Close Analysis of Blackberry Picking

(O’Brien, 2009) ‘Blackberry Picking”

‘Blackberry Picking’ takes the reader on a journey that explores the innocence of childhood into the depths of disappointment in adulthood.

 

The poem is written in iambic pentameter with each line being 5 feet with 2 syllables and is structured into two stanzas that follow an AABBCC rhyme scheme. However, most lines are shown to be half rhymes “sun/ripen” (Heaney, 1966, lines 1 and 2) whereas “clot/knot” in stanza one (Heaney, 1966, lines 3 and 4) and “rot/not” in stanza two (Heaney, 1966, lines 23 and 24) are rhyming couplets. Although the rhythmic tone of the poem can create a musical feel that may mirror childhood, Heaney’s clever use of half rhymes throughout the poem could create a sense of disorganisation and lack of direction, reflecting the non-linear path that you may take through adult life.

 

In the first stanza, Heaney uses a direct pronoun which draws attention to the reader; “You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet/ Like thickened wine...Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for/ Picking.” (Heaney, 1966, lines 6-7.) Heaney utilises an extended metaphor of human biology to directly mirror our experience of growing up. As children growing into teenagers, we are often enticed by the excitement of adulthood from our first experiences of ‘adult life’ such as our first taste of freedom or first kiss. Heaney employs the use of the simile “sweet/Like thickened wine” (Heaney, 1966, lines 5-6) to emphasise that these experiences “leave stains” on the individual and create a “lust for picking” implying that they provide a false sense of excitement into adult life.

 

“Once off the bush” (Heaney, 1966, line 20) in stanza two, the berry begins to rot and decay. This illuminates the realisation that blackberries are unable to remain sweet indefinitely, which metaphorically could suggest that adult life isn’t a true reflection of our childhood expectations. Fricative alliteration and sibilance in “The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour” (Heaney, 1966, line 21) creates an infuriated tone towards the berries due to its inability to remain sweet, potentially insinuating that the speaker has feelings of frustration rooting from the lack of control over growing up. This is further supported when Heaney writes that he “always felt like crying” (Heaney, 1966, line 22) and each year “hoped they’d keep, knew they would not” (Heaney, 1966, line 24.) The final lines of the poem highlight the battle of acceptance that you face as you enter adult life and the inevitability of loss and disappointment that may lie ahead.