Digging Analysis

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging.  I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner's bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper.  He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf.  Digging.

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.


Anonymous submission.

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This poem compares his life to that of his father. He looks at the skill of his father and sees that he can never do what his father is so skilled at “digging”. He describes in fine detail the art and mechanics of digging potatoes and the ease at which his father can do it.
He compares the skill of his father digging potatoes to that of his grandfather digging in the bog, a completely different skill. Again he described in fine detail the art of digging turf and the sights and sounds that are part of it.
The wonderful line that shifts time lines from the present , where he looks at his father perhaps clearing up a gravel path “comes up twenty years away” to him digging potatoes.

In the second last verse a line from each generation is compared and tells him that his that his only skill is to “dig with his pen”
He knows that he can never be as good with a spade and feels that he is more comfortable with a pen. (snug as a gun)
Repeating the lines in the last verse confirms this comfort and confirms his only way to match their skill is to “dig with his pen”
I like to think this poem has that simple message. I hope you agree !
Someone asks about “ Toners bog” This is the name of a local bog, (a family name called Toner )
JohnO

| Posted on 2009-11-13 | by a guest

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Hey, for the German conundrum: Use a translator. google is good.
Anyway...I love the sense of smell, and aura of the dirty potatoes. They remind me of home, and the fox outside my window sill. I want everyone to know, that Heaney is greater than Gordon Brown.
I love you guys. I feel like Im part of the Heaney family now. Thank you. Thank you.
Bartimunly, Poland x

| Posted on 2009-09-11 | by a guest

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can anyone translate the meaning in german please?

| Posted on 2009-08-18 | by a guest

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For the guy that asked what 'toners bogg' is
It is a saying and often reffered to as a mystical place, so it can be said that he has gotten legendary status

| Posted on 2009-06-11 | by a guest

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He's using the pen as a weapon in order to show that the pen has great potential. A weapon is essentially used to kill and could be a metaphor for killing the family tradition.
The third stanza begins to talk about "potato drills" which seem to have taken over his father's job. Heaney, however in a career of a writer won't be taken over. Perhaps the potato drill is metaphorical for his contemporaries.
Also I like the fact that each stanza begins to get bigger than the last, which I believe to be a symbol of him 'digging' further into the ground.

| Posted on 2009-06-09 | by a guest

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Seamus Heaney tries to explain a change in time with this poem. He uses a good choice of language within this poem to effectively illustrate his views on an old tradition in many English towns. The mining off coal, gold and earth which is used to burn fires, these are all things that were apart of most common families that did this day in day out as a living. a change in time and of course educational circumstances and the fact that the mines and these methods of work have become irrelevant in modern times have made the person in the poem change, thus allowing him to have a different future through the pen, a good life not a hard one like his father and grandfather before him who used the spade. He says within the poem that he has 'no spade to follow men like them' this is because that way of life has now become history and change has come by.
By Qazim VITIJA

| Posted on 2009-06-01 | by a guest

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possibly heaney is trying to suggest that he has broken the educatuional barrier in his home, his mother father and grandfather may not be well educated so had to express their skill in agriculture, hoever Heaney is... thus expressing his skill through his passion, WRITING!

| Posted on 2009-05-16 | by a guest

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I like this poem, i'm choosing it for my English Lit essays, because i think it has a lot of good ideas in it, not just the content.

| Posted on 2009-05-13 | by a guest

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For me, Heaney uses 'the squat pen' as his intricate tool of choice, the use of which for him, transcends that of a spade. the free verse style of the poem is used to enable this professed deviation from this traditional ancestral manual labour.
Throughout the poem, Heaney displays nothing but respect for his ancestor's particuarly his grandfather, of whom his memories are particuarly fond. One can find examples of Heaney's admiration and aspiration to the man when he depicts his inferior actions 'corked sloppily with paper' compared with his grandfather's 'nicking and slicing neatly.' The use of assonance here also serves the emphasise the importance of his grandfather's skillset.
Heaney however in the penultimate stanza, realizes that he can never spark a passion for the 'cold smell of potato mould' and 'soggy peat' and the diction reflects this mood shift to disillusionment.
Overall, Heaney realises that in choosing 'the squat pen' over 'the spade' he is in fact 'digging' up memories of his ancestors, complementing and helping their work to be realised in this sense. So all in all, he draws the conclusion that whilst we must not forget our roots,we must pursue our passions and dreams in life. For Heaney, it is writing in which he finds solace, which enables him to transfer memories onto paper, giving old thoughts the power to transcend time.

