Death of a Naturalist

• What is the form of "Death of a Naturalist"?

  Free verse, first-person narrative
• How many stanzas does "Death of a Naturalist" have?

  Two stanzas
• What is the tone of the poem "Death of a Naturalist"?

  Menacing tone
• What literary device is used with repeated fricatives in the poem?

  It shows dissonance
• What does the simile in the poem suggest?

  It suggests fascination in change
• What does the speaker collect in the poem?

  Jamporfuls of the idlind specks
• What does Miss Walls teach the children about frogs?

  About the daddy frog called a bullfrog
• What color are the frog eggs in the sun?

  They are yellow
• What imagery is used to describe the frogs in the poem?

  Military imagery
• What happens to the speaker when they encounter the frogs?

  The speaker feels sickened and runs away
• What do the frogs symbolize in the poem?

  They symbolize a threatening change
• Who is the author of "Death of a Naturalist"?

  Seamus Heaney
• What type of language is used in "Death of a Naturalist"?

  Informal language
• What strong sensory detail is mentioned in the poem?

  Very strong smell
• What does the phrase "the great slime kings" imply?

  It implies a sense of menace
• What does the phrase "poised like modern grenades" suggest about the frogs?

  It suggests they are threatening and dangerous
• What does the speaker fear about dipping their hand into the spawn?

  That the spawn would clutch it
• What is the title of the poem discussed?

  Death of a Naturalist
• How is the flax dam described in the poem?

  Green and heavy headed
• What does the speaker describe the flax dam as sweltering in?

  Gunahing tan
• What do the bubbles do in the poem?

  Gargle delicately
• What does the speaker mean by "live clotted" frogspawn?

  It indicates the vitality of the spawn
• What does the speaker wait for after filling jars?

  For tadpoles to burst from the dots
• What sensory detail is emphasized in the poem?

  Strong smell
• What does the phrase "the air was thick with a bass chorus" imply?

  It implies a loud and overwhelming sound
• How are the frogs described in terms of their physicality?

  Gross-bellied
• What do the phrases "slap and plop" signify in the poem?

  Obscene threats from the frogs