The war of writing (From the FRontiER of Writing)

In SEamus Heaney's From the Frontier of writing a conciet comparing fighting a war to writing to show how the role of literature has been reversed from expression of ideas thought, and /or feeling to what the public will prefer to read. The poem begins with the speaker potrayed as a nervous, and scared solider whose vehicle is bein inspected and searched. Then the solider leaves the inspection unconcerned. AS the soldiers travel the drive along the frontier of wrting where violence is prevelent. But in the mist of this violence there are call references to nature to ease the unsettling images of artillery. The natural images are controdictory to the guns and rifles. But this solider continues to ride on the frontier dispite the conflict and controdiction and danger.

In the seventh stanza and the 2nd line Heaney uses the words "Behind a waterfall". WAterfalls are very picturesque and beautify, but one cannot see clearly through a waterfall because the water fall rapidly. But in the 6th stanza and 2nd line the word marksmen is used. Marksmen are snippers that can take someones life swiftly and unexpectingly. Heaney places these images in similar parts of the poem because he wants to show the controdiction that they have. And ironically both of these words are sandwiched between lines that contain end rythm, but the lines containing these words dont rythm with the rest of the stanza. Through this one can conclude that heaney is trying to show the conflicts in being a writer and fighting a war. Literature was created for the openning of minds and souls, but yet writers are being told what to write so that people will acknowledge their work. And soliders are often off fighting wars to solve problems that could be solved by other means.

In conclusion, Heaneys extended metaphor was conveyed through the use of imagery, structure and diction. The title From the Frontier of writing is verii says the most. One the frontier of a war, there is nowhere to hide, because you are faces your opponent directly. And in writing you face your enemy directly as well. The possibilty of defeat is always present, because by allowing people to dictate what should be written and read we loss.