Agitated Adolescence
Sunday, 24th April 2005 5:16 PM
A commentary on "Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney
Every poem is equipped with a title. Some are useful and provide the reader with an indication as to what he is to expect, while others are enigmatic and confusing even after many hours of creative pondering. Lastly, there are titles that make sense only after a thorough read through the poem. "Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney is one such gem. The phrase "twice shy" seems to have been taken from the age-old proverb Once bitten, twice shy, and we are consequently led to expect that the characters in the poem have had a bitter experience in the past and are now attempting to recoup. The phrase is such an appropriate expression to describe the tumultuous feelings, emotions and attitudes that run through the mind of an adolescent in love.
The central idea behind the poem is simple: a girl and a boy, presumably adolescents, go out for a walk on a cool, spring evening. However, their good upbringing forces them to move cautiously, to "preserve classic decorum" and to abstain from publishing feeling. Heaney masterfully intertwines the poetic elements of time and setting to provide an accurate description of the characters' thoughts. He deliberately picks spring, la saison de l'amour, to emphasize the thrilling experience that the two kids undergo. The twilight dusk of March comes out as a "vacuum of need" and at the same time also mocks the vacillating flux of emotions that occur in the hearts of the two lovers.
Throughout the poem, we are led to see a confluence of sentiment through the characters' bodies and minds; this is specifically referred to in line 7: "traffic holding its breath." The flimsiness of the sky is denoted by labelling it a "tense diaphragm". Even a tiny mistake on the part of one of the lovers can shatter the excitement of the moment and, figuratively speaking, send the sky falling down. The "blackcloth" (9) in the background adds colour to the foreground and to the people in it. All of a sudden, the edges of the characters' personalities have been detected. In short, the atmosphere throughout the poem is "tremulous as a hawk," deadly and nervous, and yet succeeds in maintaining a terse sense of calmness and serenity.
Heaney's diction, that is, his choice of words, is hair-splitting. Every word in the poem has been deliberately chosen to be like a pebble dropped into a pond. The ripples these words create interfere with those created by adjacent words — the net effect is a superbly woven harmonical verse that provides a flash of felicity to even the inexperienced reader.
Heaney tackles certain elements, notably the feminity of the girl, with remarkable ease. The girl in the poem, ostensibly trying to recoup her losses, wants to "come one evening for air and friendly talk." The mitigation evident here erupts a momentary pleasure within the reader's mind. Furthermore, Heaney employs an unmistakable rhyme scheme in the poem. Why does he do this? Presumably to re-emphasize the rhythmic cadence of the speaker's as well as the characters' feelings and emotions that continually oscillate high and low like the tide.
Heaney's use of imagery in the poem is hard to miss. Birds, namely the swan and the hawk, are used quite effectively to convey ideas and feelings. There is no better choice to personify swiftness and cadence than a swan. A second after a swan has swum, the image of ripples quickly moving radially outward is a perfect one to paint the empty canvas that is the mind of a teenager in love. The hawk, of course, personifies the tremulous atmosphere, the fear, the anxiety and the nervousness of the moment. Heaney takes a step further to say that although the boy and the girl are physically nearby, their hearts and minds are being forced to maintain a discomforting distance. The two are as desperate to get together as is a hawk to get to its prey.
Although the air is rampant with simultaneous chariness and excitement, what ensues is simply "nervous childish talk" (28) and nothing more. Heaney captures patience and a fear for regret beautifully in stanza 4. The kids blame "juvenilia" for their supposed courage and will-power to keep them from taking a step forward. So although the walk on the bank is filled with nothing but friendly and childish talk, we are led to believe that the it has, for them, been a thrilling and unforgettable experience. Heaney's second image of "still waters running deep" (29) portrays the ambivalence of the moment, the mixture of contentment, anxiety, satisfaction and impatience — all in one fell sweep.
As a final delivery, the near repetition of lines 6 and 30 cannot be irresponsibly rejected as an accident. The implied understatement that the whole rendez-vous is only an "embankment walk" cleverly depicts the exchange of ideas and feelings throughout this whole strife. It could even possibly question the level of intimacy between the characters. Emotions move speedily, so speedily there's a traffic jam. The assimilation of fear and uncertainly and finally, the vacancy that ensues at the end of the poem — all definitely make "Twice Shy" a pleasurable read.
Comments
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Posted by Umknown on Thursday, 8th December 2005 7:16 AM
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Dear Umknown,
Thank you for your generous comments. However, I would like to emphasize that my notion for posting these commentaries is not to encourage plagiarism, but to inspire the reader with ideas and to provide stimulus for new ones. I'd be glad to see you reference this page if you happen to use any of my ideas found herein, even in their most dilute form.
Posted by Rajesh on Thursday, 8th December 2005 8:28 AM
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I have to admit there are some interesting ideas, but without quotes to support things such as: words being like a pebble dropped and ripples created, it is hard to see how this is done.
