How does Seamus Heaney use the motif of history to comment upon the globalized society?

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serpentine17ice

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I'm studying a text by Heaney - "Punishment" - and our class has also been discussing the "post-modern condition" and how many composers have disapproved of its effects on people... I understand the general textual ways in which Heaney achieves his points in his poem, but I think I'm lacking sophistication in my essay. Can anyone help me please????

PS>>> my essay is due 2 days from now... (thank goodness it's only ordinary homework and not an assessment)
 
i don't understand what you're needing an answer to, but the most important part of the poem is Heaney's empathy towards the victim.
Have you done research and reading about the bodies that Heaney is talking about?
You need to consider how Heaney relates to his actions when seeing such attorcities occur in Ireland, and how he wonders if his actions would be the same if he were watching the young girl (who he's talking about in the poem) being punished.
The idea to show and highlight how human being's actions don't really change over time in certain situations. Fundamentally, we're all out for ourselves, and although we may frown upon certain actions, we don't always act in the 'proper' way.

Hope that helped.
 
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