What Is Heany’s Attitude to His Forefathers As Depicted in the Poem ‘Digging’?
PremiumWhat is Heaney's attitude to his forefathers as depicted in the poem “Digging”? [2020, 2017] ✪✪✪
In “Digging” (1966), Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) shows his deep respect and love for his father and grandfather. Heaney admires their hard work as farmers. He admires their strength and skill. He also realizes that his own work will be different. Instead of digging with a spade, he will dig with his pen as a poet.
Respect for His Father and Grandfather: Heaney watches his father digging outside the window. The sound of the spade reminds him of his childhood. It was a time when his father used to dig potatoes and his grandfather used to cut turf. He describes his father proudly:
It means his father was very skilled with a spade. This shows his deep admiration. He remembers how his grandfather could cut more turf in a day, more than any other man. He sees both men as hardworking, stron“By God, the old man could handle a spade.”