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A Montage of Various ReadingsThis video clip is a collection of various readings of the poem "Digging," which Heaney performed throughout his life. The photos, action video, and background sounds help bring to life the activities described in the poem Listen for the repetition of the title throughout the poem. Listen to the way Heaney emphasizes that word.
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Heaney Reads the Poem in FullThis clip uses still photographs as background, and Heaney reads the poem through in one sitting. The pace is faster and softer than the montage above, so the word "digging" is emphasized even more--as is Heaney's Irish accent. Notice the juxtaposition of the photos of the poet when he was young and when he was old. What does this suggest? How does this enhance our experience of the poem?
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Background on the Potato FamineThis video clip provides a brief history of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1850. This was one of the most difficult times in recent Irish history. More than a million people died from starvation and many others were plunged into deep poverty. These events would be within the family memory and present in this poem. Heaney was born in 1939, and his grandfather would have grown up under the long shadow of those terrible times.
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Background on Turf CuttingThis video clip demonstrates and explains the process of peat and turf cutting. How does this background change your experience of Heaney's poem?
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