A comparison of Heaney "Death of a Naturalist" and Larkin "First Sight"

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The initial observation is that both poems contain connotations of nature, Death of a Naturalist focuses on frogs and First sight on Lambs. Both contain two stanzas, however the structure is not as standard in Death of a Naturalist as it contains a stanza of 21 lines followed by one of 12 whereas First sight has two stanzas of 7 lines. There are images of winter and death present in First Sight, "Meet a vast unwelcome, know nothing …

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showed last 75 words of 1081 total
…though the titles contrast with Larkin targeting a first experience and Heaney a "death" of something both poems contain the theme of nature and the style of writing is similar. Larkin implies a lack of control over our fate and what the future brings though animals whilst Heaney offers us a change of perspective and a detached scientific observation (naturalist) of an innocent boy contrasting judgmental, critical and emotional reactions of a more aware adolescent.