Evaluate the Effectiveness and Presentation of Themes in the Poem 'Storm on the Island' by Seamus Heaney

How can we evaluate the effectiveness and presentation of themes in the poem 'Storm on the Island'?

Seamus Heaney was a Northern Irish poet who won the Noble Prize for Literature in 1995. This poem was written in 1966 and he died in 2013.

He often wrote about themes such as nature, childhood, and his homeland. 

There was a lot of conflict in Northern Ireland when Heaney was writing.  There was conflict between Catholics and Protestants, as well as Irish Republicans who wanted independence from Britain. 

 We're going to think about how this conflict might be an extended metaphor for the "storm" at the centre of the poem.

Can you now grab your Power and Conflict anthology to help you, and a pen and paper to make notes?

We'll be looking at themes and motifs, their presentation and how they develop in the poem.

These are the themes we'll be looking at:

The power of nature

The conflict between nature and man

Fear and helplessness

Conflict

So, when you're ready - let's make a start!