Hamnavoe George Mackay Brown The Big Picture We

‘Hamnavoe’ George Mackay Brown

The Big Picture • We are going to study a poem by George Mackay Brown called ‘Hamnavoe’, written in 1947. • The poem was written as a tribute to the poet’s father who was a postman on the island of Hamnavoe. • It follows a typical day on the island, where life is difficult for the hardworking inhabitants. • The poem ends with Mackay Brown telling us how much he admired his father.

Author • George Mackay Brown, the poet, novelist and dramatist, spent his life living in and documenting the Orkney Isles, situated off the north coast of Scotland. • He was born in Stromness on the Orkney mainland in 1921. • He began writing poetry around 1940 and he later applied to Edinburgh University where he studied English Literature. • After these years, Mackay Brown rarely left Orkney.

• In his writing he explored the experience of life on the Orkney isles, and his work is a rich and unique celebration of the history and traditions which make up Orkney's distinct cultural identity. • Many of Mackay Brown's works are concerned with protecting Orkney's cultural heritage from the relentless march of progress. • Mackay Brown's literary reputation grew steadily. He received an OBE in 1974 and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1977, in addition to gaining several honorary degrees. His final novel, Beside the Ocean of Time (1994) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and judged Scottish Book of the Year by the Saltire Society. • Mackay Brown died in his home town of Stromness on 13 th April 1996.

Setting • Hamnavoe is the Viking name for Stromness, one of the largest settlements in the Orkney islands, where Mackay Brown spent most of his life. • The location is remote and, although beautiful and picturesque, can suffer harsh weather conditions. • Hamnavoe Webcam Orkney Islands You are here • The following slides contain some images of Hamnavoe.

Some Images of Hamnavoe

Context of the Poem • ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown is a poem rooted firmly within the community of a small island in Orkney an island off the north coast of Scotland. • Throughout the poem the poet explores and gives a powerful impression of the island’s inhabitants and the work they do. Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious community and their way of life is memorable because it is so different from the mainland. • The poem is a tribute to the poet’s father’s life as he carries out his daily rounds as the island’s postman. The poem explores the views of the town and the people in it from his perspective as they carry out their daily activities. • The poem can be divided into four sections of the poem morning, afternoon, evening and Mackay Brown’s tribute to his father at the end.

Context of the Poem • Brown shows an admiration for the honest hard work of the community to which he belongs. • He also emphasises the importance of the link between the island community and nature. (Esp. link between the land sea) • However, he does also explore the negative aspects of the island, mainly the danger associated with hard working life (sea) on the island the insular views help by many of the inhabitants. • Brown ends the poem in a sincere and moving tribute to the man (his father) who worked hard to provide him with food and shelter, whilst allowing him to grow up in a carefree and secure environment.

Jigsaw Task • Each group will be given one verse of the poem to study. • You should write notes on your copy of the poem (this is called ‘annotating a poem’). • You should expand these notes by adding more detail in your note book/jotter. • You will then teach others in the class about your verse.

Why study the poem this way? • You have to think for yourself and form your own ideas. • Writing about your personal response to a text is an important part of a critical essay. • You all have to be actively involved. If you do nothing, it will impact on others. • It’s far more interesting than being given line after line of analysis to copy from the board.

Consider the following while studying your verse: • • • • What ideas and themes are you aware of? Are there any interesting words or images in the verse? Any other poetic techniques? Esp. Personification Symbolism Pun Sibilance (rep of ‘s’ sound) Alliteration Onomatopoeia Oxymoron (two words brought together with opp meaning) Juxtaposition (usually bringing two contrasting ideas close together) Syecdoche (A figure of speech in which part is used to refer to the whole eg. Someone’s car becomes their ‘wheels’) Zeugma (when a verb or an adjective is applied to two nouns when it is only really applicable to one- eg ‘In flashed knife and dirge’ knife – literal – catches light, dirge – metaphorical – flash of sound/singing • You will then be split into different groups and you will have to teach the rest of your group about the verse you have studied.

Learning Groups Teaching Groups

Lines 1 -4 - Morning It is significant that it is the sea that wakes the inhabitants of Hamnavoe. They all respond to its call, stressing its importance to the community. • My father passed with his penny letters • Through closes opening and shutting like legends • When barbarous with gulls • Hamnavoe’s morning broke Technique – Rhythm The three strong stresses on “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” emphasises that the community wakes together, ready to start the working day.

