Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney's "Digging"

26 August 2022
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question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head. Which statement best describes the effect of the alliteration in this excerpt?
answer
The alliteration creates pleasing and interesting sounds
question
Which lines from the poem "Digging" use assonance? Check all that apply.
answer
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Bends low, comes up twenty years away By God, the old man could handle a spade. Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head. But I've no spade to follow men like them. Which words in the excerpt are linked by alliteration?
answer
cold, curt, cuts
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging" The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head. But I've no spade to follow men like them. Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests. I'll dig with it. Read the haiku by Bashō. When the winter chrysanthemums go, there's nothing to write about but radishes. What common concern do these poems share?
answer
Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Which statement about the use of the "snug" in this excerpt is most accurate?
answer
The positive connotation of the word emphasizes how comfortable the speaker is holding his pen.
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests... Which statement best describes the effect of the assonance in this excerpt?
answer
The assonance creates a pleasing and interesting sound.
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away Stooping in rhythm through potato drills Where he was digging. Based on the word's connotation, what does the speaker's use of the word "straining" suggest?
answer
that the father is working very hard in the flowerbeds
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Under my window, a clean rasping sound When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down Read the haiku by Bashō. Clear water— a tiny crab crawling up my leg. Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku?
answer
Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away Stooping in rhythm through potato drills Where he was digging. Which statement best explains the effect of the word "straining" in this excerpt?
answer
It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.
question
Read the excerpt from "Digging." Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Under my window, a clean rasping sound When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away Stooping in rhythm through potato drills Where he was digging. Read the haiku by Bashō. A crow has settled on a bare branch— autumn evening. How does the structure of these poems differ?
answer
"Digging" has multiple stanzas of varying length, while Bashō's haiku has only one stanza of three lines.