Bone Dreams by Seamus Heaney Essay -- English Literature

Bone Dreams by Seamus Heaney An AnalysisBone Dreams is an obscure and difficult poem to understand. In all mysearching on the internet, I arrange very little to help me in myanalysis of this poem and so the ideas are basically my own. I mightbe wide of the mark, but for anybody fight to understand thispoem, it might at least give you some ideas of your own. I make noapology for asking questions or for sounding vague or even muddled inplaces. I hope that this essay is of help to somebody, somew here(predicate).The poem begins in a thoughtful mood the voice is relaxed, White pearl found/on the sliver suggesting that the speaker is walking inthe countryside when he discovers a particle of bone in the good deal. Heuses tactile imagery to get wind his find, the bone is rough, porousand has the language of touch. This image would be powerful if notfor the mildness of the language, which conveys a musing quality inits passivity, for example, found and grazing - these words havenothing of a hurry about them and suggest a peacefulness of mind inthe opening stanzas.He continues to describe the piece of bone, making comparisons with aship-burial and notes the impressions in the grass as yellowing,ribbed. The word ribbed is suggestive, with its subject matter ofbone, to a rib-cage.The bone takes on a signification which is greater than its intrinsicworth which is nothing because the speaker equates it withtreasure it is, flint-find, a nugget of chalk, the word nuggetbeing quite often associated with gold, and therefore he says it has avalue in itself. Flint suggests history, a link to the stone-age andthe find is, in fact, described as being, as dead as stone. So here... ... little points were the eyes, as if tosay that he had never really seen anything. Furthermore, if he isidentifying with the English (if he is the mole) then this poemcould be about arduous to see through the eyes of the invader andcoming to a new understanding through this identification proc ess.The closing lines are highly optimistic, as if the sun has come outfrom being behind a very large, black cloud I touched small distantPennines, /a pelt of grass and grain/running south.The final section as a whole is highly suggestive of discovery or ofrealisation, of altered perception and of gentleness for past sins.The poem begins in Ireland with a piece of yellowing bone, but ends inEngland with a dead mole. The bone found on Irish grass has taken himthrough a series of thoughts and memories. At the end he seems alteredby the experience.