Lines 5 -8 - Morning Techniques – Personification, Colour symbolism - The personification of the boats presents a positive and jaunty image, one in which the boats are a living part of this community. However, the colour “red” hints at the darker side to this often hard and dangerous work. • • 5 On the salt and tar steps. Herring boats, Puffing red sails, the tillers • Of cold horizons, leaned • Down the gull-gaunt tide Techniques – Pun, Imagery - The pun on “tillers” emphasises that the people of Hamnavoe rely on nature, the land the sea, to survive. The “cold horizons” stress that the life the islanders are born into, whilst rich in tradition and a sense of community, is one of hardship and toil, with very limited choices.

Lines 9 -12 - Morning Techniques – Sibilance, Colour symbolism -The use of sibilance creates a strong, smooth rhythm reflecting the great deftness and skill of the fisherman • • And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests. 10 A stallion at the sweet fountain • Dredged water, and touched • Fire from steel-kissed cobbles. Whilst the colour silver, whilst vividly describing the appearance if the fish, also stresses to the reader the importance of this catch to the wealth of the islanders.

Lines 13 -16 - Afternoon Techniques – Synecdoche, Alliteration, Word choice - The merchants are clearly not welcomed by the islanders. The use of synecdoche, stresses that it is not just the old men, but the whole of the island who disapprove of these men who have time to be “strolling” (word choice) at noon while the rest of the islanders are hard at work. • Hard on noon four bearded merchants The use of alliteration mimics the sound of the retired fishermen spitting onto the pier as the merchants pass, stressing their contempt for them. • Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled, Techniques – Imagery (Juxtaposition) - is used to contrast the islanders’ differing attitude to the tinker and the merchants) • 15 Holy with greed, chanting Additionally, the merchants are becoming wealthy off of the toil of the islanders while not sharing the islanders’ ideology of hard work. • Their slow grave jargon.

Lines 17 - 20 - Afternoon Techniques – Imagery - However, not all “outsiders” are automatically mistrusted and disliked by the islanders. By describing the tinker with imagery of the sea Mackay Brown suggests that he belongs on the island. Additionally, the word “tartan” suggests that he has fitted into this uniquely Scottish community. He shares the islanders’ work ethic as he “keened” working hard and moving purposefully. • A tinker keened like a tartan gull Techniques – Onomatopoeia/word choice/Oxymoron - It is not only the men who work hard on the island, as the description of the “crofter lass” demonstrates. The use of the onomatopoeic word “trudged” stresses that her work is hard and tiring. • At cuithe-hung doors; a crofter lass The oxymoron “lavish dung” suggests that her life is one very much tied to the earth as she views the traditionally unpleasant idea of “dung” in a positive light as, in its “lavish” quantities” allowing her crops to grow well; poss allowing her to purchase “lavish” goods. • Trudged through the lavish dung Techniques – symbolism - This is a beautiful image in which the young girl’s dreams of femininity and motherhood are revealed. However, again it reminds the reader of the limited horizons of the islanders and the narrowness of their aspirations. • 20 In a dream of cornstalks and milk.

Lines 21 -24 - Afternoon • In “The Arctic Whaler” three blue elbows fell, • Regular as waves, from beards spumy with porter, • Till the amber day ebbed out • To its black dregs.

Lines 25 - 28 - Evening Techniques – Imagery - Again the clear link is made between the islanders’ reliance on the land sea through the use of the word “furrows”. • 25 The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen The “blizzard” of gulls give this homecoming a celebratory atmosphere and, indeed, their presence in such numbers suggests a successful haul for the fishermen; and therefore for community as whole. • In blizzards of gulls. Gaelic fisher girls • Flashed knife and dirge • Over drifts of herring, Techniques – zeugma The fact that everyone has an important role to play in the hard work of the island is stressed. The use of zeugma highlights the skill and speed of the fisher girls as they speedily gut the fish whilst singing at their work.

Lines 29 - 32 - Evening Techniques – Imagery/Atmosphere - An almost mystical atmosphere is created as eth poet describes the young boys of the island fishing with their “wands”, it is clear that this is a peaceful and enjoyable time of day for them and they are naturally skilled at this craft; catching the fish as if by magic. • And boys with penny wands lured gleams Indeed the use of the word “veins” highlights that for these young men fishing is in their blood. • 30 From the tangled veins of the flood. Houses went blind Techniques – Transferred epithet - The atmosphere of the poem changes to one of a shared, quiet grief. The blinds are literally closed in the houses as a mark of respect for the dead; however the use of transferred epithet reveals to us that the people within the houses are blinded by their tears. • Up one steep close, for a Through his use of the word “shrouded” to describe the fishing nets, Mackay Brown links them to the death in the close: revealing to us that he was killed at sea. • Grief by the shrouded nets.

