Simile/Nautical imagery – just as sails harness the
power of the wind, the father harness the power
of the horses and uses them to plough
Ambiguous
Follower Verb – draws attention to the father’s skills. He can
Sense of pride The long ‘o’ sounds emphasises the
broadness of the father’s shoulders control the powerful horses just by clicking his tongue
and love
Nautical imagery – the sods are like rolling waves rather
My father worked with a horse plough,
Verb – His shoulders globed like a full sail strung than waves that crash against the shore – the father is so
suggests Between the shafts and the furrow. skilled that he can roll the sod smoothly without breaking it
tough, physical The father has built a relationship with his animals –
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.
work emphasises he is ‘an expert’ at farming. This also imitates
The speaker admires his father and shows
how he turns the horses to round to start a new furrow
that he is technically skilled as well as strong
The father is following the force of nature (horse),
The surface An expert. He would set the wing
the speaker is following the father
of the And fit the bright-pointed sock.
ground The sod rolled over without breaking. First description of the speaker. This emphasises the
At the headrig, with a single pluck. contrast between the father’s skill and the clumsiness of the
speaker – it’s unlikely he will grow up to be like his father
Lines in
the soil Nautical imagery – this reference to a ship’s wake
Of reins, the sweating team turned round creates an image of choppy water – this emphasises
And back into the land. His eye how the speaker finds it difficult to follow his father
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly. Shows that the father and the speaker have a
good relationship – the father is patient and
Adverb – precision
loving with his son
and organised
I stumbled in his hobnailed wake, Nautical imagery – the speaker describes his father like a
Fell sometimes on the polished sod; ship riding the ‘dipping and rising’ waves of the furrows.
Verb – shows
Sometimes he rode me on his back The rhythm of the poem itself seems to dip and rise – it
that the
speaker is Dipping and rising to his plod. imitates the speaker’s movement on his father’s back
weak and Emphasises that the speaker has not fulfilled
his desire to follow his father’s footsteps The speaker felt like he was living in his father’s shadow.
disorganised
He felt under pressure as he wanted to be as skilful and
I wanted to grow up and plough,
impressive as his father was
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow Present tense – makes the change sudden and
The speaker In his broad shadow around the farm. unexpected – this heightens the impact of the
feels like a Verbs – emphasises the final few lines
failure for not speaker’s clumsiness
learning how I was a nuisance, tripping, falling, Links to ‘stumbled’ in the fourth stanza – it
to plough Yapping always. But today is now the father who follows the speaker
It is my father who keeps stumbling This is ambiguous – the speaker may be frustrated that
Behind me, and will not go away. his father won’t go away as the speaker has become
Informal word – independent. The speaker has to give up his freedom
talking at a to take care of his father (he is demanding)
This emphasises how the ‘follower’
length in an
is now the father, not the speaker – This could also suggest that the speaker may be glad
irritating manner
the title refers to both of them at that he still has a strong bond with his father. He may
different times of their lives be determined that he will not let go of his father –
Seamus Heaney his memory won’t go away
power of the wind, the father harness the power
of the horses and uses them to plough
Ambiguous
Follower Verb – draws attention to the father’s skills. He can
Sense of pride The long ‘o’ sounds emphasises the
broadness of the father’s shoulders control the powerful horses just by clicking his tongue
and love
Nautical imagery – the sods are like rolling waves rather
My father worked with a horse plough,
Verb – His shoulders globed like a full sail strung than waves that crash against the shore – the father is so
suggests Between the shafts and the furrow. skilled that he can roll the sod smoothly without breaking it
tough, physical The father has built a relationship with his animals –
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.
work emphasises he is ‘an expert’ at farming. This also imitates
The speaker admires his father and shows
how he turns the horses to round to start a new furrow
that he is technically skilled as well as strong
The father is following the force of nature (horse),
The surface An expert. He would set the wing
the speaker is following the father
of the And fit the bright-pointed sock.
ground The sod rolled over without breaking. First description of the speaker. This emphasises the
At the headrig, with a single pluck. contrast between the father’s skill and the clumsiness of the
speaker – it’s unlikely he will grow up to be like his father
Lines in
the soil Nautical imagery – this reference to a ship’s wake
Of reins, the sweating team turned round creates an image of choppy water – this emphasises
And back into the land. His eye how the speaker finds it difficult to follow his father
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly. Shows that the father and the speaker have a
good relationship – the father is patient and
Adverb – precision
loving with his son
and organised
I stumbled in his hobnailed wake, Nautical imagery – the speaker describes his father like a
Fell sometimes on the polished sod; ship riding the ‘dipping and rising’ waves of the furrows.
Verb – shows
Sometimes he rode me on his back The rhythm of the poem itself seems to dip and rise – it
that the
speaker is Dipping and rising to his plod. imitates the speaker’s movement on his father’s back
weak and Emphasises that the speaker has not fulfilled
his desire to follow his father’s footsteps The speaker felt like he was living in his father’s shadow.
disorganised
He felt under pressure as he wanted to be as skilful and
I wanted to grow up and plough,
impressive as his father was
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow Present tense – makes the change sudden and
The speaker In his broad shadow around the farm. unexpected – this heightens the impact of the
feels like a Verbs – emphasises the final few lines
failure for not speaker’s clumsiness
learning how I was a nuisance, tripping, falling, Links to ‘stumbled’ in the fourth stanza – it
to plough Yapping always. But today is now the father who follows the speaker
It is my father who keeps stumbling This is ambiguous – the speaker may be frustrated that
Behind me, and will not go away. his father won’t go away as the speaker has become
Informal word – independent. The speaker has to give up his freedom
talking at a to take care of his father (he is demanding)
This emphasises how the ‘follower’
length in an
is now the father, not the speaker – This could also suggest that the speaker may be glad
irritating manner
the title refers to both of them at that he still has a strong bond with his father. He may
different times of their lives be determined that he will not let go of his father –
Seamus Heaney his memory won’t go away
