Storm on the island

Title
• “Stormont”- beginning of title was also the name of the Irish government at the time
• There is no “the” or “A” at the beginning, signifying he is not talking about a specific
storm, but many of them

Structure
• Iambic pentameter (10 syllables in each line)- this helps to stress certain words e.g.
“rock and roof”
• Pattern of spoken English, e.g. “as you can see” which makes it feel as if Heaney is
talking directly to us. This emphasises loneliness, which reinforces the dangerousness
of storms- that they can take lives and leave you feeling very alone or isolated.
• Enjambment:
- “when it blows full/Blast”- conveys the impression of a gust of wind suddenly
“blasting” in. The onomatopoeia followed by a semi-colon makes this part of the
poem more shocking and noticeable
- “spits like a tame cat/ Turned savage”- enacts shock at cats sudden change in
temperament

Language
• The poem is in the present tense, which creates a sense of drama and reinforces the
idea that storms happen all of the time
• Heaney uses strong words
- At the start of the poem and phrases to reinforce strength- first 2 lines
“build...squat...sink...rock...good slate”. These all suggest the people are protected
(particularly squat- protective posture) and prepared.
- The whole second line is monosyllabic, reinforcing the solidarity, “sink walls in rock
and roof them with good slate”
- He has also used words with a similar echo to do this “rock...roof/ stooks...stacks”
as these reinforce strength as well
• Tone- Slipping confidence
- Beginning of poem Heaney is confident “we are prepared”-grit your teeth attitude.
- By the end of the poem he is fearful and scared, “strange...fear” is in the last line,
which contradict with the first 3 words and makes them out to be doubtful and
confused. This confident facade that slowly slips makes us unsure of how the
islanders truly feel
- “fear is used twice and is the last word and at the end of another line so he has
used refrain- this isolates the word and shows how the islanders truly feel
• Conversational language/ friendly tone
- uses many conversational tags to draw us in- emphasises loneliness- see above
• Patronising
- Begins a line with “but”. This is a connective and in primary school we are taught to
never use this at the start of a sentence. The fact that he has makes it seem as if
we are unintelligent to not know this- reinforces how we have no clue the dangers
of the storm
- “exploding comfortably”- this oxymoron (contradiction) sounds like Heaney is
pointing out again how little we know- or could just mean that this is a natural
feature of the sea, which makes us think it is ruthless and the storm is intentional

Imagery
• Irony
- The earth is “wizened”- which at first seems to be a complaint, as this means it is
dried up and unable to grow crops, however this turns out to be irony as it is a
blessing as the storm approaches as “there are no stacks/ or stooks to be lost”
- Fearful of “empty air” or a “huge nothing”- questions whether fears are real or
imaginary
 • Personification
- The earth is personified “it has never troubled us”, as if it is a considerate friend
who wanted to spare them the trouble of harvesting
- Absent trees personified too; they are not there to provide a “tragic chorus”- he
has emphasised what the earth lacks (trees, haystacks) which shows how barren it
is and the fact that it offers no natural shelter- almost as if it has let them down
• Oxymoron
- “exploding comfortably”- ”- this oxymoron (contradiction) sounds like Heaney is
pointing out again how little we know- or could just mean that this is a natural
feature of the sea, which makes us think it is ruthless and the storm is intentional
• Simile
- “a tame cat/turned savage” to illustrate what the sea is really like- a tame cat
turned savage is much more dangerous than a wild cat- it is unpredictable and
treacherous

Sound
• Monosyllabic
- The whole second line is monosyllabic, reinforcing the solidarity, “sink walls in rock
and roof them with good slate”
• Alliteration
- He has also used words with a similar echo to do this “rock...roof/ stooks...stacks”
that are alliterative and also reinforce strength
- “the flung spray hits...spits...savage”- (alliteration/ assonance) sounds violent, like
your being attacked. Rhyme between hits/ spits sounds nasty and savage too
• Mimicking
- The “s” and “f” sounds in “dives and strafes” mimics the sound of the wind

Themes
• Emphasises that this is a life and death situation/ that he is lonely
- He talks directly to us “you know what I mean” which emphasises how lonely and
isolated he is on the island- may suggest that the storm is so dangerous it can take
lives and leave you alone.
- “you might think that the sea is company”- also emphasised loneliness
- A “tragic chorus” is a group of people in a Greek drama that comment on the action
of the play but do not take part. They usually do this when there is a death.
Reinforces that this is a life/ death situation
- “a tame cat/turned savage” to illustrate what the sea is really like- a tame cat
turned savage is much more dangerous than a wild cat- it is unpredictable and
treacherous- could cause serious injury
• Military ideas
- “we are prepared: we build our houses squat”- opening words suggests a
community readying itself to endure a war
- “dives...strafes...salvo...bombarded”- these words emphasise the violence of the
storm and their inability to do anything about it but “sit tight”
• The power of nature
- Refers to three elements: earth, water and air- challenges idea that island is idyllic
- The sea is not “company” but like a “savage” cat. The “but no” emphasises this as
the two words are at the start of a sentence, are monosyllabic and are two
negatives- make it clear the sea is not a comfort
- The earth- “it has never troubled us”, as if it is a considerate friend who wanted to
spare them the trouble of harvesting. Absent trees also mentioned they are not
there to provide a “tragic chorus”- he has emphasised what the earth lacks (trees,
haystacks) which shows how barren it is and the fact that it offers no natural
shelter- almost as if it has let them down
- “dives...strafes...salvo...bombarded”- these words emphasise the violence of the
wind and their inability to do anything about it but “sit tight”