Name: Fariha Younas Dar

Roll # 202110001

Section: Null

Semester: 3rd

Submitted To: Prof. Mohsin Hamid

Course Code: ENG-609-20th Century Poetry

 Mid-Term Assignment

Q1: Critically comment on the themes of the poem “Church Going” by Philip
Larkin.

Introduction and summary of “Church Going”:

Answer: The most famous poem Church Going by Philip Larkin who is one of movements’
poet, was written in 1954 but published in 1955. This poem is one of his renowned and most
admired poems. In his poems, we can see simplicity of surface but a deeper complexity. In
Church Going, Poet uses a number of religious imagery and words, some are used as they are
considered, but others are used in a somewhat irreligious way.

Church Going is a conversational poem where narrator ask questions. Poem’s summary can be
interpreted in a few different ways: the act of going to church, the traditions that put the church
active, going to the church as one would a museum, and the fading of the church.

Themes of the poem “Church Going”:

There is a variety of themes in Philip Larkin’s poems: like religion, pessimism, isolation,
realism, love, nature, social chaos, alienation, boredom, melancholy, death, and time etc. Well,
there are four most prominent themes of Church Going: Religion, Spirituality, Superstition
beliefs, Man and the natural world and Time.

Let’s critically analyze these themes:

1. Religion:

In “Church Going”, there is a tension between religion and spirituality. Here, Religion raises
the answers that spiritual faith gives to significant life questions such as, “Why are we here? At
the same time, the other point of view is “spirituality” which is favors to ask questions. We
have a speaker in this poem who only has a little knowledge of religion, yet this knowledge has
a great effect on him. Just because narrator often confuse whether or not he is approaching
spiritual questions in the “right way.”

2. Superstition beliefs:

The poet predicts that a time will come when people are stop going to churches. Narrator
taunting on the beliefs of people and consider it boring to attend a church. The poem deals with
the distrust of people on Religion and God. Moreover, superstition beliefs are also thematically
discussed by this great poet. We can say that where there is religion there must be superstition
beliefs but these beliefs come into existence when religion goes to fade.
But superstition, like belief, must die,
And what remains when disbelief has gone?
Narrator doubts, soon the religion will be faded and superstition beliefs will going to become
stronger. But at the end, Philip Larkin strongly believes that superstition beliefs will also come
to end one day.

3. Man, and the Natural World:

In this poem, “Church Going” the relationship between humanity and nature explored by the
narrator. At some points, the natural world serves as a foil to religion, since nature is a symbol
of the fatal decay. Although, it may not seem like it but humanity is a fading thing but nature, on
the other hand, will keep on living long after we are dead.

Conclusion:

This poem is a masterpiece of Philip Larkin where he explores the issue of Church on a spiritual
base. He urge the significance of Church when people stop believing on God and Religion. Poet
may have a short combination of themes. But with his great work he proved his approach is
universal. All the themes in his poetry is unique and admirable.

Q2: What are some distinguishing features of Seamus Heaney’s poetry?

Explain with reference to the Irishism.

Introduction:

Seamus Heaney (born April 13, 1939- died August 30, 2013), full name is Seamus Justin
Heaney. He was born near Castle Dawson, Country Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He is an
Irish poet.

His work is remarkable for its evocative of Irish rural life as well as events in
Irish history and for its allusions to Irish Myth.

He is the best poet and playwright. He received Nobel Prize in 1995 for the best contribution in
literature. He has been called “The most important Irish poet since Yeats”

Features of Seamus Heaney’s Poetry with reference to the Irishism:

As Seamus Heaney suffers a lot in his early life. We can see a clear image of his problems in
his poetry. Such as his universal poems “The Tollund Man” and “The Constable Call”
present crystal clear image of Irishism. He illustrates that for an Irishmen, it is a normal
thing to undergo oppression in Northern Ireland. It is routine matter for them to sacrifice
their lives.

Symbolism:

The pain and sacrifices of Irishmen are still fresh in the Mind of Poet. Certainly, somewhere is a
strong bond between Poet and The Tollund Man. Seamus Heaney tries to explain all of the
sacrifices of Irish widows and children through his poetry by using the technique of symbolism.

“The old man killing parishes of Jutland”

Here in this line, Seamus Heaney compares that man with his own land. He relates this death
incident of Tulland Man with that Iron Age, which symbolizes the issue, when Christ was
crucified. Because he died for the betterment of humanity just as Tulland Man did.

Fear:

In the early age, Seamus Heaney see the war. Due to which, there is a deep fear in his mind that
we can see in his poetry as well. In the civil war, he has seen slaughter of Irish people.

“I could risk blasphemy,”

Seamus Heaney thinks Tollund Man also committed blasphemy because he could not find these
violent rituals helpful. Many of innocent Irishmen were killed in the war. They just want
freedom not wealth as bog men are materialistic but Irish people were totally different. They
preferred humanity over racism.

Conflict:

In The Constable Call, poet indicates a bicycle part, “the spud of a dynamo”, where spud is a
small part of generator and dynamo known as a small generator in which power is produced for
the lamp. Lamp represents the Catholic minority who are suffering and controlled by the former
while Dynamo represents the Protestant government.

By using the term ‘Bobby’ for policeman Heaney makes fun and getting a bit of revenge from
policeman who could not detect the turnips.

Violence:

When a policeman come, we see Heaney’s father did not welcome him pleasantly. Heaney
noticed policeman deeply with a fear. The repeated word tick, tick indicates the violence.

“Tick, tick, tick”

Heaney refers this sound with clock and connects with a timetable bomb that’s represents the
severe hate between police and farmers. Sometimes, it lead to explosion.

Tension and Anxiety:

Catholic and Protestants conflict left a massive impact on Seamus Heaney’s life. We can see
how he write about Irish people sufferings by using “cocked back” that is clearly indicates his
anxiety, fear and Tension. His anxiety was on peak when his father lied to policeman, he freeze
with fear. He thinks policeman going to kill them by his gun. This is all represents the tension
that how in a second Catholic come under the violence of Protestants.
 Conclusion:

No doubt, Seamus Heaney is a neutral and universal poet. He illustrates all the sufferings of
Irishmen in such an impressive manner. He is the lover of history. Many of his poems revolves
around the history of Irishism. By his pen, he perfectly explained the pain of Irishmen. In my
perspective, he fulfilled the right to be Irishmen.

Thank You Sir!