“Violence is never far from the surface.” Discuss with reference to three of Heaney’s poems

To discuss the topic of force play in Heaneys poems, it is easiest to look at three of his poems that hasten an aggressive nature. Therefore, I am going to look at the poems Punishment, A Constable Calls and hazard of marrow, all of which incorporate the theme of delirium. It is useful to understand the rudimentary themes of the poems mentioned to understand them as violence is not always explicitly mentioned. A Constable Calls is about a police officer visiting a Union Irish farm, checking up on the farms produce. A rather innocent task, however, in the mind of the progeny boy, this visit appears threatening and intruding.Punishment is about the remains of a body (a young female in her day) found in a grind to a halt. She appears to be the victim of a ritual killing, punished for the fact that she was an adulteress. Act of Union, on the alternative hand, is a complex metaphor distinguishing England as a man, Ireland as woman and Northern Ireland as the offspring. England ha s effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it creating the multi-cultured fiat that we call Northern Ireland.All three poems have very dissimilar themes, portraying and exploring violence in very different ways. The poems look at amiable and physical violence such as in A Constable Calls where the child is very fearful of the intimidating police officer mental violenceArithmetic and fearThe child does not show his fear of the police officer but constantly looks at the way the constable acts and perceives these actions to be sinister and intrudingOn the floor, next his chairHere, noting how the constable acts as if the chair is his, although it is not, looking at him as if being very possessive.Punishment, in contrast, explores the visual images and later on effects of violence the physical side. Violence in this case being the punishment of an adulteressI can see her drownedbody in the bogHere we get a very visual image of the body retrieved from the bog explaining that she was sunk into the bog in a cage and, therefore, drowned.Act of Union also looks at violence in a similar way to both A Constable Calls and Punishment. It looks at the physical and mental side to violenceAnd I am still imperiallyMale, leaving you with the painDiscussing how England has effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it, not having enough knowledge of Ireland to treat it with respect, therefrom only creating destruction.Both A Constable Calls and Act of Union probe the idea of the threat of violence. For example, in Act of Union, England isThe tall kingdom over your shoulderYour referring to Ireland, the idea suggests how, England being larger and subsequently more powerful, has a large influence over Irelands actions and will resort to violence if it strays off line in political and social aspects.Similarly, in A Constable Calls, the constable represents the domineering force in Northern IrelandThe boot of the lawHere, a common phrase, The persistent arm of the law has been changed to suit the actions of English authorities in Ireland, once again displaying how England is not apprehensive about using force against Ireland.In negate with the threat of violence, Punishment actually demonstrates violence as well as investigating why it was usedHer noose a ringto storethe memories of relishHere explaining that the young woman had interpreted her marriage for granted and betrayed it, hence being punished.It is in the language of the poems that the theme of violence is cleverly demonstrated. In A Constable Calls many of the words have underlying connotations which contribute to the theme of violence in the poemIts fat, black handle gripsThis quote, being very tyrannical in nature, relates to the English administration in Northern Ireland and the force it uses to keep events in order.The domesday bookRefers to the way in which England has invaded Northern Ireland as William the Conqueror invaded England backbone in 1066. The most important us e of language in A Constable Calls, however, is the last lineAnd the bicycle ticked, ticked, tickedImplying that the constables bike sounds similar to a bomb, and the child, with his promising imagination, picks up on this immediately.In the language of Punishment we can detect how Heaney describes the scene after an act of violence, or in this case a punishment, has taken placeI can feel the tugof the halter at the napeof her neckHere, describing the visible ring on her neck left from round form of rope in which the young women was possibly hung from before her execution in the bog. This portrays to us a very violent image in which the young woman was possibly tortured in several different ways before her eventual release into death. Heaney, in Punishment, also proceeds to inform us that, despite how civilize we may think we are in the modern age, the actions of England towards Ireland show how little we have developed throughout the centuriesWho would connivein civilised outrag eAct of Union clearly demonstrates this pointMustering ForceSuggesting how Ireland is putting together a force, possibly drawing parallels to the IRA (violent terrorist organisation fighting for the immunity of Northern Ireland), looking to oust the English from Northern Ireland. However, this force is partially looking to avenge Ireland after its supposed rape, much like the corporation in Punishment looking to find revenge for what the young woman may have brought to various families.Similarly to A Constable CallsThe polished holster The revolver buttWhere the young boy is stupefied by the gun in the police officers possession with the control he has over other people with it, Act of Union has references to violent weapons, in this case, again, guns and other firearmsHis heart beneath your heart is a wardrumThe wardrum beating a rhythm calling the Irish and (anti-British) Northern Irish up to bare arms.The poems of Seamus Heaney reflect a lot about the subject of violence betw een Ireland and England, resulting in the problems of Northern Ireland, depicted as the baby of the deviation in Act of Union. Heaney, having lived in Northern Ireland during his childhood, came to many of the conclusions on the matter in his poems during this time. His poems bitterly reflect on the conflict and seem to incriminate England astray for the current problem. Violence plays such a large role in these poems because all that the occupation of Northern Ireland by England has caused is aggression from both separate parties.