Lines 33 - 36 - Evening • The kirk, in a gale of psalms, went heaving through • A tumult of roofs, freighted for heaven. And lovers • • 35 Unblessed by steeples, lay under The buttered bannock of the moon.

Lines 37 - 40 - Tribute to Father • He quenched his lantern, leaving the last door. Techniques – Oxymoron - The poet reflects on his childhood, and reveals the extraordinary feat his father achieved through his use of the oxymoron “gay poverty”. • Because of his gay poverty that kept • My seapink innocence Despite all the difficulties he faced, his father managed to give his son a happy and pure childhood; unsullied by the difficulties he faced. • 40 From the worm and black wind;

Lines 41 - 45 - Tribute to Father • And because, under equality’s sun Techniques – imagery - The universal theme of the poem is revealed as the poet muses on the fate of communities like Hamnavoe and indeed all small communities across the country. • All things wear now to a common soiling, The march of progress has brought about homogenisation, and these once unique and vibrant communities are at risk of losing what made them special and united. • In the fire of images Techniques – Imagery/Word choice - The word “fire” clearly indicates how clearly and brightly the images of Hamnavoe still exist for the poet. • Gladly I put my hand However, it also indicates that this is a painful reflection for him, perhaps because the places and people which were so important to both him and his father have been lost in the march of progress. • 45 To save that day for him.

Lines 1 -12 Morning 1. What do we learn about the poet’s father in this section? 2. How does the poet help us to imagine what Hamnavoe is like first thing in the morning? 3. How does he immediately make us aware of the past? 4. What two ways of earning a living in the community are introduced in the first section? 5. What is effective about the imagery used in the presentation of the herring boats?

Lines 13 -24 Afternoon 1. What does the image of the merchants and the old men add to the poem? 2. What is effective about the presentation of the tinker and the crofter lass? 3. Why does Mackay Brown include the image of the old fishermen in the pub? 4. What is the effect of the juxtaposition of these images? 5. How are we made aware of time passing in this section?

Lines 25 -36 Evening 1. What atmosphere does the poet create in the images of: (i) the returning fishing boats; the fisher girls; the boys fishing (ii) the grief in the close; the singing in the Kirk; the lovers 2. How are we made aware of time passing in this section?

Lines 37 -45 – Tribute to Father 1. What more do we learn about the poet’s father in this section? 2. For what things is the poet grateful to his father? 3. How effective is the metaphor “the fire of images” in this poem? 4. What feeling, as well as gratitude, do you detect in this last section?

Some Other Points to Consider 1. Make a note of any themes which you think the poem deals with. 2. Has this poem revealed to you anything new, made you think about an area of life you had not considered before, confirmed or changed your mind about any aspect of life? It may be useful for you to compare your experience of life in Glasgow with the life experienced by the inhabitants of Hamnavoe.

3. Think about the way the poet uses sound effects and contrast to create atmosphere/mood in his descriptions of the place and people and the way they interconnect.

Hot Seat • In order to help us think about what life was really like on the island, we are going to interview some of the people mentioned in the poem (i. e. some of you will pretend to be a particular islander!) • Each group should choose a member to become one of the following: Ø Mackay Brown’s father Ø A fisherman Ø A crofter lass Ø A merchant

The Audience • Your job is to prepare your group member for the sort of questions which they may face about life in Hamnavoe. • You will then have the opportunity to ask questions of each panel member. Spend a few minutes thinking of possible questions to ask.

Mind Map Homework • You should produce a mind-map for each section of the poem – morning, afternoon, evening and Mackay Brown’s tribute to his father. • The mind-map should contain a mixture of the techniques used by Mackay Brown and your personal response to these. • This will enable you to see at-a-glance the main points of each stanza. • The next slide shows a sample starter of a mind map.

Hard work “Puffing red sails” “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” Community Morning The Negative Side of Life on the Island Link with nature Three strong stresses- all awake at once

Group Work - Carousel • In your groups you are now going to be given an aspect of the poem to focus on in more detail. Ø Ø Nature Community Hard work The negative side of the island • You should spend around 10 minutes on a group mindmap which will contain your ideas about the assigned topic.

• You will now spend 5 minutes at each of the other 3 groups, reading what that group has written about their topic and adding any important ideas which you think they have missed. • By the end of this exercise, you should have a more detailed view of each of the 4 categories.

