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Summary & Structure

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 3.1.1

Summary and Context of Storm on the Island

Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet who often wrote about his country and nature. Storm on the Island describes a community's response to a storm.

Summary

Summary

  • The speaker describes a storm attacking the island he lives on.
  • The community thought they were prepared. But as the poem goes on, it becomes clear that the storm was powerful and frightening.
  • Their feelings of security turn to fear.
Context

Context

  • The first eight letters of the title also spell the word 'STORMONT'.
  • Stormont is an estate in Belfast. The Northern Ireland Assembly still sits there today.
  • The poem has also been interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Key ideas

Key ideas

  • The poet explores ideas about the inhospitality and the cruelty of nature.
  • Man is presented as insignificant compared to the natural world. The poem emphasises these feelings of helplessness.
  • The poem encourages readers to question the source of human fear: is it the unknown that frightens us the most?
  • The poem acts as a reminder of human vulnerability.

Form and Structure in Storm on the Island

The structure and rhythm of the Storm on the Island changes throughout to reflect the unpredictable nature of the storm.

Rhythm and rhyme

Rhythm and rhyme

  • The rhythm and rhyme scheme are unpredictable, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the storm.
Structural change

Structural change

  • The poet moves from creating images of safety, to danger and destruction.
  • Finally, the poet contemplates how strange it is that something that cannot be seen or touched is the source of such great fear.
Direct address

Direct address

  • The poet directly addresses the reader in the poem.
  • This involves the reader more and makes the storm seem more threatening, as though it is happening to you too.

Test yourself on Summary & Structure

  • Who wrote Storm on the Island?

  • What are some of the key ideas raised in Storm on the Island?

  • Structural Changes: Storm on the Island

  • What are the effects of Heaney using direct address in Storm on the Island?

  • Which of these are true about the structure and form of Storm on the Island?

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