Structure and Language

Structure

The poem consists of nineteen lines of blank verse [blank verse: Lines which don't rhyme, usually in iambic pentameter - 5 two-syllable feet per line. ] - unrhyming lines each containing five beats or feet. This verse [verse: This has two meanings: lines of poetry that form a unit (=stanza), or a broad collective word for poetry. ] form (much used by Shakespeare) follows the natural patterns of spoken English, so we feel that Heaney is talking to us.

Language

Think about how the poet uses helps to convey his ideas. Here are some points to consider:

• The title is blunt and explicit. The poem is about a storm on an island. Yet because there is no article ('The' or 'A') before the title, there is a sense that Heaney is not writing about one storm in particular, but about many similar storms. It is an experience he is used to.
• The poem is written in the present tense [tense: The verb formation which describes the time at which the action occurred, eg past, present or future. ]. This creates a sense of drama [drama: A play or other performance in which events and dialogue are portrayed by actors on a stage; from the ancient Greek word for 'acting out'. Can also mean exciting or upsetting events. ] and also reinforces the idea that storms happen all the time.
• We do not know who is in the cottage with Heaney. He is certainly not alone because he refers to We throughout, but he chooses not to provide us with more details. The wind and waves are the 'characters' in the poem.
• The poem begins in a confident tone [tone: The mood or manner of a text or part of a text. The author's 'tone of voice' or way in which they expect to be understood. The emotional load carried by a text. ] - "We are prepared". Heaney seems to have a 'grit your teeth' attitude! Storms are obviously expected because buildings are designed to be "squat" especially to withstand them.
• Heaney speaks in a friendly tone to draw us in. He uses common conversational tags - "as you see" (line 4), "you know what I mean" (line 7), "You might think" (line 12) - to involve us, and reminds us of our own lives: "the thing you fear" (line 9), "your house" (line 10). Is he talking to the reader specifically, or to people in general? Do you find that this emphasises how isolated he is on the island?
• Many lines are not end stopped but run on from one to another. This is called enjambment [enjambment: Lines in a poem or play that run on from one to another without pause or punctuation. ]. Look carefully at the line endings to see the effect enjambment creates. For example: "when it blows full / Blast" (line 6/7), which conveys the impression of a gust of wind suddenly 'blasting' in at the start of the line. "a tame cat / Turned savage", (line 15/16) where the surprise of finding "Turned savage" at the beginning of the line enacts the shock of the cat's sudden change in temperament.
• Despite the confident start, by the end of the poem Heaney admits being afraid: "it is a huge nothing that we fear" (line 19). Perhaps this suggests that the ultimate power of the storm is that it is an unknown quantity. No one knows what the wind will do and what each storm will bring. Are such fears justified?