| Posted on 2009-05-09 | by a guest

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i really do not understand why ppl think this is a good poem. a direct quote from the story is "the squelch & slap of soggy peat" I mean, are u serious. what does that even mean??? can anyone tell me what this poem is about because all i got out of it was that a dad was digging potatoes & a son had a pen in his hand...

| Posted on 2009-05-06 | by a guest

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this poem is so good...luv it..luv seamus heaney...

| Posted on 2009-05-03 | by a guest

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This poem shows how the young heaney looked up to his elders- in this case both father and grandfather. Seeing his father (now old) "straining" to dig "potato drills". And even earlier, he remembers his grandfather, digging peat. he cannot match "men like them" with a spade, but he sees that the pen is(for him) mightier, andwith it he will dig into his past and celebrate them.
this Nobel Laurete challenges the stereotype of Paddy with a spade. The stereotype contains some truth-Irishmen are justifiably well known for digging, but Heaney shows the skill and dignity in their labour. We also see their sense of the work ethic- the father still digs in old age, the grandfather, when he was working, would barely stop to drink.
The "pen is as snug as a gun" because it fits his hand and is powerful. Heaney is from County Derry but the poem was published in 1966, before the "troubles", and this is not reference to them.
The Onomatoepia is obvious in "gravelly", "rasping", "sloppily", "squelch" and "slap".
Ther is a central extended metaphor of digging and roots, which shows how the poet, in his writing, is getting back to his own roots. The poem begins almost as it ends, but only at the end is the writers pen seen as a weapon for digging.
This poem is in Heaney's first collection of poems called "death of a naturalist". This poem is the first poem of this collection.

| Posted on 2009-04-29 | by a guest

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It really makes you think about your own roots and what you want to do that makes you happy.

| Posted on 2009-04-20 | by a guest

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if i had to chose a theme for this poem i would chose memories or the meaning to find something..

| Posted on 2009-03-20 | by a guest

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i really like this poem i think it has a certain meaningt# to it plus me and my group chose to study this certain seamus heaney poem.

| Posted on 2009-03-20 | by a guest

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Thanks so much for all your help...all the analysis was very helpful. God Bless

| Posted on 2009-03-01 | by a guest

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what was seamus heaney purpose for writing "digging"

| Posted on 2009-02-08 | by a guest

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This is a nice poem. Simple but meaningful. I like it.

| Posted on 2009-01-31 | by a guest

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Thanks who ever put up this poem,forgot my school book and really needed this poem so I wouldnt get a note home
Thanks again

| Posted on 2009-01-12 | by a guest

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Through the use of many metaphors and strong imagery aided by his choice of form and structure Heaney is able to create a clear image of his ancestry and his childhood. The themes throughout develop a high level of understanding of the difficulties he went through in choosing whether to make the family proud or go with his heart. The poem starts and ends with the same idea, Heaney has chosen his own career path. The first stanza of the poem is used to demonstrate that Heaney has decided to choose his own career path, as a writer. It is clear that Heaney feels he is very skilled with a pen and demonstrates this in the opening stanza. Although he respects his fathers, grandfathers and generations before them way of living he appreciates that he has his own skills and expertise and is happy to follow them. “I’ll dig with it,” he chooses to go with his heart but still admires and values his families hard work and love of the land.

| Posted on 2009-01-06 | by a guest

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For help in essays Themes can include : work manliness roots expertise ...!! Have FUN !!

| Posted on 2009-01-06 | by a guest

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Hi.. this is a question which would be really interesting if some one could answer for me. Do you know what Heaney means by ''Toners Bog?''

| Posted on 2008-10-29 | by a guest

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Heaney writes from his own Point of view with the idea that he is looking to the past, and using the poem as a memorial to those who came before.
He realises that he has turned away in a sense to his own family's past as he tries to "dig" up his own memories of those who came before; "great men" like his father and grandfather.

| Posted on 2008-10-16 | by a guest

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This poem is very sweet.
Seamus Heaney is a great writer ;)

| Posted on 2008-09-23 | by a guest

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Hi Im Only 12 In The Best Class For English And My Homework Is To Anylyze This Poem.... This Is A Great Poem.. I Love It, He Really Expresses His Feelings In This.

