby as a corpse demonstrate an unfamiliarity with both the baby and his surroundings.
Finally, the speaker continuously makes note of his usual absence from the house. "Away at school", "I saw him for the first time in six weeks"...each of these imply that the speaker is typically away at school and does not usually see the baby. Also, the title, "Mid-Term Break" indicates that the boy is leaving school as a break, as it is not often he is dismissed.
Overall, the content of "Mid-Term Break" demonstrates the reader a sense of separateness from both the death of the baby and family values. Through his descriptions of others' emotions, and the quotes mentioned, Heaney portrays the character as lost in a house of genuine affection.
2 comments:
Hmmm, i never thought about the speaker describing his room or his location. I think that's an interesting thing to point out. However, i saw this poem as maybe a parent losing their son or daughter, but i guess it makes more sense when the speaker's talking about the death of his little brother. Also, i liked how you talked about the impersonal statements the "the room", "the bedside" etc. i too believe that this poem, the images and the way that Heaney chose the words really do contribute to the tone and mood of the poem.
Overall, so far, i think this is my favorite poem. ;D *random..lol
His lack of emotion compared to the people around him is a pretty interesting insight, and it's not something that ever occurred to me.
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