Storm On The Island

• Who wrote Storm On The Island?

  Seamus Heaney
• 'We are prepared'


  Plural pronoun gives a sense of community
• 'we build our houses squat'


  'Squat' means study, allows us to infer that they are uses to storms and violence
• The storm

  The storm is an extended metaphor for the troubles in Ireland and the violence happening in towns
• 'Forgetting that it pummels your house too'


  Personification, symbolizes the violence in the streets similar to that of an invasion.
• 'Strafes','salvo' and 'bombarded' 


  Semantic field of war, highlights the violence of the storm and supports the extended metaphor
• 'It is a huge nothing that we fear'


  Juxtaposes the physical violence. shows how violence leaves a sense of isolation and how they feel that they are fighting for 'nothing'
• 'No trees, no shelter'


  Repition of 'no' and lack of nature, adds of isolation from both nature and man. Also suggests that the land as given up
• What is the structure of the poem?

  It is dramatic monologue