Critical Essay

Reading the question • The most important piece of advice that anyone can give you about writing a critical essay is simply to answer the question. Even if your essay is the right length, displays knowledge of the text and is written in perfect English style, it will not be acceptable if it does not focus what the question is asking you to do. • Few people would immediately start writing their answer without reading the question — but many just read it quickly and then go ahead to write something they have prepared beforehand. • The starting point of your critical essay should not be the text you have studied, but the question you are answering. You should learn to recognise the significance of certain phrases which often appear in essay questions. • Here are some of them:

Reading the question • “by close reference to the text. . ” • This obviously means that you are expected to include detailed examples of points you make, referring to specific events in the story. Often close reference to the text will take the form of quotations. • “to what extent. . ” • — as in, for example, “to what extent does the character learn important truths about himself / herself in the course of the play? ” This allows you to discuss both the extent to which he / she does learn these truths, and the extent to which he / she does not. It leaves it up to you to decide whether you want to argue “yes, he does”, “no, he doesn’t” or “in some ways he does and in other ways he doesn’t”. This last approach is likely to be the best as most good literature is fairly complex and a one- sided response will probably be too simplistic. • • “discuss the various techniques by which the writer presents. . . “ The use of the word techniques indicates that you are expected not just to consider the content of the book, play or poem, but the story-telling methods used by the writer, the use of description, figures of speech, and so on. One of the most common faults in answers to this kind of question is for students to say too much about the story itself and not enough about the techniques used.

Planning the Essay • Once you have clarified in your mind what the question is asking you to do, you should make some preliminary notes before you start writing. • It is tempting not to bother doing this, particularly when working to a time limit in a class assessment or in the exam. • But a few minutes planning your essay will save you wasting time later on.

Planning the Essay • Before you start writing your essay, you should have a clear idea of how it is going to develop. If you don’t plan it out first, you’ll probably run into one of the following difficulties: • X you remember a point later on that you wish you had raised earlier; • X you mention all the things that first come to mind and then realise that you don’t know what to say next; • X you state in your introduction that you are going to follow a certain line but, as you haven’t planned it out in advance, your discussion gradually moves further away from your original aim.

Planning the Essay • Planning need not take more than about five minutes. • You don’t have to write anything out in detail; the briefest of headings will do. • Your final draft, or course, should be neatly presented and laid out. • Your planning notes, however, are only for your eyes and might well be rather messy, with bits scored out and arrows used to change the order of the points. • In fact, your planning notes should look like this: if you make all your changes at the planning stage, you won’t have to make so many when you write up the actual essay.

Beginning the Essay • Now that you have a clear outline of the essay in mind, you are ready to begin writing the introductory paragraph. • You should focus on the question right from the very first sentence: don’t take a roundabout approach such as giving a short account of the story. • You should summarise the line of argument that you intend to follow in the essay.

EXAMPLE (1): • Here is a possible opening paragraph for an essay question based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The question reads as follows: • “The abiding genius of Shakespeare is that he gives us characters about whom we care. ” • By referring in detail to the actions and language of one character in a play by Shakespeare, explain to what extent you agree with the above comment. • ‘A character in a Shakespearean play about whom we care is Hamlet. We sympathise with him because of the difficult situation he finds himself in after his father’s death, particularly with his need to seek revenge on Claudius. The fact that Shakespeare uses frequent soliloquies to give us an insight into Hamlet’s thinking helps us to see things from Hamlet’s perspective and further increases our involvement with him. ’

Notice that • the opening paragraph should be short and general in its approach; it is too early in the essay to get into detailed discussion of individual points. The introduction should, in effect, be a summary of the whole essay. • the question referred to the “actions and language” of the character. This means that both the content of the play and the style of writing should be considered. The introductory paragraph touches on both these aspects: the difficult situation Hamlet finds himself in (“actions”) and the use of soliloquies (“language”).

• We will now look at a sample plan for the following Critical Essay question: • Many memorable poems leave the reader with a powerful impression of a person, a place or an era. • Using a poem which left you with such an impression, explain what techniques are used by the poet to convey this impression.

• Title • Author • Genre • Question • Summary (1/2 sentences) • Personal Response (1 sentence)

How it Should Be • This is how the introduction should have been written: Genre Title Author Question • The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves the reader with a strong impression of Hamnavoe, an island off the north coast of Scotland. . The poem is a tribute to the poet’s father’s life. It follows his daily routine as the island’s postman through which Brown gives vivid picture of village life. Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious community and their way of life is memorable because it is so different from the mainland. This I found particularly interesting because it left me with a powerful impression of the island’s inhabitants and the work they do. Summary of your essay 1 -2 sentences Personal Response

Developing the Essay • Planning the essay in a way which makes its relevance to the question clear is the most important thing in writing a critical essay. • Imagine the examiner was looking at two separate candidates’ efforts. • Writer A had planned his essay in a relevant way but had not included a great amount of detail from the text itself. • Writer B knew her text really well and poured out a great deal of detailed knowledge. • However, her essay never really got down to answering the question. • Neither of these answers would be ideal, of course, but writer A is likely to score a rather better mark than writer B. The candidate who manages both aspects — relevance to the question plus detailed knowledge of the text — will score much more highly.

