Heaney's "Follower" Commentary

"Follower" by Seamus Heaney

My father worked with a horse plough,
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
Between the shafts and the furrow.
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.

An expert. He would set the wing
And fit the bright-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the headrig, with a single pluck

Of reins, the sweating team turned round
And back into the land. His eye
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly.

I stumbled in his hobnailed wake,
Fell sometimes on the polished sod;
Sometimes he rode me on his back
Dipping and rising to his plod.

I wanted to grow up and plough,
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow
In his broad shadow around the farm.

I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
Yapping always. But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away.

Commentary

In Seamus Heaney’s “Follower” the poet uses diction, imagery, and figurative language to describe the relationship between a father and a son. Throughout the play there are visual images of a farmer who is hard at work, which is a metaphor for the father. The speaker is the son, perhaps Heaney, who describes the enduring process of farming, as he admires and looks up to his father and his strength for inspiration as he tries to live up to his father’s expectations. With that, that title, “Follower”, represents admiration as the son tries to follow in his father’s footsteps.

In the first stanza, the speaker is comparing his father to sailor as he states, “his shoulders globed like a full sail strung.” The speaker is suggesting that his father, like a sailor, is in complete control of what he is doing. The speaker uses the nautical imagery to compare the breeze, ease, and control of sailing a ship on the smoothness of water to the strength his father has as he tolerates the harshness of doing labor on the rough land of the farm. The speaker also states, “his eye narrowed and angled at the ground, mapping the furrow exactly.” This again refers to the father’s strength and preciseness in his work. This image also reflects the phrase in the previous stanza in which the speaker briefly states, “An expert.” This phrase emphasizes the idea of the speaker’s father being very precise and full of potency. These interpretations create a very powerful and reflective tone.

Though the father’s physical strengths are stressed throughout the first three stanzas, in contrast, the last three stanzas are more so about the weaknesses of the son. The speaker says, “I want to grow up and plough, to close one eye, stiffen my arm”, which suggests hope, as he wants to grow up and be just like his father, especially physically. But, the speaker uses words like “stumbled”, “fell”, “nuisance”, “tripping”, “falling”, and “yapping always” to describe his flaws. As he is an innocent child, these words suggest perhaps he is not living up to his father’s expectations, as he is very clumsy. It seems as though the speaker is constantly in his father’s way and he is not of much help on farm. But, the speaker concludes, “But today it is my father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away”. I interpreted this as the father becoming very weak, old and unable to work, so he is pressuring his son to follow his footsteps and meet his physical abilities.

In conclusion, Heaney uses diction, visual images, and figurative language to describe the physical relationship between a father and son. The visual images constantly allow us to picture the father hard at work, which is comparable to a sailor sailing a ship. The son wants to be like his father, but he lacks the physical aspects to meet that deed, perhaps because he is only a child. But, the son admires his father, as the title would suggest.