Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney

CONTEXT
Seamus Heany was a Northen Irish poet 
He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995
He often wrote about themes such as childhood, nature and his homeland
The start of the title spells 'Stormont'; this is the name given to Northen Irelands parliament buildings. This hints that the 'storm' could be about some violent political disturbances that Ireland has experienced e.g between Catholics and Protestants or Irish republicans wanting independence from Britain 

THE STORY OF THE POEM 
The narrator describes how a community thinks it's well-prepared for a coming storm
As the poem progressed, their confidence starts to disappear while the storm develops 
The power and sounds of the storm are described in detail 
The ending of the poem describes the fear as the storm hits the island

KEY THEMES IN THE POEM
Power of Humans
Power of Nature
Fear

FORM
The poem is written in blank verse. This mirrors the patterns of everyday speech and makes the poem sound like part of a conversation
The first person plural ('We') is used, showing how this is a collective and communal experience. 
The poem is all one stanza - it is compact and sturdy, like the houses

STRUCTURE
The…