Comparing and contrasting "Digging" by Seamus Heaney, and "He was" by Richard Wilbur.

... GCSE ENGLISH COURSEWORK 2002>> POETRY COMPARISON Comparing and contrasting "Digging" by Seamus Heaney, and "He was" by Richard Wilbur. 'Digging' and 'He was' both examine father-son relationships with a sense of pride and admiration. However, both poems can also be read as an exploration and a challenge to what is considered to be "art". Throughout the two poems there are repeated references to the artistry of poetry and working in the field. The essay will explore how this is achieved, the similarities and differences of two poems. The connection between the poetry writing and working on the field is repeatedly linked in both poems. Indeed a variety of poetic devices are used to reinforce this, for example, the "hoe" in 'He was' is the father's tool, just as the "squat pen" is the writer's tool in 'Digging'. This emphasizes the closeness between writing a poem and digging. Stanza three of 'Digging' and

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