Death of a Naturalist is a poem written by Seamus Heaney, an Irish poet born in Northern Ireland in 1939 The poem is about a young boy's experiences with nature, and the sense of awe and wonder born of innocence, which is then replaced by a sense of alienation and fear.
The poem is set in a rural area, and it starts with the narrator remembering how he used to enjoy collecting frogs' spawn in the ditch near his home. He then reflects on how he has outgrown this appreciation and understanding of the natural world, and how he now finds the creatures inhabiting his surroundings repellent and oppressive. This transition from curiosity to fear and alienation is presented throughout the poem as a metaphor for growing up.
Five interesting essay topics on Death of a Naturalist are:
1. The transition from innocence to experience in Death of a Naturalist: Analyze how the poem depicts the process of growing up, and the transition from innocence to experience, in terms of its use of language and imagery.
2. The role of nature in Death of a Naturalist: Consider how the natural world serves as a metaphor for the narrator's transition from childhood to adulthood, and examine how Heaney uses nature to convey this experience.
3. The theme of alienation in Death of a Naturalist: Examine the poem's use of language and imagery to explore the theme of alienation, and consider what the poem is saying about the human condition.
4. The impact of place on identity in Death of a Naturalist: Analyze the poem's use of setting to explore the concept of place, and how it shapes the narrator's identity and experiences.
5. The tension between past and present in Death of a Naturalist: Analyze how Heaney uses the contrasting imagery of past and present to depict the sense of changing times, and explore how this contributes to the poem's theme.