Question 1: Briefly describe the historical and geographical context of 'Storm on the Island' and how it influences the poem's themes.

Answer: The poem reflects the experience of living on an Irish island prone to violent storms, emphasizing themes of nature's power and human resilience.

Question 1: What is the significance of the opening line: 'We just sit tight while the wind dives and strikes'? How does this set the tone of the poem?

Answer: It introduces a sense of vulnerability and passive resilience, highlighting humans' powerless position against nature's forces.

Question 2: Analyze the imagery in the line: 'Space is a salvo.' What effect does this metaphor create?

Answer: It compares the open space to gunfire, emphasizing the destructive power of the storm and creating a sense of threat and chaos.

Question 3: Identify and explain the purpose of the line: 'But no: when it begins, the flung spray hits the very windows, spits like a tame cat / Turned savage.'

Answer: The simile 'spits like a tame cat / Turned savage' depicts the sudden ferocity of the storm, contrasting calmness with violence to evoke fear.

Question 1: Find and explain the effect of the personification in the phrase: 'The wind dives and strikes.'

Answer: Personification makes the wind seem active and aggressive, emphasizing nature's power and unpredictability.

Question 2: Quote explosion: 'We are prepared: we build our houses squat, / Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate.' Identify the language devices and discuss how they reflect human resilience.

Answer: The imagery of sturdy houses and 'sink walls in rock' suggests resilience and human effort to withstand natural forces; the tone is one of guarded confidence.

Question 3: What is the effect of the contrast between the calm beginning and the violent storm described later?

Answer: It highlights the unpredictability of nature and the fragile boundary between calm and chaos, adding tension.

Question 1: How does Heaney portray the power of nature in 'Storm on the Island'?

Answer: Through vivid imagery and metaphors of storms and destructive forces, emphasizing nature's uncontrollable strength.

Question 2: Discuss the theme of human vulnerability in the poem. How does the speaker's tone reflect this?

Answer: The tone is cautious and respectful, acknowledging human limits and the potential for destruction despite preparations.

Question 1: Outline key points for comparing how 'Storm on the Island' and 'Ozymandias' depict the theme of power. Include possible quotes and their significance.

Answer: Both poems explore the fleeting nature of power—'Storm on the Island' shows nature's dominance over humans, with imagery of destructive storms, while 'Ozymandias' depicts the impermanence of rulers' power through the ruined statue. Quotes: 'We are prepared' vs. 'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.'

Question 1: Using examples from the poem, analyze how Heaney's choice of language and structure creates tension and illustrates the power struggle between humans and nature.

Answer: Students should discuss the use of vivid imagery, metaphors like 'Space is a salvo,' and the structure that moves from calm to chaos, emphasizing the ongoing conflict and human vulnerability.