Mid-term break by Seamus Heaney

... Mid-term break is an elegy written by Seamus Heaney and is based upon a true story which happened to him in his childhood. Seamus is writing as an older man looking back to his past and the poem concerns the tragic loss of his younger brother. The title, "Mid-Term Break", gives the reader, at first glance, the thought that it is about nothing but a normal school break, a happy time. However, only when the reader finishes the second line of the poem is one's curiosity aroused. Throughout the poem, Seamus paints the picture in a chronological order, from event to event. Beginning from when he is at college; picked up by his neighbours; enters his house and meeting various people and finally meeting his dead brother for the first time in 3 weeks. He uses a metaphor in the last line of this poem to compare length with time; "A

want to read more? →