Follower

Follower

By Seamus Heaney

My father worked with a horse-plough,
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
Between the shafts and the furrow.
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.

An expert. He would set the wing
And fit the bright steel-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the headrig, with a single pluck

Of reins, the sweating team turned round
And back into the land. His eye
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly.

I stumbled in his hobnailed wake,
Fell sometimes on the polished sod;
Sometimes he rode me on his back
Dipping and rising to his plod.

I wanted to grow up and plough,
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow
In his broad shadow round the farm.

I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
Yapping always. But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away

Summary of Follower

• Popularity of “Follower”: The poem ‘Follower’ was written by Seamus Heaney, a British poet, writer and activist. This interesting poem appeared in Opened Ground: Selected Poetry published in 1999 by Farrar LLC. The poem beautifully presents a father-son relationship that a son following his father when young and his father stumbling after him when he is old.
• “Follower” As a Representative of Father-Son Relationship: In this poem, the poet takes on the role of a representative for the father-son relationship, beginning the poem with a statement. It is written in the first person as poet describes that he used to follow his father during his farming activities. He followed him when plowing the fields with his horses. His father would show his expertise in fixing a sock and rolling over the furrows. The plowing in rain shows his father’s plowing skills. During all these activities, his father never missed his son, who stumbled after him. The son then expressed his desire that he wanted to grow and dream about it. Yet, he only followed his shadow. His past behavior upset his father and now he’s haunted by the memory of him limping after him..
• Major Themes in “Follower”: The poem shows three major thematic strands; farming, father-son relationship and passing of time. When the poem opens, the father is engaged in farming, in which he is very skillful. The son observes his father and notes his skills. However, it also shows how both are attached to each other as the son falls down when following his father in furrows and the father takes care of him. The son dreams about his own youthful period and comes to know through his father’s stumbling that he was a nuisance to his father. This is how passing time changes the equation of the relationship. He used to need help from his father when he stumbled, but now his father needs help and he can’t provide it..

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Follower

literary devices are strategies the poets used to make their poems beautiful and meaningful. The analysis of these devices in the poem is as follows.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /a/ in “Narrowed and angled at the ground”, the sound of /aw/ in “Fell sometimes on the polished sod”,
2. Alliteration: It is a device that means to use words in quick succession, having initial consonants such as /t/ sound in “team turned.”
3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /s/ and /t/ in “And fit the bright steel-pointed sock”, the sound of /s/ and /n/ in “Of reins, the sweating team turned round” and the sound of /d/ and /r/ in “Narrowed and angled at the ground.”
4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow
In his broad shadow round the farm.

5. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “The horses strained at his clicking tongue”, “Of reings, the sweating team turned round” and “I stumbled in his hobnailed wake.”
6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows farming used as a metaphor for growth and following.
7. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of the plough/plow, pod, and furrows to point out the specifics of farming.
8. Simile: The poem shows the use of similes such as “His shoulders blogged like a full sail strung.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Follower

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Diction and Tone: The poem shows simple yet rural diction, having a serious and nostalgic tone.
2. Rhyme Scheme: The poem shows the ABAB rhyming scheme for each of its stanza.
3. Quatrain: A stanza having four verses is called a quatrain. The poem has five quatrains.
4. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This poem has six stanzas with each having four verses.

Quotes to be Used

These lines from “Follower” are relevant to quote when talking about the father-son relationships.

I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
Yapping always. But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away