2 poems from "Death of a Naturalist" and Heaney's techniques for exploring the theme of nature in his poetry.

Seamus Heaney is a contemporary Irish poet. As soon as he published "Death of a Naturalist", in 1966, it was acclaimed as a great work of literature. This collection revolves around childhood, the loss of innocence and the transition from childhood to adulthood. We also have a glimpse of Heaney's distorted view of nature, his fascination and yet the hostility it radiates. In "Death of a naturalist" and "Blackberry Picking" he explores the theme of nature. "…

…never last. Nowadays however we can preserve our fruit by freezing it - so does this mean that hopes are not disappointed after all? This is also done in "Death of a Naturalist" where in the heart of civilisation there is this wild element, Heaney seems to suggest that it is also in the very heart of man; that every man has an untamed and wild streak buried in the very deepest parts of himself.