Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Form and Meter
Heaney's keeping things tight and orderly in this poem. Each stanza (group of lines) is made up of four, alternately rhyming lines to make an ABAB rhyme scheme. So, the first line in each stanza rh...
Speaker
Get ready to get dirt under your fingernails. The speaker is the son of a farmer. He admires his father, and spends much of his young years following him around the field, stumbling and chatting, t...
Setting
Anyone down for a trip to the Irish countryside? This poem will take you there without the cost of airfare or the hassle of the TSA (yes, you can keep your shoes on—though we won't tell if you do...
Sound Check
The quatrains with regular rhyme (both end and slant) make for built-in sound effects. Heaney also establishes a predictable rhythm, too (even if the meter is not consistent), with lines that are c...
What's Up With the Title?
The title really makes us want to dive into the poem to discover who is following whom, and who is the leader. Maybe it could be a mysterious poem (think crime show stalker), or maybe it could be a...
Calling Card
Loafers beware: Heaney has a habit of glorifying hard work, particularly manual labor, in his poetry. Often, just as in this poem, there is a member of the younger generation looking up to a man of...
Tough-o-Meter
As long as you're paying attention, you won't likely get lost in this poem. The action is fairly straightforward, but be prepared for a surprise ending. Your standard gear will do for this one, so...
Trivia
Heaney was the eldest of nine kids. (Source.)Heaney died after a short illness in Dublin, Ireland. Total bummer. (Source.)At Heaney's alma mater, Queens University, there is now The Seamus Heaney C...
Steaminess Rating
This poem is strictly a father-son thing. There is no romance within a hundred yards of these two.