Blackberry

Picking
What do
think when
you read
these words?
When would
someone go
blackberry
picking?
Where might
you go
blackberry
picking?
With whom
might you go
blackberry
picking?
What feelings or
memories might this
experience evoke?
 Could blackberry
picking symbolize
something else?
 https://youtu.be/HhBK5_zLwJY?feature=shared

Blackberry Picking
By Séamus Heaney https://youtu.be/HhBK5_zLwJY?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/HhBK5_zLwJY?feature=shared
TASK!

Analyze the
poem using
the 3Ts
Techniques – Can you spot examples
of the following poetic techniques?
•Similes •Onomatopoeia
•Metaphors •Contrast
•Personification
•Colour
•Enjambment (run-on line)
Your response

Choose your three favourite images and explain why you like them
Example

I like the way the poet uses metaphors to describe eating the blackberries as an
almost religious experience.
He compares the juice of the berries to “ summer’s blood” and “thickened wine”.
In the celebration of the Eucharist, wine is blessed to represent the blood sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. The poet also compares the fruit of the berries to “flesh” and
eating the blackberries leaves “stains upon the tongue”. The Eucharist is also
received upon the tongue at Mass.
In my opinion, this comparison shows how much Heaney respects and values
/reveres nature.
Tone

What do you think the speaker of the

poem is feeling and why?
Theme

• What do you think the poem is about?

• Who is the speaker of the poem?
• What is the setting? (Where and when does the
action take place)?
Assignment: Write an analysis of
Blackberry Picking by Séamus
Heaney
• Manuscript
• 1.5 - 2A4 pages HL 1A4 page OL
Theme
Techniques
Tone and your response