Also, the traffic jam is less likely to be that their emotions move speedily, but rather the idea of cars waiting to move once the spotlight turns green. Do not take that word "traffic" on its own, its linked with holding its breath and also with the next line, "Sky a tense diaphragm", both these quotes are more likely about how much these two characters are holding back so much emotion, but at the same time, waiting to release it.
Posted by vohne on Thursday, 22nd November 2007 3:07 PM
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I meant traffic light, not spotlight.
Posted by vohne on Thursday, 22nd November 2007 3:07 PM
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I agree with vohne on the traffic light/tense diaphragm but I also immensely enjoyed your interpretation. I, too, like umknown, am using this for an english project. Don't worry, though. No plagiarism here. I am just looking for ideas. Thank you very much.
Posted by Tori on Thursday, 16th October 2008 4:25 AM
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The post was well written, I'll give you that much: almost as elegant as the poem itself.
However some of the analysis was what my English teacher would refer to as 'ropey'.
'Tense diaphragm ' - how does this give an idea of the sky being flimsy. I would suspect it
was being used to give the idea that the adolescents were so nervous that it was infectious, and
as a result their surroundigs were on edge.
'backdrop' - yours was a strange idea. I wouldn't nessecarily disagree that it added to the
characters. However, i would disagree on how. You are implying that the background is black, and
boring therefore drawing attention to the front. I would say it added by giving the idea that
the blackcloth was part of a stage and the whole walk was a performance. To clarify, becasue
they were acting and hiding some emotions they became more 'colourful'
Furthermore, what? Your paragraph on words being hair-splittingly chosen makes no sense at all.
Yes, it is well written in the sense of style. Yes, it gives the illusion of making sense. But
it doesn't. And even if it did, there is no evidence backing it up. There is no proof that
words' connotations mingle to create a larger pattern.
PS.
The phrase is one fell swoop, not one fell sweep.
Posted by BitBit on Friday, 23rd January 2009 2:16 PM
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I read with interest the analysis and comments. Poetry at school, I have to admit, bored me
senseless; however,this poem by Mr Heaney, was the first I ever became 'excited' about.
Reading someone else's analysis of the poem, in comparison to my own was interesting, as the
writers views although similar to my own had some large differences.
Surely this is what makes poetry so personal? - that each individual reader will feel and
respond in unique ways?
BitBit, in response to your childlike 'nitpicking' of someone elses personal views... the term
hair-splittingly does in actual fact make sense, if one has heard of the term 'splitting
hairs'.
What the poster means is simply that Heaney chose his words with the utmost, almost pedantic
intent.
The enjoyment from poetry is that the emotion it evokes is personal to the individual reader,
therefore there can be no 'right or wrong' interpretations, only personal viewpoints. Since
we're all entitled to have them, I fail to see the merit in demeaning someone elses, simply
because they dont mirror your own.
Posted by jackie on Monday, 20th April 2009 8:42 AM
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totally agree with jackie, there was no need to correct someone's work like that and although you're interpretation was good you obviously do not know what english literature is if you are going to be rude to other's views and opinions.it's about time you learn bitbit.
Posted by unknown on Thursday, 10th September 2009 8:46 AM
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Poems suck.
Whats the point in them?
What exactly do you need them for?
Waste of time.
Posted by Bob on Thursday, 22nd October 2009 10:07 AM
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A good commentary. However, I completely agree with BitBit's criticisms. At times your points
were slightly tenuous, although there was some good material in between.
Also I got the impression that you believe chary and excited are synonymous! In fact, they are
not.
Good job though, nicely written apart from a few idiomatic mistakes.
Posted by Locke on Saturday, 31st October 2009 9:29 PM
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By the way I don't know why everyone gets so defensive about criticisms....
Taking constructive advice is part of the learning process.
Posted by Locke on Saturday, 31st October 2009 9:31 PM
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Very good commentary however certain ideas did not have enough proof supporting it and the literal meaning was explained but a clear explanation of the metaphorical meaning would have been good as well. overall, an amazing commentary and i wish you well in all further endeavours.
Posted by Unknownn on Tuesday, 26th January 2010 4:56 PM
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i really appreciate your work :)
though i seriously doubt the couple being a couple of adolescents... first of all the woman is
described as very elegant,
also the image of adolescents learning from their "juvenilia" it's quiete doubtful... as
juvenilia is latin for youth and it is described in the poem as something past that has taught
us to learn from our mistakes and make us prudent
Let me know what u think, got an exam on heany soooooooon
Posted by someone on Monday, 7th June 2010 2:11 AM
Dear Rajesh Kumar,
Thank you very much for that detailed yet insightful analysis of Twice Shy. This will really help me witht the comparison essay I must write for english. Thank you! Thank you!!