Backing up your points with evidence • The basic principle that you should follow in each paragraph of your essay is simply: back up what you say with evidence from the text. Evidence from the text will usually take one of two forms: • a reference to a scene, event or conversation which you summarise in your own words (paraphrase) • a direct use of actual words from the text (quotation) • A convenient format here is: • generalisation — evidence — comment. • In other words, state the point you wish to make, back it up with a paraphrase or quotation, and then comment on what exactly this evidence reveals about your point. What you must avoid doing at this stage of essay writing is simply retelling the story of what happens. Select only the parts of the text which are directly relevant to the topic of the essay.

Topic Sentence • Mackay Brown leaves the reader with a powerful impression of morning in Hamnavoe. Early in the poem, Mackay Brown makes it clear to us that as soon as day breaks the inhabitants of Hamnavoe are awake and ready to begin working. He tells us: Analysis PR “When barbarous with gulls Hamnavoe’s morning broke” Coxtext The mention of “gulls” makes clear the link between man and nature because, as soon as the gulls are awake, the islanders are too. Similarly, the three strong stresses on “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” suggest to me that everyone in this community is wakening at once in order to begin their hard day’s work.

• Mackay Brown continues to create a clear image of Hamnavoe for the reader by describing the island’s wide range of inhabitants as the poem moves to the afternoon. 1. Contrast/juxtaposition of old men on pier & the merchants. Shows merchants aren’t welcome. Close -knit community; only care for people who work hard for a living.

2. Crofter lass. Working hard on the land. Symbolises simple dreams of females on island – being wife and mother. 3. Retired fishermen in pub. Creates idea that these men have worked hard in this community all their lives and now deserve the time to relax.

• Mackay Brown moves on to describe the evening descending upon the island maintains the image of a hard-working, tightly-knit community. 1. Image of lots of gulls following boat; shows fishermen have had good haul. Good for community. Loud, busy.

2. Fisher girls. Hard working. Used to the work. Everyone has their part to play in this community. 3. Boys. Fishing is ‘in their blood’. Positive image. We get impression that they will grow up to be fishermen – don’t really have the choice in this community. Magical atmosphere.

• After these positive images, Mackay Brown conveys another side to the island, one where grief is part of the islanders’ existence and where islanders can be judgemental of others. 1. Shared grief. Blinds pulled down as a mark of respect. Quiet atmosphere. Sea provides means of survival for island but can also take life away.

2. Community come together in shared grief to pray. Comfort in their religion. 3. Community frowned upon relationships which took place outside of marriage. Judgemental? (perhaps use short, in-line quotation for this). 4. Tribute to his father at end of poem reveals more about way of life on island – poor yet proud.

Ending the Essay • Sometimes an essay loses marks because it seems to end abruptly or have no proper conclusion. • The word “conclusion” means two things: • • an ending; • • a judgment, following logically from an argument. • The last paragraph of your essay should combine both senses of the word. It should: • • • A) recap briefly on the main points; B) refer to the words of the question; C) sum up clearly and logically, drawing together all the threads of the argument giving a personal response.

Ending the Essay • Try to avoid mere repetition of what you have already said; there should be a clear sense of progression and development towards your conclusion. • This can be achieved by adding one last, pertinent point, or by ranking your arguments in order of importance. • Always make sure you have provided a genuine and relevant answer to the question.

EXAMPLE: • Here is a possible concluding paragraph for the essay on the question of Hamlet being a character we care about: • It is therefore because we sympathise with Hamlet’s predicament that we “care” about him throughout the play. We feel sorry for him because of the loss of his father, because he feels betrayed by his mother and because he finds himself having to take on the corruption within the Danish court almost single-handedly. He accepts dutifully, but unwillingly, the role of avenger, leading inevitably to his death. Our feelings for Hamlet are made stronger because we are given so many insights into his inner agony through his frequent soliloquies. We share in Ophelia’s lament, “ 0 what a noble mind is here o’erthrown”. Perhaps most of all we are moved by this sense of waste, expressed also in Fortinbras’ tribute to the dead prince, whom, he felt, would have proved “most royal” had destiny not prevented him from ever becoming king. As the play ends on this note of regret, it is clear that Shakespeare’s genius has indeed been “to make us care”.

