“Seamus Heaney was the soul of the nation”, by Eamon Carr, is an emotive response concerning the untimely passing of influential Irish poet Seamus Heaney. The article, published by the “Independent”, beautifully depicts the extent of Heaney’s positive influence and sense of universality deployed through his pieces of literature. Through this essay, I shall attempt to intently examine and discuss the emotive language used, Idolisation and the universality of self-expression.
The tribute written in commemoration to the deceased literary artist, Seamus Heaney, was saturated in emotive expressions. The fact that it was also written in first person narrative helped accentuate the intimacy between Heaney, Carr and ultimately all that shared the same…show more content… In this novel we are introduced to the Nick, the narrator, and Gatsby, the “nouveau riche” product of the American dream. Contrarily to most rich and prestigious families Gatsby rose from nothing and was portrayed as a very determined, manipulative but most importantly hopeful person with a clear dream imprinted in his mind. His relentless pursuit and confidence are ultimately the catalysts to Nicks Idolisation of the man. The key virtue that Nick was attracted to, was Gatsby’s uniqueness, thus differentiating him from the careless masses of the bourgeoisie. Nick ultimately deeply appreciates and admires Gatsby for standing up for what he believes in and the passion that he shows when he is set the task. Something that maybe Nick is not able to do himself hence finds relief through…show more content… Heaney tries to convey that expression of self is a universally understood and that anyone, no matter religion, race or social class can unite as everyone has suffered something similar, such as rejection or family issues for instance. It is astounding how a single individual from a small Irish town was able to reach out to such a large audience of people, overcoming cultural barriers and prejudices. This ultimately shows that deep down the human race is very alike and strives to be understood, consequently, we are all driven by the similar basic desire to consume a similar text who has expressed his feelings on the matter. This is confirmed by Carr as he says, “… A voice that was understood around the world”. Carr’s description of Heaney’s way of writing feels almost as if he is trying to bring the human back into its natural state of nature, through the openness of his writing and by addressing his “hopes” and “fears”. By metaphorically speaking, turning the reader into its primordial state Heaney is able to touch a wider audience and speak to them in a more personal level, ultimately intensifying the connection between narrator and reader to a whole new level. Carr recognises this and thus proceeds to compliment Heaney on his ability to inspire and connect with such a large number of people, hence Heaney wishes to challenge the predetermined notion that people from