Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney
I can explore how Heaney presents the admiration found in a parental relationship and how this changes over time.
Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney
I can explore how Heaney presents the admiration found in a parental relationship and how this changes over time.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Heaney uses imagery to convey the sense of wonder, awe and admiration felt towards a parental figure.
- Heaney uses powerful verbs to suggest how the speaker felt inadequate when with his father.
- Heaney uses the resolution to reveal how the roles of the father and son are reversed in their later years.
- The stable rhyme scheme could mirror the stable nature of parental support the speaker felt.
- Heaney’s use of caesura could indicate a turning point in the poem at the end of stanzas 2 and 6.
Keywords
Awe - a feeling of wonder or admiration, often mixed with fear or amazement
Prowess - exceptional skill or ability, especially in a particular field or activity
Earnest - serious and sincere in intention or effort; showing deep conviction or dedication
Quatrain - a four-line stanza in a poem
Caesura - a pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation
Common misconception
Students may think that in the last two lines of the poem, the father now follows behind the son while he is out ploughing a field.
Although their roles have reversed, there is no indication that the last two lines involve the father and son ploughing. The echoes in the language merely symbolise that their roles have reversed as the son has grown up.
Equipment
You will need access to the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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