What is the position of the poet What attitude does he show in his treatment of his subject matter The poet s position in Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney is the position of a grown man looking back at his childhood He stands between his young self and his adult self He remembers how he once loved nature He remembers how he later feared it So he speaks with both feelings at the same time He shows joy from the past He also shows shock and fear in one strong moment His attitude in the first part is warm and happy He treats nature with love He sees beauty even in an ugly place The flax rots The smell is strong The insects buzz loudly But the child-self does not care He enjoys frogspawn He touches it He collects it He waits for tadpoles His attitude is open