Death of Naturalist Poem Summary, Questions and Answers
Death of Naturalist Poem Long Answer Questions
Question 1.
Attempt a critical appreciation of Death of a Naturalist.
Or
Question 2.
Death of a Naturalist is a poem about the loss of innocence. Discuss with close reference to the poem.
Answer:
Death of a Naturalist was published in 1966 in Heaney’s debut anthology of poetry entitled Death of a Naturalist. Heaney however goes down memory lane to bring alive his childhood days when he was significantly obsessed with frogspawn.
But, with the transition to maturity, the simplicity of nature hardly enthralls him anymore. Instead he feels deeply repulsed observing the tadpoles turning into ugly frogs. The poem however explores the loss of innocence as the poet sees the harsher side of nature and feels threatened and frightened by the end.
Death of a Naturalist begins with a succinct picture of the flax plant being placed over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun round the year. Such picture abounds in his native Country Derry, Northern Ireland where Heaney makes a frequent visit to collect frogspawn.
Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs the croaking of the male frog inspires the mammy frog to lay hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn.
Such simple explanation which Heaney believed as a child reveals his innocent acceptance of things more complicated to comprehend during one’s childhood. However, innocence is also established when Heaney as a child was close to nature. The foul smell of rotting flax, the thick, stagnant, rotten water, the unpleasant sight of insects hovering around the muddy earth had no repulsive effect upon him. In this part of the poem, the flax dam appears charming despite all its nauseating effect.
But, as Heaney grows closer to being an adult, the natural world becomes more foreign and menacing to him. The smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”. The sight of adult frog is deeply loathsome. Some of them jumped around and the others sitting “like mud grenades” ready to explode. It seems as if the vicious frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”.
The speaker once stole away their frogspawn.’It’s time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days.
Question 3.
Comment on the significance of the title Death of a Naturalist.
Answer:
The epithet Death of a Naturalist is deeply ironic in the sense that a child’s obsession for nature turns into aversion once he grows closer to being an adult. As a naturalist, one would not be bothered about the “coarse croaking” of the “angry frogs”, or the stinky odour “cow dung in the grass”.
But, Heaney’s speaker runs away from his favourite place during childhood since his attachment to the world of nature weakens over time. Initially Heaney’s obsession with the frogspawn made him believe that he was a naturalist. Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.
The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs, which Heaney still remembers. But a significant change is observed in one ‘hot day’ when the same field of flax repulses him with all its unpleasant sight, sound and smell.
For example, smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”. An army of hostile frogs were seen aggressively darting inside the flax dam. The speaker was so appalled by the sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place.
He says that he has never in fact, heard the horrifying croak of frogs that seems so horrible, especially when they puff out their throats with deep anger. The negative image of frog suggests the change of mindset that an individual experience while moving towards adulthood.
Such change is further reinforced when Heaney fancies the frogs as mud grenades, ready to explode. The frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”. The speaker once stole away their frogspawn. It’s now time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range.
Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days. The escape from the harsh and dreadful natural world results in the death of the naturalist in him.
Death of Naturalist Poem Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
Describe in brief Heaney’s obsession with the frogspawn during his childhood days.
Answer:
During his childhood days, Heaney developed a severe obsession for frogspawn which made him believe that he was a naturalist. Every spring time he would make a frequent visit to the flax dam his native Country Derry, Northern Ireland to collect frogspawn.
He would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs.
In a simple way, Miss. Wall would describe how the female frogs are inspired to lay eggs by the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog. The croaking of the bullfrog would tempt the mammy frog to lay hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn.
Such simple explanation which Heaney believed as a child reveals his innocent acceptance of things more complicated to comprehend during one’s childhood. In fact, childhood is the time when one develops obsessions for the simple natural things which ultimately weakens over time. This is what is suggested by Heaney in his Death of a Naturalist.
Question 2.
What significant change does Heaney observe in him on a hot day?
Answer:
Heaney’s obsession for nature turns into aversion once he grows closer to being an adult. Particularly on a hot day, Heaney observes this change in him when suddenly the same flax repulses him with all its unpleasant sight, sound and smell.
The fax which once had no repulsive effect on him now reeks with “cow dung in the grass”. On the other hand, the sight of grown up frogs seems terribly threatening. The speaker is so appalled by the sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place.
He says that he has never in fact, heard the horrifying croak of frogs that seems so horrible, especially when they puff out their throats with deep anger. The negative image of frog suggests the change of mindset that an individual experience while moving towards adulthood. Such change is further reinforced when Heaney fancies the frogs as mud grenades, ready to explode.
The frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”. The speaker once stole away their frogspawn. It’s now time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days. The escape from the harsh and dreadful natural world results in the death of the naturalist in him.
Death of Naturalist Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Question 1.
“What is left exposed to the sun round the year?
a. Tobacco leaves
b. Flax plant sheaves
c. Leather
d. Grapes
Answer:
b. Flax plant sheaves
Question 2.
Why does the speaker visit the place where flax are left exposed to sun?
a. To collect flax
b. To watch various insects
c. To smell the odour of rotten flax
d. To collect frogspawn
Answer:
d. To collect frogspawn
Question 3.
