Heaney 'Digging', brief analysis.

Reading for Meaning


At the start of the poem, Seamus is looking out of his window, watching his father digging flowerbeds, admiring him.
This reminds him of the past, his father digging and his grandfather doing the same, as digging is a part of his family and his heritage.
He also associates his grandfather being very skilled at digging.
This reminds him of his childhood, seeing his grandfather dig and after that seeing his father dig. He remembers once he brought his grandfather a bottle of milk, he drunk it down then continued his work instantly. Heaney admires his passion and determination.
Heaney identifies that his father and grandfathers skill was digging. He decides that his skill is writing, his pen is a powerful weapon, and his writing is an equivalent of their digging.


First Impressions


The poem is about admiration for his father and grandfather, remembering his childhood, and about skills, his being writing whilst his father and grandfathers was digging, and farming.
The words that stuck out to me were the words used to describe digging, gravelly, straining rump, along with the metaphor to a gun, and the descriptions of the passion his father and grandfather had about digging.
Heaney is different to his father because he made his living from farming, and he makes his living from writing. They both have important skills.