Chapter 12

For this chapter I read "Digging" by Seamus Heaney. (Mainly because I was already familiar with it because of Ms. Short's class)

The symbols are evident in the poem "Digging", well actually I suppose anything could be a symbol after reading this chapter, and any symbol could have any meaning, but there are a few that stand out in this poem. With a name like Seamus Heaney it is very safe to assume the writer is Irish if you have no prior knowledge of him. Also the details in the story fit that of the Irish life style. Having established that we're talking about an Irish family, the symbols can be narrowed down in their meaning now. First of what sticks out most is the "squat pen" mentioned in the second line. The pen represents the life style Seamus Heaney has chosen for himself. His ancestors have mastered the spade, however Seamus Heaney changes paths and seeks to master the pen, or writing. This pen doesn't only represent his style of life chosen, it represents the power of choice and the ability to chose what fits for each individual. The spade and pen may be different chosen life styles the father and son picked up, but there is similarity in this poem. Line 14 mentions how "we love" the feeling of potatoes in their hands. Both father and son enjoy something that one works to harvest, which makes me assume that both father and son can enjoy poems, or literature. This line, or simply just the potato, symbolizes the togetherness of bloodlines and how each generation may vary they always have some common ground they can go back to. Finally, the last line, one word in particular: Dig, sticks out and symbolizes the work that is being chosen. Heaney says "Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. I'll dig with it." Obviously he won't dig with it, but this serves as a metaphor that shows the symbolic meaning of the word dig and how it just symbolizes any profession any general whether it be writing or digging or anything. Any interpretation can be taking from any writing, and what I learned is that symbols are unique to the reader, and these are what struck me as symbols in the poem.