Seamus Heaneys Poem, Digging

The Modernist theme of mechanization, brought on by the beginning of World War I and the technological revolution of the era, manifests itself powerfully and completely in the language of Seamus Heaneys first poem, Digging. From various literary devices, as well as graphic imagery the mechanization of the human spirit comes to life in the form of his father, and grandfather. The past and present become one, with the common bond the honest work of the Irish poor. In his own way, and with his own pen, Heaney develops the idea of mechanized men who, through the drudgery and repetition of their lives, create a life for them and their families, taking pride in their work, and acceptance of their fate. He develops seamlessly the idea of a man-machine, a hybrid of automation and human, married by toil and tool. Likewise, Heaney writes this as a way to tie himself to his ancestors in the British Isles, illustrating the power that they wielded with shovel and sweat, making their contribution no less enlightened than his own. In his first poem, Heaney develops the image of mechanization and automation that follows the poor of his country, through graphic imagery, sound, and literary mastery. Heaneys imagery throughout the poem echoes the automation of the workers, illustrating the type of work that they do as something that could be done by machinery. Titling the piece Digging immediately highlights for the reader the verbal connotation of the work, and puts the theme of work, and of manual labor into the limelight. As well, Heaneys use of the word gun to describe his “squat pen” in line 2 places the emphasis on machinery allowing a comparison of the human condition to present technology. This theme continues throughout the poem, as He...

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...is work, in his first poem of his first book. His forebears, tough as the peat that they cut, take on the image of machines, through repetition and monotony, such that their visual image in his mind, and their sounds echoing in his ears, combine to create his hybrid of man and machine, a marriage recognized by God in its potency. Heaney juxtaposes their images to illustrate the constancy of their hard work, and ties them to him to create the cycle that his heritage lives and works in, active and proud. Through Digging, Heaney captures the essence of the Irish people, a people that works hard, tough, proud, and persistent, unable to be swayed by circumstances not under their control. Theirs is a plight of survival, of walking the fine line between man and machine to survive. Theirs is the plight of the Irish, caught eloquently by the “squat pen” of poet Seamus Heaney.