“The Forge”—Seamus HeaneyIn the poem “The Forge” by Seamus Heaney, a small multitude of literary devices are used to convey the meaning of the poem. The poem reflects the life of Heaney in certain aspects as well as the personality present in many of Heaney's works Interpretation of the poem varies slightly among experts but is considered invariably simple and straightforward. Seamus Heaney was born in Ireland in 1939 at the dawn of a. new era. With the coming war and the difficulties Heaney faced in his young life, he saw many drastic changes in the world as he grew up. His experiences are significantly reflected in his. literary works. Specifically, I believe that the drastic growth towards our modern society is directly reflected in "The Forge", a professional American literary critic and professor of humanities at Yale University. of the life of Seamus Heaney in the following quote: "'The most important Irish poet since Yeats' — just as Seamus Heaney was described by the American poet Robert Lowell, who later in life became friends with Heaney. The intensity of the Irish experience is represented in much of the work of Heaney, born April 13, 1939 on a family farm in Northern Ireland, about thirty miles northwest of Belfast. He was the first child of Margaret and Patrick Heaney, whose family would eventually include nine children. This Catholic family was part of the majority who lived in the area in relative harmony with their Protestant neighbors. Yet from an early age, Heaney felt tensions between the groups and within himself due to their divergent views on politics and religion, and importantly. for a future poet, their different country...... middle of paper ...... about a man who was once respected and important to society. Due to natural changes in society and the world, man's work is made obsolete and outdated. The poem suggests that a person's work can be a natural way of life: they can live and die, rise and fall and crumble into dust with the wind of time. Works CitedBloom, Harold, ed. “Heaney, Seamus.” Seamus Heaney, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. (Updated 2013.) Bloom'sLiterature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. April 20, 2014. Heaney, Seamus. “imagery.” Perrine's literature: structure, sound and meaning. . Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 719. Print. O'Brien, George. “The Forge”. Masterplots II: Poetry, revised edition (2002): 1-2.Literary Reference Center Plus. Internet. April 20. 2014.