Analyzing Seamus Heaney's 'Anything Can Happen'

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“Anything Can Happen”
Seamus Heaney
Characteristics Exemplified: Allusion, Meter, Brutal Dicton
Word List: Stropped-beak: A beak sharpened with a strop: a leather band used to sharpen a razor Crest: Either a prominent, colorful plume on a bird or a symbol of power used to signify a certain alliance Telluric: Of the Earth or relating to a natural electric current flowing near the earth's surface Capstone: A stone at the top of a structure acting as a roof or for structural support
Analysis:
In “Anything Can Happen” Seamus Heaney uses an allusion to Roman mythology to explore the impact of 9/11, and to indicate that if 9/11 can happen, then any catastrophe is also possible. Heaney begins with an allusion to Roman mythology juxtaposing the 9/11 strike to the power of the Roman gods smiting modern America. Claiming that Jupiter “galloped his thunder cart [...] [a]cross a clear blue sky”(4-5), Heaney implies that the attack on the World Trade Center was like Jupiter attacking the tower himself. Through this allusion, Heaney suggests that the power of the attack on the world trade center is equivalent to the power of Jupiter’s divine rage thundering down upon the earth. Heaney also utilizes harsh, bloody diction to reinforce the terror created by 9/11. He likens the …show more content…

The brutal diction from the words “[s]tropped-beak,” “tearing,” and

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