Compare and contrast two of Seamus Heaney's sonnets, 'The Forge' and 'Strange Fruit'.

... Vivian Yuen 12JN September 18, 2003 English A1 SL Compare and contrast two of Seamus Heaney's sonnets, 'The Forge' and 'Strange Fruit'. The Forge is a descriptive poem in which Heaney celebrates local craftsmanship, explores cultural roots, and discusses social history. The forge described in the poem in one that the poet passed every day on his way to school. Using the smith, an ordinary person, as a metaphor of himself, Heaney celebrates artists in the community, as well as the creation, beauty and perfection in art. The central idea, however, appears to be the mystery and sacredness of this creative process. The work of the forge is presented as an extended metaphor for the construction of a work of art in general (in Heaney's case the crafting of poetry). The reader, as an on-looker, is 'outside' peering in at the 'unpredictable' and inexplicable mystery. One may catch glimpses of the beauty in the

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