• By the end of the poem, I feel that Mackay Brown has created a very powerful impression of Hamnavoe. I enjoyed the way in which he used a day in the life of his father – the island’s postman – to reveal the different aspects of the island. The overall impression I gained is that Hamnavoe is a busy place where everyone plays their part in cultivating the land for survival. . .

Critical Essay Questions Revision

Choose a poem which is obviously rooted in a particular community or way of life. By close reference to the text, show the poet explores some aspect(s) for the reader.

‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown is a poem rooted firmly within the community of a small island in Orkney. Through close reference to the text, I have discovered how the poet explores some of the aspects of their way of life. The poem is about the writer’s father carrying out his daily rounds as the postman and the views of the town and the people in it from his perspective as they carry out their daily activities.

At the beginning, Mackay Brown’s father is quietly delivering the first letters of the morning while everyone is still asleep. However, this does not remain so: “When barbarous with gulls Hamnavoe’s morning broke” The even stresses of the second line indicate that the whole town is waking up at the same time. The gulls reinforce this imagery as it shows them beginning to awake, along with the rest of the inhabitants of the island. The gulls waking the island also stresses the strength of the bond between the islanders and the sea. Despite the people just being wakened, they immediately get to work: “…Herring boats, Puffing red sails, the tillers Of cold horizons. ” Already the boats are heading out to sea. The pun on “tillers” is used here as it is both part of a boat and a machine for cultivating land. This illustrates how the majority of the islanders work at sea as fishermen or on the land as farmers. “Cold horizons” is used to describe the bleak future of the people as they have little alternative but to become fishermen or farmers as well as the poverty that most of the people face. This idea is reinforced in the next line with the alliteration in “gull gaunt tide” of a ‘g’ sound as it leads us to believe that there is a sparseness about the island. However the importance of fishing in this community is stressed when the writer says:

“And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests” “Silver harvests” shows how the fish are associated with money in the community because of its connotations of something precious. This indicates that a large portion of the island’s money comes from fishing. The “dark nets” represent the death they bring to the fish. In my opinion this is used to make us think of how there are often shortages of fish in the North Sea which reinforces the idea of poverty.

Mackay Brown moves on to a description of afternoon on the island. This time of day brings unwanted guests: “Hard on noon four bearded merchants Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled” The fact that the writer says “hard on noon” suggests a certain strictness from the islanders about the merchants indicating that they are not well-liked. The synecdoche of the “pipe-spitting” men reinforces this idea by drawing our attention to the fact that they spit at the merchants as they go past. The use of “strolled” acts as a contrast between the people on the island the merchants as the merchants seem to walk at a leisurely pace whereas the islanders always move with a purpose and never waste time. This highlights how the merchants stick out in Hamnavoe.

This point is reinforced when Mackay Brown describes them as “Holy with greed”, a metaphor showing that they work religiously at making money and are always seeking more profit whereas the islanders are very religious and believe that greed is a sin. This may be one of the reasons why the islanders do not like them. Despite the islanders showing clear distaste towards the merchants, they do not treat all ‘outsiders’ like this: “A tinker keened like a tartan gull At cuithe-hung doors” The tinker is juxtaposed with the merchants in the previous stanza to show that the islanders feel differently about him. “Keened” is used to show he is looking for odd-jobs he can do to help the villagers in exchange for food or money.

This is perhaps why he is well-liked: he is working for survival just as the islanders are. “Tartan gull” is used to illustrate how he is free to go where he wants. Mackay Brown goes on to write about: “a crofter lass Trudged through the lavish dung In a dream of cornstalks and milk” The girl is obviously very tired to be doing what she is doing because Mackay Brown uses “trudged”. The use of the oxymoron “lavish dung” is used to highlight that although dung is fairly unpleasant, it is vital to the villagers’ way of life as they need it to grow crops to sell. The lavishness of the dung is therefore describing how the dung is needed to make money which can be used to buy “lavish” items. The girl’s dream of “cornstalks and milk” is a symbol for new life and femininity, showing that her biggest dream in life is to become a housewife. This can be used to show the islanders have very simple lives and dreams and that children are brought up to do what their parents did, reinforcing the idea that this is a very traditional community.

