Mid Term Break by Seamus Heaney

Analyze the poem “ Mid Term Break” emphasizing how the poet has described death and grief in the poem.

                                                                “Mid term break” was written by Seamus Heaney, an Irish poet who lived together with nine siblings. Many of his works are about everyday life, a testimony to his profound observations of even the smallest things. This poem, “Mid term break”, was a reflection of his brother, Christopher’s death.

                                                                Although it is entitled “Mid Term Break”, the poem is far from cheerful. The ideas of death, trauma, grief and despair are explored here. The tone of the poem is somber and solemn. The narrator may seem a little detached as well. He does not show any outward sign that he is grieving too much over the death of his brother, but traces of his sadness could be seen in the times when he recalls memories of his brother, “the baby cooed and rocked the pram” and “lay in the four foot box as in his cot”.

                                                                Heaney delivered the poem shrouded in mystery. His introduction in the first stanza does not give the audience a clue about what would happen next. It had a relaxed, happy tone, and gives us the impression that he had all the time in the world to spare. This was shown by the act of “Counting bells knelling classes to a close”, making  the first stanza seem to last a long time.

 These words supports the previous line, “waited all morning”. Also, the allusion to “classes” and “college sick bay” suggests that the narrator was still slightly naïve and youthful at the time. When the “neighbors drove” him home, the sense of mystery begins to build up.

                                                                Upon arriving at his home, he “met his father crying”. Here, the ideas of grief, trauma and the resulting disorientation are explored. A father represents a strong pillar within the family, but here, the poet showed how much the shock of the death of a close family member could cause even the strongest pillar to collapse.

                                                                His father had “always taken funerals in his stride”, and could show that deaths were quite common, however, they had never expected it to hit so close to them. The mention of a “hard blow” had both a physical and emotional meaning in the text. It could refer to the physical impact of the accident on the poet’s brother, and it may also refer to the immense emotional trauma experienced by the family members.

                                                                Heany had also referred to his brother as a “baby”, and in line 18, it was the “first time in six weeks” he was seeing him. This suggests that the poet had only a fleeting memory of his brother, and most of his memories were concerned with him when he was a baby, “cooing and rocking the pram”. To me, I find that this part is the most tear jerking part of all, as it describes the poet having a distanced relationship with his brother that he would now never be able to repair.

                                                                As he entered the house, he was “embarrassed by old men who stood up to shake” his hand. This could be a representation of him suddenly assuming the responsibility of a mature adult. There were many other strangers who became the spectator of the funeral, and therefore the “Whispers informed strangers that (the poet) was the eldest, away at school”. This also emphasized the difference between being a spectator, and the actual family members of the victim.

                                                                The emotional blow caused his mother to “cough out angry tearless sighs”.  This could mean that the mother had cried too much until she had no tears left, and also could mean that she blamed herself for not being able to protect her child enough. Here, there is a contrast between the conventional reaction of the father and mother. The mother is angry and sad, while the father is tearful.

                                                                The narration is direct and simple, and this gives an innocent, childlike view of the situation. There is a lot of visual images in the poem, such as “snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside”. These serve to soften the harsh image and make it more peaceful. “Wearing a poppy bruise” and “no gaudy scars”, the poet’s descriptions of his brother, also show the light injuries he saw, aiding to give a quiet, peaceful atmosphere to the paragraph.

                                                                In losing his four year old brother, Heaney discovered the brutal reality of the world. It was a time of transition from adolescence to adulthood for him. The emotions of the poet are understated, therefore it gives a clear picture of the situation that day. It also reveals that the poet really misses his brother—he remembers every event of that day.

                                                                The last line was left isolated. “A four foot box, a foot for every year”.  This gives a sense of the finality of death, and shows the tragedy experienced by the entire family.

                                                                “Mid Term Break” gives a very vivid and blunt view of life, and how it can all come to an abrupt end anytime. The descriptions and the underlying meanings all make the reader feel the desolation and dismal settings of the entire scene. The saddest part is that it was based on a real life event. This poem indeed does show Seamus Heaney’s skill at observation and ability to express and manipulate reader’s feelings.