Poppies Can Kill

The child is dead but it seems so eloquent. In "Mid-term Break" by Seamus Heaney the death of his younger brother is explained with such truthfulness, yet such understatement. Throughout the poem, the author never enlightens his own feelings, just those around him, displaying how horrible accidents feel out of body when they first occur. Heaney, in the last stanza, shows much restraint. The way he describes his brother, "He lay in the four-foot box as in his cot" eludes to the child only sleeping. By the author understating so much of the trauma, the poem becomes even more heartbreaking as Heaney is most likely in denial of his brother's death. He also chooses to explain the bruise as a Poppy, when Poppies are small, beautiful and harmless flowers. By utilizing the pure flower, Poppy, Heaney shows that even the most innocent things can be damaged; just like his brother.