Death of A Naturalist by Seamus Heaney The One With The Frogs

Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney
The one with the frogs
The poem opens with some rich description of a swampy area where flax (a kind of plant) grows.
Heaney describes the flies buzzing, and how the sun beats down on the mucky soil. He pays
particular attention to the slimy frogspawn (what eventually becomes tadpoles, then frogs). This
sparks a memory for the speaker, and he begins to talk about how in school, his teacher had
students collect the gooey frogspawn in jars to watch it turn to tadpoles as part of a science
lesson about frogs.
Then we're snapped into the present. One hot, steamy and stinky day, the speaker follows the
sound of croaking frogs to its source. He sees more frogs than he's ever seen amongst the
frogspawn (no, this is not a scene from a horror movie). They're croaking and slapping in the flax
dam. Not surprisingly, he gets grossed out—so much so that he freaks out and runs away.
Key Quotes:
 The title is metaphorical – the “death” symbolises the speaker’s loss of innocence as he
grows up.
 The tone of the poem at the beginning is almost enthusiastic – the verbs “sweltered”,
“festered” and “gargled” suggest the speaker is almost relishing the vile smells of the
dam.
 Language such as “jampotfuls”, “fattening dots” and “mammy frog” suggest childhood
innocence.
 The tone changes on “ Then one hot day” and the tone becomes more aware of the dangers
– “angry frogs”.
 Final words – “spawn would clutch it” shows the contrast with when he would collect the
“jellied specks” – he has grown up and no longer wants to play the games of his childhood.
Context:
 Seamus Heaney’s four year old brother died in a car accident when Heaney was a young
boy. The death affected him badly and many of his poems are about loss of innocence.
 Heaney grew up on a farm and many of his poems reflect his upbringing.
Structure:
 In the first stanza, the speaker in the poem is full of enthusiasm and enjoys nature.
 In the last stanza, this changes as he becomes more aware of the dangers.
Possible Themes and Links:

 Loss of innocence – Afternoons
 Childhood memories – Excerpt from The Prelude
 Passing of time – As Imperceptibly as Grief, Excerpt from The Prelude and To Autumn
Heaney uses the word ‘Death to suggest a metaphorical death of the speaker’s innocence. This could also represent that
it is lost forever and they cannot get it back.
‘Flax’ is a type of plant that

grows annually. Death of a Naturalist The word ‘heart’ suggests that it is a
central place in the ‘townland’ and
shows the importance of the flax-
The verbs ‘festered’ and All year the flax-dam festered in the heart dam to the speaker.
‘rotted’ could suggest
Of the townland; green and heavy headed
that it is rotting/decaying
Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods. Heaney uses personification
just like his innocence.
Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun. of the sun by using the word
The adverb ‘delicately’ is Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles ‘punishing’. This could
suggests that summer is
a strange word to use to Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell.
relentless and harsh.
describe this disgusting There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,
scene. This shows the
But best of all was the warm thick slobber The words ‘slobber’ and
speaker’s appreciation
for the flax-dam. ‘Best of
Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water ‘Jampotfuls’ suggests that
all’ also emphasises the In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring the speaker in the poem is
fascination he has. I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied young.
Specks to range on window-sills at home,

The verbs ‘wait’ and ‘watch’
This vivid memory On shelves at school, and wait and watch until suggests that the speaker is
suggests that he is The fattening dots burst into nimble- excited and impatient.
enthusiastic about the
Swimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how
lesson regarding the
frogs. The daddy frog was called a bullfrog The speaker in the poem has
And how he croaked and how the mammy frog learnt facts about the frogs.
Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was

The 2nd stanza has a Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too The adjective ‘angry’ to
change in tone. The
For they were yellow in the sun and brown describe the frogs suggests
word ‘Then’ suggests
that the speaker in the
In rain. that the speaker in the poem
is aware of the dangers.
poem changes his views.
Then one hot day when fields were rank
The words such as With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs The noun ‘king’
‘invaded’, ‘cocked’ and Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges implies that the
‘grenades’ suggest a war
To a coarse croaking that I had not heard frogs now rule the
between the speaker in
Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus. flax-dam and that he
the poem and the frogs. is not wanted there.
Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked
The adjective ‘great’
On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped: suggests that they
This is a direct contrast
to his enthusiasm and The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat hold all the power.
passion in the beginning. Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting.
Metaphorically, he has I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings
now lost his innocence Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew
and can see the dangers
That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch it.
in the world.
Seamus Heaney The verb ‘clutch’ suggests that he is now

afraid and scared of the frogs. He believes he
will not be able to escape from the knowledge
of how he views the ‘angry frogs.’ Again, this
is a metaphor for his loss of innocence.

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Death of A Naturalist by Seamus Heaney The One With The Frogs

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Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney

The one with the frogs

Possible Themes and Links:

‘Flax’ is a type of plant that

Specks to range on window-sills at home,

Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was

Seamus Heaney The verb ‘clutch’ suggests that he is now

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