Seamus Heaney's Storm on the Island explores how communities prepare for and endure violent storms, using this as a metaphor for political conflict and human vulnerability. The poet creates a tense atmosphere, showing how isolation and fear build as a result of the growth of nature's power. Dramatic imagery and conversational language highlight the contrast between human strength and nature's unpredictability. Themes of fear, conflict and uncertainty run throughout the poem.
Isolated - to be set apart from others
Conflict - to be different, opposed or contradictory
Imagery - figurative language used to suggest how something looks, sounds, feels, smells or tastes
Power - possession of control, authority or influence over others
Fear - an unpleasant emotion caused by anticipation of danger
Seamus Heaney examines the concept of the hidden threat of danger and violence - 'the huge nothing' - by utilising the destructive potential of a storm as an allegory for The Troubles in Northern Ireland and their threat on the everyday lives of the people who lived their.
The oxymoron 'huge nothing' draws parallels with the concept of The Troubles being an 'irregular war' fought on the streets of Northern Ireland where the distinction between friends and enemies wasn't always clear. It draws attention to the religious tension and could be read as a biblical allusion to Matthew, questioning faith in god.
This suggests complacency because nature has never troubled them before, which may explain the arrogance. The island has never provided - presents the location as bleak and empty. It is now a blessing: the storm cannot take away anything they rely on to survive.
Exposes elements of vulnerability. They are isolated, segregated from the rest of humanity and forced to face the storm head on. The speaker contemplates how isolated and exposed they are. It is clear that panic is beginning to take hold.
The speaker turns to something else natural for comfort, yet finds there is none to be found.
This is an oxymoron. The residents have become accustomed to the noises and actions of the sea as they protect themselves in their 'squat' houses. Nature is unpredictable and brutal.
The house continues to hold. The enemy does not have to be physical to wield such power.
The stichic poem form mirrors the lack of control humanity has over the power of nature.
Caesura emphasises the ferocity of this storm and the people's preparations.
Enjambment allows the storm to build momentum and shows overwhelming fear.