“Mid-Term Break” was published by Irish poet Seamus Heaney in his 1966 book Death of a Naturalist. The poem is about Heaney’s brother, who was killed by a car in 1953 when he was only 4 years old, and Heaney only 14. Personal and direct, the poem describes the unexpected ways his family’s grieves as they confront this tragedy. It also notes the way that grief may upset traditional social roles.

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• “Mid-Term Break” Summary

• “Mid-Term Break” Themes

  • 

    The Nature of Grief

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-22

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mid-Term Break”

  • Lines 1-3

    I sat all ...
    ... drove me home.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 4-6

    In the porch ...
    ... a hard blow.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 7-10

    The baby cooed ...
    ... for my trouble'.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-13

    Whispers informed strangers ...
    ... angry tearless sighs.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 14-15

    At ten o'clock ...
    ... by the nurses.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-18

    Next morning I ...
    ... in six weeks.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 18-22

    Paler now, ...
    ... for every year.

    

    

    

    

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• “Mid-Term Break” Symbols

  • 

    Bells

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “bells”
  • 

    Snowdrops

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 16: “Snowdrops”
  • 

    Candles

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 17: “candles”

• “Mid-Term Break” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “close.”
    • Line 3: “home.”
    • Line 4: “crying—”
    • Line 5: “stride—”
    • Line 6: “blow.”
    • Line 10: “trouble'.”
    • Line 11: “eldest,”
    • Line 13: “sighs.”
    • Line 15: “nurses.”
    • Line 18: “now,”
    • Line 19: “temple,”
    • Line 20: “cot.”
    • Line 21: “clear.”
    • Line 22: “year.”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “bay / Counting”
    • Lines 7-8: “pram / When”
    • Lines 8-9: “embarrassed / By”
    • Lines 9-10: “hand / And”
    • Lines 12-13: “hand / In”
    • Lines 14-15: “arrived / With”
    • Lines 16-17: “Snowdrops / And”
    • Lines 17-18: “him / For”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 8: “in, and”
    • Line 12: “school, as”
    • Line 15: “corpse, stanched”
    • Line 16: “room. Snowdrops”
    • Line 17: “bedside; I”
    • Line 18: “weeks. Paler”
    • Line 21: “scars, the”
    • Line 22: “box, a”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “c,” “b”
    • Line 2: “C,” “b,” “c,” “l,” “c,” “l”
    • Line 3: “cl”
    • Line 4: “m,” “m”
    • Line 5: “H,” “h”
    • Line 12: “A,” “a,” “a,” “m,” “m,” “h,” “m,” “h”
    • Line 13: “h,” “a”
    • Line 14: “A,” “a,” “a”
    • Line 15: “b,” “b”
    • Line 16: “S”
    • Line 17: “s,” “s”
    • Line 18: “F,” “f,” “s,” “P”
    • Line 19: “p,” “b,” “h,” “l”
    • Line 20: “H,” “l,” “f,” “f”
    • Line 22: “f,” “f,” “f,” “f”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “e,” “e,” “o”
    • Line 3: “o,” “o,” “o”
    • Line 4: “I,” “y,” “y”
    • Line 5: “a,” “a,” “i,” “i”
    • Line 6: “i,” “i,” “i,” “i,” “a,” “a”
    • Line 7: “a,” “au,” “a,” “a”
    • Line 8: “I,” “a,” “I,” “a”
    • Line 9: “a,” “a”
    • Line 11: “i,” “i”
    • Line 12: “a,” “a,” “a”
    • Line 13: “a,” “a,” “i”
    • Line 14: “A,” “a,” “i”
    • Line 15: “a,” “a,” “a”
    • Line 16: “o,” “oo”
    • Line 17: “A,” “a,” “oo,” “i,” “I”
    • Line 18: “i,” “i”
    • Line 19: “o,” “o,” “e,” “e”
    • Line 20: “o,” “i,” “i,” “o”
    • Line 21: “au,” “o”
    • Line 22: “ou,” “oo,” “oo,” “o,” “y,” “ea”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “s,” “ll,” “n,” “n,” “c,” “ll,” “s,” “ck,” “b”
    • Line 2: “C,” “n,” “b,” “ll,” “s,” “kn,” “ll,” “cl,” “ss,” “s,” “cl,” “s”
    • Line 3: “t,” “t,” “cl,” “r,” “r,” “r,” “m,” “m”
    • Line 4: “m,” “m,” “th,” “r,” “r”
    • Line 5: “H,” “h,” “n,” “n,” “r,” “n,” “h,” “s,” “r,” “d”
    • Line 6: “d,” “b,” “w”
    • Line 7: “b,” “b,” “c,” “d,” “nd,” “d,” “nd,” “r,” “ck,” “d,” “r,” “m”
    • Line 8: “c,” “m,” “n,” “n,” “m”
    • Line 9: “d,” “m,” “n,” “nd,” “m,” “nd”
    • Line 10: “t,” “rr,” “t,” “r”
    • Line 11: “rs,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r,” “rs,” “s,” “s,” “t”
    • Line 12: “m,” “m,” “h,” “d,” “m,” “h,” “d”
    • Line 13: “h,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r,” “t,” “r,” “ss,” “s,” “s”
    • Line 14: “t,” “t,” “rr”
    • Line 15: “r,” “s,” “s,” “n,” “d,” “nd,” “b,” “nd,” “d,” “b”
    • Line 16: “S,” “d,” “s”
    • Line 17: “nd,” “nd,” “s,” “s,” “d,” “e,” “s,” “d,” “s”
    • Line 18: “F,” “r,” “f,” “r,” “st,” “t,” “s,” “x,” “s,” “P”
    • Line 19: “p,” “pp,” “l,” “t,” “p,” “l”
    • Line 20: “l,” “f,” “r,” “f,” “b,” “x,” “c”
    • Line 21: “c,” “r,” “m,” “r,” “ck,” “m,” “c”
    • Line 22: “f,” “r,” “f,” “t,” “f,” “t,” “f,” “r,” “r,” “y,” “y,” “r”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 20: “He lay in the four-foot box as in his cot.”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 19: “Wearing a poppy bruise”

  • Polysyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where polysyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 7: “The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram”

  • Diacope

    

    

    

    

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    Where diacope appears in the poem:

    • Line 20: “four-foot box”
    • Line 22: “A four-foot box, a foot for every year.”

• “Mid-Term Break” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • College
  • Sick Bay
  • Knelling
  • In His Stride
  • Pram
  • Eldest
  • Stanched
  • Snowdrops
  • Poppy
  • Temple
  • Four-foot box
  • Gaudy
  • Bumper
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “college”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mid-Term Break”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Mid-Term Break” Speaker

• “Mid-Term Break” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Mid-Term Break”

• More “Mid-Term Break” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Seamus Heaney's 10 Best Poems — A list of Heaney's 10 Best Poems from the Telegraph—offering a good introduction to his broader work.

    • Heaney Restrospective — A critical appraisal of the poet's life and work, from Naomi Schalit.

    • Seamus Heaney's Life — A detailed biography from the Poetry Foundation.

    • Seamus Heaney Reads "Mid-Term Break" — The poet reads his own poem aloud for the Poetry Ireland Lunchtime Reading Series.

    • Heaney's Family on Life with the Poet — In an article for the Guardian Newspaper, Seamus Heaney's family reflect on life with Heaney.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Seamus Heaney

    • Blackberry-Picking

    • Bogland

    • Death of a Naturalist

    • Digging

    • Exposure

    • Follower

    • Out of the Bag

    • Personal Helicon

    • Punishment

    • Requiem for the Croppies

    • Storm on the Island

    • The Tollund Man

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