Follower
AQA
GCSE
Seamus Heaney's 'Follower' explores the complex, evolving relationship between father and son through the lens of agricultural labour. The poem moves from a child's awed admiration of his father's ploughing prowess to an adult's recognition of role reversal, employing nautical imagery and precise physical detail to examine memory, legacy, and the shifts in dependency over time.
5
Objectives
3
Exam Tips
4
Pitfalls
5
Key Terms
5
Mark Points
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Analyse how Heaney uses imagery and diction to convey the speaker's changing attitude towards his father.
- Evaluate the significance of the poem's structure and stanza form in reflecting the relationship dynamic.
- Explore the use of contrast between past and present to develop themes of admiration and dependency.
- Examine the nautical metaphor and its effect on the portrayal of the father.
- Assess the impact of the closing lines in subverting the earlier idealised depiction of the father-son bond.
Marking Points
Key points examiners look for in your answers
- Award credit for detailed analysis of specific word choices, such as 'globed' or 'sail', and their connotations of precision and control.
- Reward identification of the poem's volta or shift, typically around the final stanza, where the power dynamic inverts.
- Credit sustained comparison between the father's past competence and present dependency, supported by textual evidence.
- Value recognition of the cyclical nature of the poem, mirroring the farming process itself.
- Acknowledge exploration of the speaker's mixed emotions: pride, guilt, resentment, or love.
Examiner Tips
Expert advice for maximising your marks
- 💡Always closely analyse language features: zoom in on verbs like 'stumbled' or 'fell' to trace the decline in physical prowess.
- 💡Structure your response around the poem's chronological shift: begin with the father's expertise, then contrast with his later helplessness.
- 💡Link the poem's context to Heaney's broader concerns with rural Irish identity and the passage of time, but avoid mere biographical narration.
Common Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers
- Treating the poem solely as a nostalgic tribute without addressing the ironic reversal in the final stanza.
- Misreading the nautical imagery as merely decorative, rather than integral to the characterisation of the father as a skilled navigator.
- Overlooking the significance of the title 'Follower' and its dual meaning—first the son, then the father.
- Ignoring the structural shift from regular quatrains to the abrupt, shorter final line, which mirrors the disruption in the relationship.
Study Guide Available
Comprehensive revision notes & examples
Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Admiration and idealisation
- Role reversal and aging
- Family and rural tradition
- Memory and nostalgia
- Skill and physical labour
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