Many parents are working hard each day to provide the best for their children. As one grows older, one learns to appreciate their parent 's hard work, more and more each day. But not all choose to follow in the footsteps of their parents. In the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney, the speaker has chosen the path of a writer instead of following in the footsteps of his potato farming father and peat harvester grandfather, however, the speaker nostalgically dotes on their experience and craftsmanship for their trade throughout the poem. The speaker himself, may actually be the author, as he "grew up on a small farm...[in] Northern Ireland." (pg. 335). Heaney uses alliteration, internal rhyme and simile to bring out the theme of admiration for family and identity in family legacy.
Heaney uses alliteration to strengthen the respect and admiration the speaker has for his father and grandfather. …show more content…
The speaker 's "squat pen rests; snug as a gun" (2) "between [his] finger and [his] thumb" (1). "Snug as a gun" (2) is the only simile in the poem, yet it 's a powerful line. The "squat pen..." (2) is juxtaposed next to the word "...gun" (2) and the simile compares them both in a way that shows the pen is as strong as a gun, ready to fire off at a moment 's notice. The word "snug..." (2) is usually associated with comfort and security and the word "...gun" (2) is usually associated with violence and distress. These two words contraindicate each other, and shocks the reader. Heaney compares the two in such a way, showing the reader that writing can be used to write words of violence or can be used to write words of comfort and safety. In the speaker 's eyes, the pen is as mighty as gun, with the ability to shoot back into the speaker 's memories of his father and grandfather with such speed and veracity. At the very end of the poem, the line is repeated, but there is no simile used. The speaker instead
Heaney uses alliteration to strengthen the respect and admiration the speaker has for his father and grandfather. …show more content…
The speaker 's "squat pen rests; snug as a gun" (2) "between [his] finger and [his] thumb" (1). "Snug as a gun" (2) is the only simile in the poem, yet it 's a powerful line. The "squat pen..." (2) is juxtaposed next to the word "...gun" (2) and the simile compares them both in a way that shows the pen is as strong as a gun, ready to fire off at a moment 's notice. The word "snug..." (2) is usually associated with comfort and security and the word "...gun" (2) is usually associated with violence and distress. These two words contraindicate each other, and shocks the reader. Heaney compares the two in such a way, showing the reader that writing can be used to write words of violence or can be used to write words of comfort and safety. In the speaker 's eyes, the pen is as mighty as gun, with the ability to shoot back into the speaker 's memories of his father and grandfather with such speed and veracity. At the very end of the poem, the line is repeated, but there is no simile used. The speaker instead