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  1. Summary. In the poem by Adrienne Rich, the speaker addresses her mother-in-law, expressing a desire for genuine communication and understanding. The mother-in-law implores the daughter-in-law to share something, not mundane details but a profound secret, a truth that could illuminate their lives.

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    • Literary Devices
    • Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
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    ‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney describes the emotional turmoil experienced by a speakerwho has lost a loved one in a traumatic way. The poem begins with the speaker stating that he is being quarantined within a “sick bay” of his college. It is here he waited for his neighbours to come and pick him up and take him home. The boy has suffered a los...

    In ‘Mid-Term Break’ Heaney engages with themes of loss and grief. It focuses on the aftermath of the car accident that killed Heaney’s younger brother. The accident is in the background of how everyone around Heaney responds. There is anger, pure sorrow, and detachment that he observes in his family members. The death threw off the family dynamic a...

    ‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney is a seven-stanza poem that is made up of sets of three lines, or tercets. These tercets remain consistent throughout the poem until the reader comes to the final line. This line is separate from the preceding stanzas and acts as a point of summary for the entire piece. ‘Mid-Term Break’ does not follow a specific r...

    Heaney makes use of several literary devices in ‘Mid-Term Break.’ These include but are not limited to alliteration, enjambment, caesura, and imagery. The latter is one of the most important techniques a poet can make use of in their work. Without imagery, the reader will likely leave the poem unaffected by what they’ve read. For example, these lin...

    Stanza One

    The poem begins with the speaker stating that he has been trapped within a “sick bay” of his college medical center for the entire morning. One might initially think that this is due to an illness that the speaker has contracted, something that requires he be kept separate from the rest of the student body. This is and isn’t the case. As the reader will learn in the following stanzas, the speaker has lost someone very close to him, and the “sick bay” is where he is made to wait for his “neigh...

    Stanza Two

    In the second stanza, the speaker has arrived home and the first thing he sees is his father on the porch crying. This is a shocking sight, as in the past, when they have attended funerals before, the father has always “taken [them] in his stride.” He has never been very moved, at least on the outside, by death. But there is something different about this loss. A neighbour, named “Big Jim Evans,” comes up to the speaker and tells him that this loss was a “hard blow” on the speaker’s father.

    Stanza Three

    He is now inside the house and with his closest relations. There is a baby in the room, blissfully unaware of the mourning going on around it. It is there, “cooing” in it’s “pram.” The men in the room, associates of his father’s and friends of the family, stand up and “shake [his] hand” when he comes into the house. He is caught off guard and embarrassed by this action. He does not know how to respond to it. At this point, the reader still does not know who it is that the speaker has lost.

    Readers who enjoyed ‘Mid-Term Break’ should also consider reading some of Heaney’s other best-known poems. For example: 1. ‘Digging‘ 2. ‘The Other Side‘ 3. ‘The Harvest Bow‘ The latter was published in Heaney’s 1979 collection Field Work. It speaks of nostalgia and memories connected to childhood. ‘The Other Side‘ explores themes of division and di...

  2. In these twenty-four lines of William Blake ’s poem, ‘The Chimney Sweeper,’ a little boy, is telling the story of his despairing life as well as the sad tales of other chimney sweeper boys. The little boy narrates that he was very young when his mother died.

  3. Analysis: “To My Mother”. Using figurative language, imagery, repetition, and rhyme, Poe weaves together an ode that is universal in its themes of love, motherhood, and family, and yet suits the specific and unique set of circumstances in his life.

  4. Oct 1, 2020 · The given article aims to provide the detailed guidelines on how to write a poem analysis, elucidate the main principles of writing the essay of the given type, and share with you the handy tips that will help you get the highest score for your poetry analysis.

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  6. Writing a poem for your mother-in-law can be a beautiful way to express gratitude and acknowledge the positive impact she has in your life. Reflect on your relationship, consider her interests, and use personal experiences to create a heartfelt and genuine poem.