Seamus Heaney Blackberry Picking Essay

Through the use of fervent symbolism, allusive diction, and lurid allegory Seamus Heaney, in his poem “Blackberry Picking”, creates a framework to suggest a deeper meaning of lust. Although, Heaneys’ speaker has a progressively declining view on the lust he is referencing, he never loses his passion for the subject.
Throughout his writing Heaney refers to the abstract subject of lust, and he conveys this idea through fervent use of symbolism. The first examples of this is the color choice of the berries.Green, signifying the inexperience, and newness in the world, being the color of the unharvested berries in the beginning of the poem (line 4 , Heaney). While the first eaten, lone, purple berry (line 3, Heaney) symbolizes the berries in their

prime, “...and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine : summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking” ( lines 5-8, Heaney).

This act of symbolism is pertinent to the poem, because lust is typically strongest and most passionate in the beginning of said relationship, and predominantly plagues youth . Although, the berries color represents time, the berries themselves symbolize what the speaker is lusting after ; women. This is important because it creates a clearer idea of the Speaker's motives, and eventual decline in hope. Lastly, Heaney uses the bathtub full of berries as a symbol of the Speaker's desires being met, or fulfilled, “ But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-gray fungus, glutting on our cache” (lines 17-19, Heaney). As the poem progresses from this point, the speaker starts to negatively describe his once prized berries, describing them as sour and rotten. The speaker uses the

“rat-gray fungus” (line 19, Heaney) and “the flesh will turn sour” (line 22, Heaney) to describe the decline, or aging, of woman, which is the cause of the man's dying lust. Heaneys’ use of symbolism exemplifies the simple humanistic want of never wanting something good to leave or die, whether it be lust, or berries.
With the use of allusive, or suggestive, diction Heaney conveys a feeling of committing a sin as the poem progresses.

The speaker uses provocative words to describe the the act of picking blackberries, such as “clot” (line 3, Heaney), “flesh” (line 5, Heaney), “thickened wine” (line 6, Heaney), “blood” (line 6.Heaney), and “stains” (line 7, Heaney). In context of Christianity, these words represent or relate to temptation. Another usage of allusive diction is being shown in lines 10-15 of “Blackberry-Picking”, “Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots Round hayfields, cornfields, and potato-drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full, Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered with thorn pricks, our palms as sticky as Bluebeard’s”. In the context of Christianity, the new testament states Jesus had a crown of thorns, this is tying the thorns peppered on their hands from picking the blackberries in very closely with sacrifice of tradition and belief. As the Speaker's tone becomes more morbid and the diction more allusive, the religious illusions begin to connect to form clearer ideas. Such as, “Once off the bush The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. “ (lines 20-21, Heaney) which is suggesting, in the context of Christianity, that the souring flesh is a metaphor for the negative consequences lust yields. Heaneys' uses of allusive diction

promotes a secondary, and religious, view on “Blackberry-Picking”.
Bluebeard, a fictional character who murdered his wives and hid them in a locked room, is referenced in line 16 of “ Blackberry- Picking”. Heaney included this lurid allegory to help encourage the progressively declining perspective of lust espoused by the Speaker. Dirty hands represent guilt, and/or suspicion, “ Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's” (line 16-17,Heaney), represents that the Speaker needs to be purified, and has committed a sinful act. This allegory reveals the hidden feelings of guilt the Speaker has regarding his lust.
Heaney is interested in telling a tale of picking blackberries,comparatively not as much as he is interested about conveying the temporary joys of lust, and the negative consequences you are left with after your bathtub has been filled with berries, that were once sweet, and are now turning sour.