Where does the speaker keep the frogspawn?
a. In basket
b. In jars
c. In bowl
d. In mug
Answer:
b. In jars
Question 4.
Who among these was the teacher of the speaker?
a. Miss. Meadow
b. Miss. Wills
c. Miss. Wall
d. Mr. Wall
Answer:
c. Miss. Wall
Question 5.
What did Miss. Wall teach the speaker?
a. The way to collect frogspawn
b. The life of frog
c. The way to cultivate flax
d. The reproductive cycle of frogs
Answer:
d. The reproductive cycle of frogs
Question 6.
How does Miss. Wall call male and female frog?
a. Mama and daddy frog
b. Papa and mama frog
c. Bullfrog and mammy frog
d. Bullfrog and mummy frog
Answer:
c. Bullfrog and mammy frog
Question 7.
Which among these insects is not mentioned in the poem?
a. Dragonfly
b. Butterfly
c. Blue fly
d. Grasshopper
Answer:
d. Grasshopper
Question 8.
What changes did the speaker find in him in one hot day?
a. He has grown old
b. His love for the frogspawn has grown intense
c. He no longer remains a naturalist
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. He no longer remains a naturalist
Question 9.
The adult frogs were gathered to ……….
a. Lay eggs
b. croak together
c. eat insects
D. Take revenge against the speaker
Answer:
D. Take revenge against the speaker
Question 10.
The adult frogs wanted to take revenge against the speaker since ………..
a. He once killed their babies
b. He scared them away from the field
c. He stole away their frogspawn
d. He no longer remains a child
Answer:
c. He stole away their frogspawn
Death of Naturalist Poem Summary
Death of Naturalist Poem Introduction
Published in 1966 in Heaney’s debut anthology of poetry entitled Death of a Naturalist, the present poem establishes Heaney’s reputation as the foremost Irish poet of his generation. Heaney however goes down memory lane to bring alive his childhood days when he was significantly obsessed with frogspawn.
But, with the transition to maturity, the simplicity of nature hardly enthralls him anymore. Instead he feels deeply repulsed observing the tadpoles turning into ugly frogs. The poem however explores the loss of innocence as the poet sees the harsher side of nature and feels threatened and frightened by the end.
Death of Naturalist Poem Summary
A child speaker observes how flax plant sheaves are positioned over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun all year long. The flax rots in the muddy water and then becomes hot in the extreme heat of the sun. Foul smell of rotten flax hover around the field where insects like blue flies, dragonflies and butterflies gather around the thick, stagnant, rotten water with bubbles winking on its surface.
The speaker who often visits the place, becomes obsessed with the frogspawn, a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog. Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The speaker’s obsession is further tantalized by Miss. Wall, probably his teacher, whose classes on the reproductive cycle of the frogs is still remembered by him.
The speaker says that Miss. Wall described the way the female frog lays eggs when inspired by the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog. The bullfrog croaks and the mammy frog lays hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn. Moreover, the speaker’s innocent mind would also believe that the colours of frogs determine the weather.
The yellow frog and the brown frog represent sun and rain respectively. Innocence, however is thwarted once the speaker grows up. He remembers one hot day when he saw an army of hostile frogs aggressively darting inside the flax-dam. The frogs were croaking furiously aloud, puffing out their throats with deep anger. Some of them jumped around, while some others sat, seething with furious rage, once they see the speaker within their range. They looked like mud grenades, ready to explode.
The dreadful sight of the frogs, their menacing activities terrorized the speaker. It seemed as if the ugly frogs’ were all gathered to take revenge upon the speaker since he once stole away the frogspawn. The speaker now feels that the spawn that he so earnestly held up in his hand to put into his jar seem to be ready to seize his hand if he dipped it in the spawn. Terrified, he runs away from the loathsome place.
Death of Naturalist Poem Paraphrase
Lines 1 to 6:
A child speaker observes how the sheaves of flax plants are placed over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun round the year. The flax rots in the muddy water and then becomes hot in the extreme heat of the sun. Foul smell of rotten flax hover around along with the buzzing sound of blue flies, gathered around the thick, stagnant, rotten water with bubbles winking on its surface.
Lines 7 to 15:
Along with the blue flies, dragonflies and butterflies too thronged the place. But, what enthralled the speaker most was the frogspawn, a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog. Every spring the speaker would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.
Lines 15 to 21:
Miss Wall, probably the speaker’s teacher, would explain the complete reproductive cycle of the frogs by detailing the process as simply as possible. The speaker remembers the words of his teacher which states that the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog inspires the female frog to lay eggs while he croaks. The mammy frog lays hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn. One could forecast the weather by looking at the colours of frogs. The frog however turns yellow in the sun and brown in the rain.
Lines 22 to 26:
One hot day when the field was stinking with the foul smell of cow dung, an army of hostile frogs were seen aggressively darting inside the flax-dam. The speaker was so appalled by sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place. The speaker however had never, in fact, heard the horrifying cacophony of frogs, croaking aloud.
