The Early Purges

• • I was six when I first saw kittens drown. Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits', into a bucket; a frail metal sound,
  • Soft paws scraping like mad. But their tiny din was soon soused. They were slung on the snout of the pump and the water pumped in.
  • 'Sure, isn't it better for them now?' Dan said. Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead.
  • Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung round the yard, watching the three sogged remains turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung

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  • Until I forgot them. But the fear came back when Dan trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows, or, with a sickening tug, pulled old hens' necks.
  • Still, living displaces false sentiments and now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown, I just shrug, 'Bloody pups'. It makes sense:
  • 'Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town, where they consider death unnatural. But on well-run farms pests have to be kept down.
• Themes:

  • Death - Heaney at six years old explores the theme of death by witnessing the killing of kittens
  • Loss of innocence - when Heaney witnesses the killing, he loses his innocence far younger than he should have. This is because of his rural background where the farm must be well-run.
  • Exploration of morality - killing young kittens is morally wrong but their farm was most likely their source of income so the killing was bound to happen. However, Taggart didn't even hesitate at the thought or action of killing kittens, proving that he has no morals regarding death.
• Message:

  • The harsh rural life and desensitisation are put together for the poem's message to show that rural life can be difficult as you would have to do tasks you wouldn't want to, such as killing kittens.
• Poetic Techniques:

  • Tone - Heaney changes from a tone of shock to one of acceptance after witnessing the killing of many animals throughout the poem
  • Contrast - the naivety of Heaney against the experienced Taggart when it comes to killing animals
  • Alliteration - "soft paws scraping"
  • Simile - "like wet gloves they bobbed" comparing the drowning cats to wet gloves
  • Imagery - "frail metal sound", "..on the dunghill, glossy and dead"