Callahan Cox

Caitei
AP Lit
1u Naich 2u14
To Big, oi Not to Big; that is the Question: An Analysis
ulgglng" by Seamus Peaney

8eLween my flnger and my Lhumb
1he squaL pen resLs, snug as a gun.

under my wlndow, a clean rasplng sound
When Lhe spade slnks lnLo gravelly ground:
My faLher, dlgglng. l look down 3

1lll hls sLralnlng rump among Lhe flowerbeds
8ends low, comes up LwenLy years away
SLooplng ln rhyLhm Lhrough poLaLo drllls
Where he was dlgglng.

1he coarse booL nesLled on Lhe lug, Lhe shafL 10
AgalnsL Lhe lnslde knee was levered flrmly.
Pe rooLed ouL Lall Lops, burled Lhe brlghL edge deep
1o scaLLer new poLaLoes LhaL we plcked,
Lovlng Lhelr cool hardness ln our hands.

8y Cod, Lhe old man could handle a spade. 13
!usL llke hls old man.

My grandfaLher cuL more Lurf ln a day
1han any oLher man on 1oner's bog.
Cnce l carrled hlm mllk ln a boLLle
Corked slopplly wlLh paper. Pe sLralghLened up 20
1o drlnk lL, Lhen fell Lo rlghL away
nlcklng and sllclng neaLly, heavlng sods
Cver hls shoulder, golng down and down
lor Lhe good Lurf. ulgglng.

1he cold smell of poLaLo mould, Lhe squelch and slap 23
Cf soggy peaL, Lhe curL cuLs of an edge
1hrough llvlng rooLs awaken ln my head.
8uL l've no spade Lo follow men llke Lhem.

8eLween my flnger and my Lhumb
1he squaL pen resLs. 30
l'll dlg wlLh lL.

To call a spaue a spaue is to speak fiankly, anu though spaues aie iefeienceu
many times in the poem "Bigging" by Seamus Beaney. The naiiatoi iionically
uoesn't speak canuiuly, but only subtlety expiesses the impossible task of living up
to the legacy of ones family. In the poem the naiiatoi ieminisces on the haiu,
backbieaking woik that his fathei anu gianufathei put in to cieate a bettei life foi
theii family. Be looks at the pen "between my fingei anu my thumb"(1) anu hopes
to make them piouu. Biction is impoitant in conveying these ceitain meanings
because uenotation is the liteial meaning, connotation is the figuiative, anu imageiy
molus them togethei.
Theie aie many elements that go into the making of this poem. Fiistly the
beginning stanza conveys uenotation as the naiiatoi is expiessing the exact location
of the pen as it "iests, snug as a gun" anu suggests the occupation of the naiiatoi as
a wiitei. The following two stanzas, lines S-9, expiess the naiiatois wheieabouts as
he looks uown on his fathei uigging in the gaiuen. In these lines a sense of the
ielationship between the naiiatoi anu his fathei is foimeu, one of supeiioiity as the
naiiatoi "|looksj uown" on his fathei.
The ihyming of the fiist two stanzas changes to unihymeu in the thiiu as the
scene changes fiom the piesent to the past, anu the naiiatoi ieflects on the
stienuous, haiu woik that both his fathei anu gianufathei put in "uigging" up
potatoes. Rhyming woulu have been too elegant foi such an aiuuous task theiefoie
the pattein was changeu. The thiiu stanza juxtaposes the beauty of tenuing a
gaiuen to the haishness of uigging up potatoes foi sustenance, anu shows how fai
the fathei has come in pioviuing a bettei life foi his family. The fouith stanza, lines
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:03 PM
Comment [1]: Fix the fiagment by
cieating one sentence anu then bieaking up
the seconu one
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:05 PM
Comment [2]: Piouu thiough wiiting
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:04 PM
Comment [3]: "Biction conveys these
ceitain meanings"
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:06 PM
Comment [4]: give examples of elements
(ie. Allegoiy anu tone)
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:07 PM
Comment [5]: WC
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:07 PM
Comment [6]: fix
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:08 PM
Comment [7]: Bon't talk about the
ihyming just talk about piesent to past
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:09 PM
Comment [8]: See above
1u-14, piesent the imageiy of the immense woik that went into pioviuing foi the
family as a "coaise boot nestleu on the lug.he iooteu out tall tops, buiieu the biight
euge ueep" (1u-12). The connotation of "iooteu out" also suggests the potatoes foi
which the family ielieu on insinuating that the family ielieu on this haiu woik as
well.
In the fifth stanza, lines 1S-16, the naiiatoi switches his view fiom one of
supeiioiity to appieciate foi the woik of his fathei anu gianufathei because his "olu
man coulu hanule a spaue. }ust like his olu man." (1S-16). These lines suggest a
family tiait of being capable which the naiiatoi seems to hope he can live up to. The
continuation of his ancestoi's legacy is shown in the sixth stanza as well, as the
naiiatoi ieminisces on once getting the chance to biing his gianufathei, who "cut
moie tuif in a uay than any othei man on Tonei's bog."(17-18) some milk out in
the fielu. The naiiatoi hau coikeu the milk "sloppily with papei"(2u) which
suggesteu his past with wiiting oi at least always having papei on hanu that he may
possibly have been uisappointeu by. The final line of that stanza, "Foi goou tuif.
Bigging."(24) thoioughly suggests with the connotation of the woius goou, anu
uigging that his gianufathei, anu fathei weie uigging not just foi potatoes but foi a
bettei life. This is especially instilleu uue to the iepetition of the woiu, uigging,
thioughout the poem.
The final two stanzas ietuin to the piesent as the naiiatoi viviuly iemaiks
on the "colu smell of potato moulu, the squelch anu slap of soggy peat" (2S-26),
which fuithei instills the uiity, muu like conuitions his family hau put up with in
theii lives. Anu then "thiough living ioots awaken in his heau" (27), he iemembeis
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:11 PM
Comment [9]: Talk about how tone
changes
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:12 PM
Comment [10]: NC
that he has "no spaue to follow men like them" (28), anu he feels that he will nevei
live up to theii legacy of haiu woik. Anu finally in the last stanza he iepeats the fiist
lines of the poem anu says, "The squat pen iests. I'll uig with it." (Su-S1). Though he
may not follow in theii muuuy footpiints thiough the iows of potato mounus, he
will tiy to make them piouu.
Callahan Cox 4/22/14 1:13 PM
Comment [11]: Explain how he will make
them piouu