Seamus Heaney, ‘Follower’: Practice Questions

In Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, what specific childhood ambition does the speaker describe in the third stanza?

In Seamus Heaney's ‘Follower’, how does the use of technical plowing terms like “wing,” “sock,” and “headland” contribute to the characterization of the father?

In the final stanza of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, what is the significance of the father "stumbling" behind the speaker?

In the first stanza of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, what does the metaphor ‘his shoulders globed like a full sail’ suggest about the father’s physical presence in the field?

Explain how the repetition of the word ‘stumbling’ in the final stanza of ‘Follower’ reverses the power dynamic established earlier in the poem between the speaker and his father.

In Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, what specific physical detail in the final stanza describes the role reversal between the speaker and his father?

How does Seamus Heaney use specific verbs and imagery to portray the father’s expertise and physical mastery of the plow in the poem ‘Follower’?

In Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, how does the poet use technical nautical imagery and precise verbs to convey the father’s mastery of his craft?

In your answer, you should explore:
a) The significance of terms such as “hob-nailed wake” and “mapping the furrow”.
b) How the father’s physical actions are described to suggest effortless skill.
c) How this imagery contrasts with the speaker’s own descriptions of himself as a child.