Punishment
It is about a young woman who
has been shorn, stripped, killed and thrown into the bog as punishment for adultery. The speaker looks at her, and he addresses her, in pity, but telling her, if he had been there, he would not spoken, as he did not speak when Catholic girls were tarred for seeing British soldiers.
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Structure
--11 stanzas
--each stanza with 4 short lines
--The pauses are breathless, each description as short as possible.
--There is no regular rhyme in the poem. |
First Part (1st stanza-5th stanza)
--the first person point of view
--describes the woman to another or to himself
--focuses on her body and death
--the tone is full of sympathy: she is nameless ¡÷ the tone is more powerful and forceful: the violence of her ¡§shaved head¡Kher noose a ring¡¨
Second Part (6th stanza-11th stanza)
--although he addressed her in the first point of view: ¡§Little adultress¡Kmy poor scapegoat¡¨, is actually focused upon Heaney himself
--the violence is softened in the first person point of view: ¡§undernourished¡Kscapegoat¡¨
--in 9th stanza-11th stanza, the speaker¡¦s thoughts are on himself, and he is not angry, but confused, and hesitant. |
Imagery in "Punishment"
The image of the body occupies most of the poem. The body is first associated with wind and rigging. The descriptions emphasize on frailty. The images of death itself are heavy, eg ¡§the weighing stone¡¨. The bog not only killed the girl but was full of ¡§the floating rods and boughs¡§. The imagery of the found body is more literal, the hair and bandage are visual descriptions. Heaney begins with the description of her in his mind¡¦s eye, and ends with his morals.
The speaker and his actions are the primary image of the second part of the poem. The final non-mental image is of Irish Catholic girls, tarred for seeing British soldiers. He understands their pains, and the need for revenge.
Theme in "Punishment"
A general need for revenge through cruelty in human nature, and the ensuing contradictions with the nature of society is the primary theme of the poem.
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