Mackay Brown then moves on to show us what early evening is like in the community. As the day draws to an end, the fishermen begin to return home: “The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen In blizzards of gulls” This extract reinforces the idea of a connection between the sea and land by using the simile that compares the boats to ploughmen. The metaphor “blizzard of gulls” describes the image of the seagulls swarming towards the fish on the boats. This is used to symbolise the quantity of fish caught, showing the importance yet again of the fishing industry in Hamnavoe. The stanza continues to explain what happens to the fish:

“Gaelic fisher girls Flashed knife and dirge Over drifts of herring” The use of zeugma in the phrase “flashed knife and dirge” is used to show that the girls are so used to gutting the fish that they can sing while they do it, again illustrating the sense of tradition within the community. The women have probably been cleaning fish since they were children. The use of the word “dirge” reminds us of the sombre undertone within the poem that life is hard in Hamnavoe. This is continued in the next stanzas with theme of death: “Houses went blind Up one steep close for a Grief by the shrouded nets. ” The pun on “blind” is used, describing both the blinds of the houses and the people within the houses being ‘blind with grief’. It shows that the islanders like to grieve in privacy. The second pun on “shrouded nets” is used to describe how the sea can bring death and misery along with money.

Towards the end of the poem Mackay Brown proclaims his admiration for one particular islander: his father. This can be applied to all of the islanders: “Because of his gay poverty that kept My seapink innocence From the worm and black wind” What is said about his father can be applied to the whole island. The oxymoron “gay poverty” shows that, despite being poor, the people make the most of their lives. The following two lines use metaphors to show his father was very protective and always made sure that he was never hungry or ill. This tells us that family is very important to the islanders.

I enjoyed ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown and thought that the techniques he used brought the people in the poem to life, showing a culture that has almost completely disappeared.

Often a poem has as its stimulus an incident from the poet’s everyday experience. Show the poet uses his/her own experience and by skilful use of poetic techniques makes it important to a wider readership.

Poems often have their origin in a chance observation, a small incident, a glimpse, a snatch of conversation. Consider such a poem which starts from a particular experience and, by close reference to the text, show the poet moves towards a general, or universal statement.

Consider the impact of the last few lines of a poem you have studied. Referring closely to the language of the whole poem, examine how well these lines act as a conclusion to the whole poem.

Choose a poem which in your opinion comes to a pleasing conclusion. Describe how the poet achieves this effect and how it contributed to your appreciation of the poem as a whole.

Choose a poem in which the poet explores the significance of the passage of time. Explain why the passage of time is significant in this poem and discuss the means by which the poet explores its significance.

Choose a poem which you think could be describes as a “quiet” or “reflective” poem. Show the poet has achieved this effect and discuss to what extent you find it a suitable way of dealing with the subject matter in the poem.

Explain what you believe to be the essential “message” contained in any poem you know well. Show the skill of the poet, in constructing the poem and in choosing words and language features, has given power to the message and contributed to your enjoyment of the poem.

Choose a poem which has something important to say to you. By closely referring to the poet’s language, briefly explain why you consider the subject matter to be important, and go on to analyse how the language conveys the importance of the subject.

Choose a poem which tells a story and show the poet uses the particular techniques/devices of the narrative form to convey his/her ideas and beliefs.

Choose a poem in which a poet conveys his/her views on some aspect of human life. Discuss the techniques/devices he/she has used to convey his/her ideas to you and the extent to which you consider these ideas to be reasonable.

Choose a poet who explores the relationship between human beings and nature. Referring to one or more than one of his/her poems, show the poet makes comments about the relationship which you think are significant.

Choose a poem which explores one of the following: love, beauty, dignity, endurance, imagination, religious belief. Show the poet explores the topic and discuss to what extent he/she was successful in deepening your understanding of it.

Choose a poet whose poems are obviously rooted in personal experience but which seem to you to have a wider significance. Referring to one or to two of his/her poems, show the poet convinces you of the personal element and also makes you aware of a wider significance.

Choose a poem which deals with a distinct aspect of life in either the country or the town/city. Discuss how effectively the poet conveys to you the distinct qualities of the life.

Choose a poem which deals with one of the following: a meeting, a departure, a journey, a quarrel. By referring closely to the text, discuss to what extent the poet successfully captures the experience for you.

Some poets create a mood – reflection, despair, joy, nostalgia – in their poems. Choose such a poem and show the mood is created.

‘Hamnavoe’ – George Mackay Brown Common Errors in Critical Essays

The Big Picture • This part of the unit will look at some of the errors made by members of this class when writing Critical Essays on ‘Hamnavoe’. • No one’s name has been included on any of the essays so you cannot be identified! • We will look at how these errors – and therefore your Critical Essays in general - can be improved.

