With reference to at least two of Seamus Heaney's poems and his prose, examine the poet's fascination with childhood and with language.

... With reference to at least two of Seamus Heaney's poems and his prose, examine the poet's fascination with childhood and with language. Despite coming from a rural background, where life was based on the strict routines of farming, Heaney's childhood was full of instances that, even though they may have been entirely coincidental, were either extraordinarily symbolic or archetypal of childhood itself. It was only until he grew up and was aware of this that he, almost inevitably, became fascinated with his early years. His rural upbringing, where he was close to the land, gave him an acute awareness of the tranquil, natural world. However, the 'Troubles' in Ireland during his youth contrasted with this because, in a way, they were a representation of human civilisation and conflicts that arise therein. The sheer range of Heaney's experiences affected him a great deal, and his way of conveying the emotions and thoughts

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