Storm on the Island
fear
tense
Storm on the Island - meaning Summary
Human Defiance of Weather
The poem shows islanders describing how they have built strong, low houses to withstand bad weather. At first they sound confident and practical, but the storm becomes more threatening as the poem goes on. Heaney presents human preparation against nature, while also showing that the sea wind can still create fear and make the place feel exposed.
Read Complete AnalysesWe are prepared: we build our houses squat, Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate. This wizened earth has never troubled us With hay, so, as you see, there are no stacks Or stooks that can be lost. Nor are there trees Which might prove company when it blows full Blast: you know what i mean — leaves and branches Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale
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