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The context in which a poem was written can sometimes tell you more about its themes, message and meaning.

Some questions you might ask include:

• Are aspects of the poet’s life reflected in the poem?
• Is the time or place in which it was written reflected in the poem?
• Does the reader need knowledge or understanding of significant events to understand the poem’s real meaning or message?

You will need to research the poet’s background to discover answers to these questions.

If you do write about a poem and its context, be careful to include only details that reveal something about the poem.

The poet

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

He lived in Mossbawn with his father and mother. He was the eldest of nine siblings – most likely the “we” in the poem.

This poem was published in Heaney’s collection The Haw Lantern in 1987. His mother - Margaret Kathleen Heaney – had died three years before. The book is dedicated “In Memoriam M.K.H., 1911-1984”.

It would be useful for you to read the entire Clearances sonnet sequence.

This sequence of sonnets includes memories of Heaney’s mother’s life, their relationship together and her death. Therefore it sets this particular sonnet in context.

For example, the reference in this sonnet to “New Row” is mentioned earlier in the sequence as it is the household that Heaney’s mother grew up in.