Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore how Heaney presents the admiration found in a parental relationship and how this changes over time.
Key learning points
- Heaney uses imagery to convey the sense of wonder, awe and admiration felt towards a parental figure.
- Heaney uses powerful verbs to suggest how the speaker felt inadequate when with his father.
- Heaney uses the resolution to reveal how the roles of the father and son are reversed in their later years.
- The stable rhyme scheme could mirror the stable nature of parental support the speaker felt.
- Heaney’s use of caesura could indicate a turning point in the poem at the end of stanzas 2 and 6.
Keywords
Awe - a feeling of wonder or admiration, often mixed with fear or amazement
Prowess - exceptional skill or ability, especially in a particular field or activity
Earnest - serious and sincere in intention or effort; showing deep conviction or dedication
Quatrain - a four-line stanza in a poem
Caesura - a pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation
Common misconception
Students may think that in the last two lines of the poem, the father now follows behind the son while he is out ploughing a field.
Although their roles have reversed, there is no indication that the last two lines involve the father and son ploughing. The echoes in the language merely symbolise that their roles have reversed as the son has grown up.
Teacher tip
During the first learning cycle, you could encourage the students to draw a 'match-stick' version of the father and son and label each with descriptions related to their skills and prowess (linked to body parts).
Equipment
You will need access to the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney about?
Q2.In 'Follower' as a child the speaker his father.
Q3.In 'Follower' both father and son...
Q4.By the end of the poem 'Follower' __________ is frustrated by __________ as they are seen as a hindrance.
Q5.Which of the below is an example of tentative language?
Q6.The ending of a poem or a story where the conflict ends is known as a .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'Follower' Heaney uses what kind of rhyme scheme in each stanza?
Q2.What's the impact of the regular rhyme scheme in 'Follower'?
Q3.Which word from 'Follower' shows the shift in time in the poem?
Q4.A pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation is known as...
Q5.What's the potential impact of the caesura used in 'Follower'?
Q6.Which words from the poem 'Follower' describe the skill of the speaker's father when it comes to farming?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'Love and Relationships' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.