in the conflict of Northern Ireland, is now going through as its members die and suffer. The waiting symbolizes the torture that those, still alive, are dealing with as their loved ones die. The second stanza begins with the image of Heaney’s father “crying”. (Heaney 4) The father, “Big Jim Evans,”(Heaney 6) lends an image of powerful, strong man of few words, simply due to how he comments that the father “had always taken funerals in stride” (Heaney 5). This shows that Big Jim Evans is usually a source of strength to others when something such as this happens. The contrary picture of the father evokes powerful emotion in the reader. It could be interpreted that this is a representation of those leaders who lead the rebellion. Those who send others to the front, then when one of their own goes down to attack, pull back somewhat and deal with their loss, rather than continue to lend that same support to the cause. Heaney’s mother “coughing out angry tearless sighs,” (Heaney 13) speaks as a sort of anger in those around who feel this is more of a setback to the rebellion, rather than losses that will affect families.Lines 14-15 again shows Heaney using assonance, this time in his repetition of the short “a”. “At”, “ambulance”, “arrived”, “stanched”, “and”, and “bandaged” (Heaney 14-15) - this emphasizes the stopping short of blood and life. This “death”, is a very heart wrenching description of the prospect of their cause coming to an end with every wave of casualties, not so much about death of those serving, but death of the cause.In the sixth stanza, Heaney tells us, the reader, that he hadn’t seen his brother for six weeks, having been “away at school”(Heaney 18). This could represent a sort of drift into personal loss, perhaps a loved one lost in conflict, but ...
