Death of a naturalist

Structure

• Iambic pentameter- 10 syllables in each line- emphasises childlike innocence- does

sound as it child wrote the poem himself

• Split into two stanzas- turning point of boys perception of nature- even though
everything is exactly the same

• Enjambment

- “Warm thick slobber...grew like clotted water...”. this quickens the pace and
illustrates his childlike excitement

Language

• Past tense- suggests this may be Heaney’s memories

• Creates effect of childlike innocence/ enthusiasm

- Examples of sight, sound, touch and smell:

“festered...rotted...gargled...bluebottles...strong gauze of sound...dragon-flies,
spotted butterflies...thick slobber...frogspawn”- helps it have the intimacy of an
actual childhood discovery- recreates the atmosphere with accuracy and vividness

- Huge sense of exploration which inevitably leads to troubled awareness

- Enjambment- “Warm thick slobber...grew like clotted water...” This quickens the
pace and illustrates his childlike excitement

- References to common things children have: “clotted...jellied”- like cream and jam-
something sweet to be enjoyed

- “Miss Walls would tell us how the daddy frog...”- almost imagine and hear the
teacher saying this herself and can imagine group of children taking in every word
she says. The language is simple and is how primary school teachers talk to their
pupils

- “nimble swimming”- the “I” sound sounds light and shows how much enthusiasm he
has and how much he is enjoying this

- 1st stanza- “heavy headed...sweltered...punishing sun...sound around”- makes it

flow better and faster to emphasise his enthusiasm and make it sound more
childish- as if he wrote the poem himself as a young child

- gargled delicately”- delicate, pleasant sounds- emphasise his like

• Change is linked to education and learning

- “miss walls...shelves at school”- shows progression from innocent/ unquestioning

child to an experienced/ reflective adult

• Language to suggest adolescence

- “bass...gross-bellied...coarse croaking” remind us that the boy is going through

body changes and expresses boy’s fear and distaste of the physical and sexual
changes of adolescence

• Complex language/feeling of unpleasantness in second stanza

 - “invaded the flax-dam...air was thick with a bass chorus”- shows that he has
developed into a more mature adult

- Language to suggest adolescence- “bass...gross-bellied...coarse croaking” remind

us that the boy is going through body changes and expresses boy’s fear and
distaste of the physical and sexual changes of adolescence

- “Gathered there for vengeance”- shows increased awareness and personal

responsibility. As a child he simply collected the frogspawn but now he reflects on
the meaning and consequences of what he has done and feels he will be punished
for it.

- “One hot day when the fields were rank” makes the day seem really uncomfortable
and stuffy as there is no pleasantness in the lines to come which cancel out this
stuffy heat, unlike in the first stanza. “rank” reinforces that his perception of this
weather is now horrible and nasty

Imagery

• Simile

- “frogspawn that grew like clotted water”- heavy sounding word- see below

- “pulsed like sails”- makes them sound horrible and threatening

• Personification (military vocabulary)- see below

Sound

• Insects

- “strong gauze of sound”- the “s” and “z” convey the sounds of insects

• Sounds he can hear- first stanza

- “gargled delicately”- delicate, pleasant sounds- emphasise his like

• Words that sound heavy

- “heavy headed...weighted down...huge sods...thick slobber...clotted”- there are lost

of “o” and “u” sounds that sound heavy and create the atmosphere that the day is
hot, unpleasant and muggy. When you feel weighted down and don’t want to do
anything. This shows the child’s innocence because he has enough energy and
enthusiasm to take delight in the day and the flax-dam. The day could be a
metaphor for how flax is weighted down to make linen

• Light sounds

- “nimble swimming”- the “I” sound sounds light and shows how much enthusiasm he
has and how much he is enjoying this

• Alliteration/ assonance

- 1st stanza- “heavy headed...sweltered...punishing sun...sound around”- makes it

flow better and faster to emphasise his enthusiasm and make it sound more
childish- as if he wrote the poem himself as a young child

- 2nd stanza- “Coarse croaking”- the “o” sound sounds heavy again- but on this day
he does not have the enthusiasm of a child- expresses his dislike now

• Sounds he can hear- second stanza

 - “coarse croaking...farting”- no longer delicate but masculine and unpleasant

• Onomatopoeia

- “slap and plop”- this slows down the pace and the full stop at the end emphasises
the threat of the flax dam

Themes

• Military vocabulary

- “invaded...cocked...obscene threats...mud grenades” these are all personification

and shows how much of a threat he sees the frogs are

• Changes between childlike innocence and an adult

- Complex language in second stanza- “invaded the flax-dam...air was thick with a
bass chorus”- shows that he has developed into a more mature adult

- Language to suggest adolescence- “bass...gross-bellied...coarse croaking” remind

us that the boy is going through body changes and expresses boy’s fear and
distaste of the physical and sexual changes of adolescence

- “Gathered there for vengeance”- shows increased awareness and personal

responsibility. As a child he simply collected the frogspawn but now he reflects on
the meaning and consequences of what he has done and feels he will be punished
for it.