Lines 27 to 33:
The sight of the grown up frogs seem too unpleasant for the speaker. They continued croaking furiously aloud, puffing out their throats with deep anger. Some of them jumped around, while some others sat, seething with furious rage, once they see the speaker within their range. They looked like mud grenades, ready to explode.
The dreadful sight of the frogs, their menacing activities terrorized the speaker. It seemed as if the ugly frogs were gathered to revenge upon the speaker since he once stole away the frogspawn. The speaker now feels that the spawn that he so earnestly held up in his hand to put into his jar seem to be ready to seize his hand if he dipped it in the spawn. Terrified, he runs away from the loathsome place.
Death of Naturalist Poem Annotations with Comments
Lines 1 to 6:
All year : throughout the year
Flax : herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its seed
Festered : rotted
Towniand : a division of land of varioussizes
heavy headed : heavy on top. A human quality is attributed to the flax when the poet says that flax are heavy headed
rotted: decayed
weighted down: weighed down
sods: pieces of cut turf which helps to cultivate the flax
sweltered: becomes hot and suffocative
punishing sun: torturous sun in the sense that its very hot. Sun here is fancied as oppressor, burning down on the flax.
Bubbles : The bubbles in the muddy earth are producing gargling sound.
Gargled : the gargling sound produced by bubbles
Bluebottles : kind of flies
Wove a strong the smell : the hordes of flies buzzing around the flax-dam
Comment:
flax dam : A flax dam isn’t actually a dam, but a muddy patch of earth which is soaked to soften the flax. During such process, things get pretty stinky. ‘The plant basically rots as it softens, let ting off, an unpleasant smell.’ Heaney however looks back to a time when he was a boy. During those days he was deeply enthralled by the local flax-dam, an area of boggy water in his native County Derry, Northern Ireland.
Lines 7 to 15:
Dragonflies : a large insect with a long,thin, brightly coloured body and two pairs of transparent wings
Slobber : thick saliva
Frogspawn : a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog
Clotted : thick
Jampotfuls : fill jars with frog eggs
Specks : eggs
Range: place
window sills : narrow shelf below a window either inside or outside
fattening dots : growing eggs
burst : hatches
nimble : swift moving
tadpoles : a larval amphibian
Comment:
every spring …. jampotfuls of the jellied specks: Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal. The frogspawns are thus, all over the place responding to the cycle of life
to range on window sills …shelves at school: The speaker appears to be an avid collector of frogspawn. He would fill the jam jars with the eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.
This establishes his obsession for the frogspawn which is further established once he recalls the lessons of Miss Walls. Presumably the teacher of the speaker during his childhood, Miss. Walls used to teach how “hundreds of little eggs” finally hatch into tadpoles which the speaker once liked to watch.
Lines 15 to 21:
Miss Walls : probably the speaker’s teacher
daddy frog : male frog
bullfrog : large frog having a deep booming croak
mammy frog : female frog Laid hundreds…..
this was Frogspawn : female frog lays hundreds of eggs in the frogspawn, tadpoles eventually hatch out from the eggs
tell the weather : predict the weather yellow in sun ….
brown in rain : the colour of frog turns yellow in the sun and brown in the rain.
Comment:
You could tell the weather by frogs: The fact that one could forecast the weather by looking whether the frogs were yellow or brown is also related to suggest the innocence as well as the confident curiosity of the young boy.
Lines 22 to 26:
Rank with : filled with
Invaded : enter aggressively
Ducked : dodged
Hedges : bushes
Coarse : rough
Croaking: refers to the croaking sound of frogs
Bass chorus: deep sound produced by a group of frogs
Comment:
Then one hot day: Heaney now deviates from his collective memory of “every spring,” when his speaker used to collect frogspawn and Miss. Wall, his teacher would give a lesson on the reproductive cycle of frogs. He now meditates upon a “hot day” with unpleasant images of ”angry frogs” which simply sickens him.
This how ever indicates his loss of innocence when even the most basic natural sceneries would make him happy. The speaker’s transition to maturity and loss of innocence is symbolised by the swimming tadpoles turning into “great slime kings”.
Lines 27 to 33:
Gross : ugly
Bellied : swelled (here it refers to the frog bellies)
Sods : pieces of turf.
Pulsed : throbbed The loose necks…
snails: the frogs make their croaking sound, by puffing out their throats.
Hopped : jumped
slap and plop : various kinds of sounds made by frogs while they are on move
obscene : unpleasant
poised : prepared and waiting for something
grenades : hand bomb
blunt heads : soft heads
slime : an unpleasantly thick and slippery liquid substance
slime kings : refers to the ugly big frogs which look like slippery liquid substance
vengeance : revenge
dipped : put or let something down
spawn : frog spawn
clutch : hold tightly
Comment:
sickened, turned, and ran: The speaker now ceases to be a naturalist all because of his aversion for the nature. As Heaney grows closer to being an adult, the natural world becomes more foreign and menacing to him. The smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”.
The adult frogs appear threatening with their resolution to take revenge against the speaker who once stole away their frogspawn. They look like “mud grenades” ready to explode. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days.