Introduction with Errors • The following introduction contains a number of errors: • The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves the reader with an impression of the island, Hamnavoe. The poem is a tribute to the poets fathers life, it follows his daily routine as the islands postman. Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious place and their way of life is memorable because it is so different to mainland, this I found particuarlly interesting and left me with a powerful impression.

How it Should Be • This is how the introduction should have been written: • The poem ‘Hamnavoe’ by George Mackay Brown leaves the reader with a strong impression of Hamnavoe, an island off the north coast of Scotland. . The poem is a tribute to the poet’s father’s life. It follows his daily routine as the island’s postman. Hamnavoe is a very hardworking, religious community and their way of life is memorable because it is so different from the mainland. This I found particularly interesting because it left me with a powerful impression of the island’s inhabitants and the work they do.

Paragraph One with Errors • Mackay Brown left me with a powerful impression from the start of the poem the poet makes it clear that as soon as the people of Hamnavoe awake they are ready to start work: “when barbarous with gulls Hamnavoe’s morning broke” • When Mackay Brown mentions the word “gulls” it is obvious that he is trying to show us the link between nature and the people on the island. As the “gulls” awake the people awake. Also “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” suggested to me that everyone on the island awakes at the same time in order to begin work together:

“Herring boats, puffing red sails, the tillers” The poet uses the personification “puffing” to show that the fishermen are out of breath from all the work they have done.

How it Should Be • Mackay Brown left me with a powerful impression of the community from the start of the poem. He makes it clear that as soon as the people of Hamnavoe awake they are ready to start work: “when barbarous with gulls Hamnavoe’s morning broke” When Mackay Brown mentions the word “gulls” it is obvious that he is trying to show us the link between nature and the people on the island. As the “gulls” awake the people awake. Also the three strong stresses on “Hamnavoe’s morning broke” suggested to me that everyone on the island awakes at the same time in order to begin work together:

• Mackay Brown goes on to describe the boats getting ready to go out to sea: “Herring boats, puffing red sails, the tillers” The poet uses the personification “puffing” to show that the fishermen are out of breath from all the work they have done.

Ending of Poem with Errors • At the end of the poem the poets tribute to his father reveals more about the community. The island is known to work hard for a living but they are still poor: “Because of his gay poverty that kept My seapink innocence” The islanders are poor meaning they are not materialistic but they are happy as well as proud of their way of life.

How it Should Be • At the end of the poem the poet’s tribute to his father reveals more about the community. The islanders are known to work hard for a living but they are still poor: “Because of his gay poverty that kept My seapink innocence” The oxymoron “gay poverty” illustrates how, despite being poor, the islanders attempted to remain happy and make the most of their situation.

And Finally… • Use apostrophes where necessary e. g. Hamnavoe’s. • Include plenty of personal response e. g. I think, I feel, This makes me reflect on… • If a technique has been used in the quotation you’re analysing, you must fully explain the effect of the technique. • Keep expression formal at all times. • Shorter quotations of a few words or so in length should be included as in-line quotations.

Important Quotations

“And threw dark nets on sudden silver harvests. ”

“When barbarous with gulls Hamnavoe’s morning broke”

“Herring boats, Puffing red sails”

“A stallion at the sweet fountain Dredged water, and touched Fire from steel-kissed cobbles. ”

“Gaelic fisher girls Flashed knife and dirge Over drifts of herring”

“My father passed with his penny letters Through closes opening and shutting like legends”

“leaned Down the gull-gaunt tide”

“The boats drove furrows homeward, like ploughmen In blizzards of gulls. ”

“the tillers Of cold horizons”

“A crofter lass Trudged through the lavish dung In a dream of cornstalks and milk. ”

“He quenched his lantern, leaving the last door. ”

“And because, under equality’s sun All things wear now to a common soiling”

“In ‘The Arctic Whaler’ three blue elbows fell, Regular as waves, from beards spumy with porter, Till the amber day ebbed out To its black dregs. ”

“And boys with penny wands lured gleams From the tangled veins of the flood”

“The kirk, in a gale of psalms, went heaving through A tumult of roofs, freighted for heaven. ”

“Hard on noon four bearded merchants Past the pipe-spitting pierhead strolled, Holy with greed, chanting Their slow grave jargon. ”

“Houses went blind Up one steep close, for a Grief by the shrouded nets. ”

“In the fire of images Gladly I put my hand To save that day for him. ”

“And lovers Unblessed by steeples, lay under The buttered bannock of the moon. ”

“A tinker keened like a tartan gull At cuithe-hung doors”

“Because of his gay poverty that kept My seapink innocence From the worm and black wind”