Midterm Break Plog

In the poem "Midterm Break," Seamus Heaney uses an almost indifferent tone in an attempt to create a comforting mood. He develops this tone through diction and the speaker reveals his true feelings through the use of euphemisms and ambiguity.
The poem begins with the auditory imagery of bells tolling and could be seen as either funeral bells or as a sign as the end of classes. Next, there is visual imagery such as the father crying, showing his sorrow physically. The speaker also describes the corpse of the little boy in detail. He examines that there is a "poppy bruise on his left temple" and notes that the boy was "paler now." These two lines indicate that the speaker was thoroughly examining the body, found no "gaudy scars," only a bruise and also notes that the body was paler than the last time the speaker saw him. At this point, the speaker indicates that it has been a while since he has seen this boy but the speaker remembers how the boy looked before. The speaker goes on to call the coffin a "four-foot box," effectively creating a euphemism which indicates that he is trying to comfort either himself or those around him. Throughout the poem, the speaker shows little emotion. He says his father is crying, not the speaker. The speaker felt embarrassed to shake the hands of the people trying to comfort him. Also, the speaker holds his mother's hand while she "coughed out angry tearless sighs." It seems as if he is trying to comfort her by not showing emotion because it is apparent that she is trying to hold back her emotions.
Heaney develops a sense of alienation throughout the poem. It starts with the speaker getting picked up with neighbors, not his own parents. The speaker seems to feel uncomfortable and embarrassed around the guests and "strangers" at his house. Heaney uses the word "strangers" to emphasize the alienation. The speaker also mentions that it has been six weeks since he's seen his brother.
Heaney also introduces a contrasting element in the poem which can contribute to the confusion the speaker may be feeling. In the third stanza, Heaney begins with the description of a baby cooing and ends the stanza with the words "old men." The baby is youthful and is still full of life whereas the old men are nearer to death than the baby. The speaker brings this point up again in the last stanza. Heaney repeats the fact that the coffin was four feet long, emphasizing the youth of the boy and contrasting it with the reality that he is dead. Heaney also reiterates the fact that the boy was young by using only one line instead of a stanza to show the finality and shortness of life for the young boy.
Although Heaney makes it seem as if the speaker is indifferent, there are clear signs that the speaker actually cares very deeply about the boy that died. The apathy and themes of alienation contribute to the possibility that the speaker did not know how to act properly in that sort of situation.