Theme Of Valediction By Seamus Heaney - 1722 Words

Love is both a beautiful and fragile thing that needs constant care and attention. When one loses someone, it can create a sense of loneliness. Seamus Heaneys Valediction describes this feeling as a poem about how a man feels when his lover is gone. The themes he discusses are love and loss. The poem is about Heaneys feelings for his lover and the feelings he has when his lovers absent. He uses images and metaphors that are associated with sailing to depict his experience of grief when the lady is gone. The poem is a plea for this yearning he is feeling about her. This yearning and grief is a powerful emotion. Seamus Heaneys poem Valediction uses sea imagery and metaphors to discuss the themes of love and loss. The first stanza of†¦show more content†¦The space that had been filled with her presence, the activities they did, the routine they had, conversations, and comfort he felt is now gone. The thing that makes the loss so difficult is the fact that it hurts to think and be reminded of what was. His heart has been ripped open and drained because her presence is no longer there. The next stanza in the poem states, All thought. In your presence/ Time rode easy, anchored (5-6). He is comparing time spent in your presence to a boat at anchor which creates a sense of stability and security (5). He uses a synecdoche who is the lady and the feelings for him as a smile when she leaves. According to Literature: The Human Experience a synecdoche is a, figure of speech in which a part is used to signify the whole (980). The speaker described this time spent with his lady as easy going and steady, calm and collected. She was always able to keep a smile on his face when he was around. Heaney is comparing and contrasting how he felt when his lover was there and not there. There is a lot of sailing imagery. He remembers the days he spent with his lover as easy sailing, smooth, enjoyable and uses the imagery of an anchor holding a sailboat down. But her absence has rocked the boat that is being tossed around and close to falling. The patterns and routine of their lives hav e been lost, and he is drifting along as a boat does at sea. This contrast between when she is