storm on the island

• Seamus Heaney's poem "Storm On the Island" explores the battle of nature versus man through the experience of an island community preparing for a storm
• The islanders have adapted their lives to resist nature, shown by their confidence in their ability to overpower nature, yet this also reveals their fear
• The poem uses conversational colloquialisms to connect the reality of the islanders' lives to the readers
• Plosives in the poem give a sense of violence and aggression, suggesting that nature is attacking the island, resembling bullets and showing that weather is as deadly as a weapon
• The title "Storm On The Island" connotes wisdom and respect, reflecting the islanders' mistaken belief that they had tamed nature, only to realize its power during the storm
• The poem's structure includes iambic pentameter, a lack of consistent rhyme scheme reflecting nature's power, and a cyclical structure showing the resilience of the islanders facing recurring storms
• The poem "Storm on the Island" by Heaney explores the theme of nature's power and its impact on the islanders
• The poem begins optimistically but shifts to a tone of fear, reflecting the final calm before a storm and the inability of the islanders to prepare properly because they cannot see it coming
• Nature is referred to in military terms throughout the poem, creating a tone of violence and aggression
• Heaney uses colloquialisms and conversational tags typical of Northern Irish speakers to draw the reader in and include them in the poem
• Similes like "spits like a tame cat turned savage" suggest the dual nature of nature, sometimes docile and other times aggressive
• Personification is used to depict nature as intending to attack the island, with lines like "pummels" and "bombarded by" implying a malicious intent to harm and damage
• The contrast between the unification of a community and the isolation of the island is highlighted in the poem's structure, emphasizing the tension for the reader
• The informal tone of the poem suggests that enduring nature's storms is a regular part of life for the islanders
• Both "Storm on the Island" and "The Prelude" depict nature as powerful, but in different ways - the former through violence and military metaphors, the latter through size and extent