In What Ways do the Poets Studied Write about Childhood Experiences?

In What Ways do the Poets Studied Write about Childhood Experiences?

“Discord in Childhood” by David Herbert Lawrence

“Piano” by David Herbert Lawrence

“Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas

“Death of a Naturalist” by Seamus Heaney

The poets studied all write about their childhood in their poetry, but

there are subtle differences in the way that the poet has expressed

himself and in how the poem comes across to the reader. The view of

the poets’ changes between the three, and the setting of the poem have

both similarities and differences. All four poems are written about

childhood, but there are differences in structure and format between

each poet.

Each poem is written about the poet’s childhood, but they are not all

written from the same point of view. Dylan Thomas and Seamus Heaney

write their poems from the view of the child. However they have the

feel of an adult telling the story for the child, but the story is

told as the child would have seen it. David uses this technique in his

poem “Discord in Childhood”, but in “Piano” the poem is centred on the

poet looking back at the memory, rather than re-living the memory in

the poem. This is used to great effect as the poet shows the reader a

compassionate side which is aided by their style. The other three

poems are written as the child, but all differ slightly in their

portrayal of the child. In “Discord in Childhood” the poet shows a

disturbing scene which the child in question is taking in to every

last detail. This shows a traumatised child going through a harrowing

episode in his life of listening to a member of his family being

abused and makes the reader aware of the situation that David would

often find himself in as a child. The other poems po...

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majesty of the countryside in his poem. He has a huge experience of

its beauty and he writes his poem to culminate all his childhood

memories into one poem that expresses all his love for nature. Seamus

Heaney uses a bit of both of the other poets styles in his poem. He

shows a love for nature in the first verse, but also tells the reader

how he lost it all in the second verse.

However, one issue is a constant theme throughout all four of the

poems – that of childhood. These poems are outlets for the poets to

show feelings that they felt years before, but could not express at

that time. The main difference is that two of the poets draw on happy

memories, but DH Lawrence shows his discontentment throughout his

childhood. All the poets have some thing profound to say and all of

them make their points in poems, similar in theme, but different in

content.