| Posted on 2008-09-18 | by a guest

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I feel that this poem is really amazing.It's centrelizung the role of poets and their pen,however the pen might not be as strong as a gun but it has it's own power!

| Posted on 2008-08-18 | by a guest

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The gun represents the sectarian violence in Ireland.
Heavy use of Alliteration and Assonance which is the ancient way of writing poetry, less emphasis on rhyme.
The pen has a more vital role to play than the spade or the gun.

| Posted on 2008-07-19 | by a guest

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I think this is a meaningful poem that refelcts on his childhood, he us explaing that he does not want to be like his father or grandfather, he wants to write instead 'The squat pen rests; snug as a gun' the similie in this line suggest that the way to get your message across is through writing poetry, and it is merely as effective as a gun.

| Posted on 2008-06-16 | by a guest

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This poem uses alliteration, assonance (the use of similar vowel sounds), and metaphors to explain how instead of using a spade to live past generations, he uses his pen.

| Posted on 2008-06-08 | by a guest

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Digging is a metaphore for actively dealving into ones past, to uncover the parts that make up ones
identity. It is more than simply a reference to the occupation of the persona's forefathers.

| Posted on 2008-05-30 | by a guest

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I see no connection to family history at all. Heaney is merely conveying dextrious duties as an anomoly. He must have played cards let me tell you, because spades are the link to each card in the deck of life.

| Posted on 2008-03-12 | by a guest

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heaney is an unbelieveable writer. this poem expresses bis feelings for dirt and mud! he loves it.

| Posted on 2008-03-05 | by a guest

.: my perception of digging :.

This is one of my favourite poems by Heaney. The second posts answered much of my questions aboutthe poem but I am just adding my own thoughts to it: Notice how diction and sensuous imagery make the activity of digging and all that is associated with it seem so wonderful and enjoyable. Words like "bright (edge)" and "loving (their cool hardness)" create a positive feeling in the readers. There are time lapses that Heaney handles neatly first with "comes up twenty years later" connoting

| Posted on 2008-01-13 | by a guest

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This is a wonderful poem.
i think Heaney is trying to express that instead of following the family tradition of digging in the potato fields he will use his pen to "dig" into his family history.
the similie "as snug as a gun" when he refers to his pen is representing how powerful he is when he can write, but it also has a lot of connections with Irish history, and again this is linked with him digging into irish and ultimately his families history.

the use of the word "roots" can be linked with a family tree which also ties in with him researching his family history.

Heaney also uses many literary devices such as metaphor, smilie and alliteration, which in all make this a truly brilliant piece of poetry.

| Posted on 2007-10-03 | by a guest

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The poem ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney is a free verse poem written in first person narrative, with eight stanzas containing two couplets. The free structure of this poem allows Heaney to freely express his respect of the Irish tradition as well as his pride and dignity towards his ancestors. The title ‘digging’ is usually interpreted as the act of hard labor or even worst, a funeral. The title creates curiosity and the question: ‘digging what?’ into our minds. However, the ‘digging’ in the poem is ironically straight forward as Heaney is only explaining the field works of this father and grandfather.
The first two lines of the poem portray the narrator holding pen “snug as a gun”. This simile is probably the key which tells us that the narrator is Heaney himself as he explains how the pen fits his hand and is powerful like a gun.

The second stanza contain 3 lines all rhyming on the last word. In this stanza, Heaney uses sound as his major literary device. We could identify alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhymes which blend together to form a tone of astonishment.

The repetition of the word ‘old man’ in the second couplet is like a transition from describing his father to his father’s old man. The couplet also linked the two fathers as good diggers and they are keeping the family tradition. This is means that the narrator is expected to be a ‘digger’ as well.

The poem basically describes his father digging potato drills, the grandfather digging turf. However the poet does not praise about their strength as diggers. But the ‘digging’ is more like the passing on of special values from generation to generation. There is also an extended metaphor of digging and roots in the poem, which shows how the poet, in his writing, is getting back to his own identity, and where his family comes from.

Although the narrator stated that ‘I’ve no spade to follow men like them’ the last lines of the poem, which repeats the first stanza with a little alteration reveals his new ‘spade’ which is the pen, and he’ll ‘dig with it’, or he will pass on the tradition with his writings.


| Posted on 2007-04-01 | by a guest